I love outdoor gear. My ‘office’ is crowded with bikes, skis, soft-shell jackets, etc…but really, when I look at it all, I’m pleased that all of it gets used. Very little of it collects dust. So as much as I would enjoy contributing to our ailing economy by buying even more stuff, I’d much rather prefer buying gear that works well in all types of environments and will actually last more then a year. I’m not sure why it is than, but I seem to be having a hard time finding a camera bag I really like. There are literally hundreds of camera bags on the market, so why is this such a challenge?

Lowepro Slingshot 200

The problem: I’m often outside, in the elements: snow, rain, mud, sand, salt-water (and sometimes the sun.) Furthermore, I’m typically on skis, a bike, in a sea kayak, while photographing. The result is, I typically don’t have a warm, dry car to escape to, or somewhere I can load up my photography gear, including a tripod, camera, lenses, towels, etc etc. Matter of fact, most of the time I only carry my digital Canon Rebel XT with a 17-85 IS lens, polarizer, some batteries and memory cards. The tripod typically stays home (although this may change as I just ordered an Ultrapod, a tiny tripod that will be coming with me to SE Asia in a couple weeks.) This is why I was looking forward to receiving the new Lowepro Slingshot 200 camera bag this past Christmas. It appeared to offer a utilitarian combination of space for cameras, lenses, etc,  but was small enough to mountain bike with, skate ski with, go backcountry skiing with, even act as a combo backpack/camera bag if needed for day trips.

Has it been a satisfying experience? Mostly. It’s worked great (most of the time) for a 2-3 hr skate ski, when I usually only carry the camera, polarizer filter plus some food and water. I can’t really use it for backcountry skiing, an activity that requires too much avalanche gear, extra clothing, food and water for an eight hour adventure. (For these trips I strap on a small TLZ-1 Lowepro bag that hangs from my chest.) The Slingshot does do well in these adverse conditions though. The bag repels water (and snow) well. Not sure how it would hold up in a downpour, but I think it would be fine, for a short while (the zippers aren’t sealed, so water would surely leak through these eventually.)

I am having some issues mountain biking with it, as I found out last weekend on a short ride outside Seattle.

Lowepro Slingshot 200 - just ok for mountain biking

The whole idea behind all Lowepro Slingshots is that you can access your camera quickly, without having to remove it, by undoing a single buckle and sliding it around your waist. And yes, it does work. The problem I have, and I will try to retrofit this, are the two existing straps don’t provide a tight enough fit if you’re actively moving around, be it on skis or while riding a mountain bike for example. What it needs is a waist strap.

Also, the bag doesn’t have any additional straps to carry a tripod, an obvious oversight in my opinion. It does contain a two small separate sections for all those little accessories and the inside will easily fit a DLSR and a few lenses (but probably not a big zoom.) I’ve never really been happy with Lowepro zippers…they just don’t seem to last very long.

Not sure why, but I always end up with Lowepro camera bags. If you’ve used another bag or have some recommendations for something similar that may be better for outdoor use, please let me know.

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Last weekend, with no snow to ski tour on and feeling a bit depressed as even the Rockies were getting pounded, some friends and I thought a trail run up Mt Si would be fun. Running, or jogging, nearly 4000 vertical feet is never easy, but the views of Mt Rainier and surrounding Cascade peaks were beautiful.

Mt Rainier Photo, taken from Mt Si

Thankfully we have options like this in Seattle. No snow, no problem.

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Two years ago I celebrated my 30th birthday backpacking in to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness to revel in the solitude of the Enchantment Lakes area. It was early October and fall was in the air. I woke early in the morning to a light dusting of snow atop the surrounding 8,000 ft peaks.

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Only a couple hours away from Seattle, this magical alpine environment is a gem to behold, especially in the fall when the larch trees are burning orange & yellow.

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The Olympic Mountains provide a picturesque background for anyone living in Seattle. Often cloaked in clouds, when they appear, especially in winter, they lure you in with a mysterious attraction. Olympic National Park, at almost one million acres, is nearly 95% wilderness and boasts glacier-clad peaks, desolate beaches and the last remaining temperate rain forest (that’s 140-167 inches of rain a year – http://www.olympic.national-park.com/info.htm) in the lower-48. The largest herd of free-roaming Roosevelt Elk in the country live among ancient stands of Douglas Firs, Hemlock, and Sitka Spruce forests. So needless to say, the Olympics provide a literal playground for photographers…that is, if your gear holds up.

To make a long story short, my fiancee and I roll into Hobuck Beach for a long weekend of surfing, hiking and cycling. Cape Flattery is a mere 4 miles away and marks the most NW point of the USA. I’m like a kid in a candy store, my Canon digital camera always at my side, my tripod mounted to my bike rack for easy access. Morning comes early, I grab the camera gear and walk to the beach. Pacific swells roll in from Japan, waves lapping the beach, sea birds enjoying the peace and quiet as the sun slowly begins to rise in the east. While snapping a couple photos I realized my camera wasn’t sitting flush on my Giottos ball-head. Without dwelling on it, thoughts of fresh camp-coffee lull me back to camp.

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Upon arriving at camp I focus on this ball-head issue. For whatever reason it’s not screwing into base of my camera right, so I proceed to unscrew the socket base (the pad that is attached to the ball head that my camera sits on.) Hmm…doesn’t really want to come off, but does. So I screw it back on…it gets stuck…and then, SNAP! Pictures are better than words in this case.

Needless to say I’m a little shocked, not only for how easily this snapped in half, but also the fact this was a relatively new Giottos MH-1002 PROFESSIONAL ball head. Sure it’s small, but that’s because I often have limited space for my gear (and I have a relatively small Canon Rebel XT camera.) But come on! Hopefully Giottos can come through for me and salvage this relationship with a replacement. Otherwise, I may be shopping for a new ball head with another company.

UPDATED: I contacted Giottos regarding my broken ball head. As you can see below, they responded promptly and have asked I return the ballhead for replacement. I give them much credit for the quick reply. Obviously they care about their products and keeping customers happy. Kudos to Giottos

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I will admit I’m a bit of a brat when it comes to my idea of what an ‘adventure’ is. Despite living in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and having the mighty Pacific ocean on one side, towering mountains on the other and pristine lakes in between, I often find myself reaching for distance peaks I cannot see, day-dreaming about mountain bike trails and epic bike tours I’ve only read about. Unfortunately, reaching these far-off destinations has become a bit more financially straining with a gas-guzzling pickup. So, as I’m forced to entertain myself and look locally for activities (and work with the fiancee on having one car), I’m slowly beginning to appreciate that an adventure doesn’t have to mean a month-long solo bike tour in Chile (although…) but instead it can be as simple as dropping the sea kayak in the water for a paddle in Puget Sound, or joining up with a group of friends for a nearby mountain biking ride.

So I stopped my whining, calculated my carbon footprint (ok, maybe not) for a local paddle and mountain bike ride versus driving out to central Washington and basked in the glory of a Seattle summer weekend.

First up, a circumnavigation paddle of Blake Island. With the put-in less than a mile from our house here in West Seattle, my goal was visible before I even started. While the island sits only a couple miles off-shore, you have to pass a busy shipping lane in the process, but that only adds to the adventure! Every time I slide the sea kayak into the water and push away from the beach, I ask myself why I don’t do more paddling. It’s such a unique way of seeing the lay of the land (or water) that few get to experience.

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The next day Jeannine and I had planned a hike up Mt Si, something neither of us had ever done despite living in Seattle for over eight years. Instead we opted to join a group of folks who were heading down to mountain bike the Sun Top trail. Only 90 minutes away from Seattle, the trail sits in a web of spectacular mountain biking not too far from the Crystal Mountain ski area. Many of the trails offer stunning views of The Mountain, or Mt Rainier. Fortunately for us, it was one of those truly perfect northwest summer days. Crystal clear sky, perfect temps…and of course an awesome ride.

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Water

Earth

Fire

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