>>2977608Good question. A few years ago I wrote a blog post about my backpacking setup here:
http://www.alexburkephoto.com/blog/2013/08/27/backpacking-with-a-4x5-cameraIt's a bit outdated and I've made some changes since then but I'm still using that same bag. I usually try to decide if there's a lens or two I can live without given the terrain and landscape, I also usually take a few film holders and plan on reloading. The changing bag makes a nice pillow anyway. In the last few years I've really decided that I don't like tents, however this summer every time I went backpacking had a good chance of rain. Still, I don't bring the entire tent, just the rainfly and the poles to set it up. It's about half the weight and it's a lot roomier. Of course, it doesn't offer any protection from bugs without the mesh portion but I've found that mosquitoes seem to fly in and get confused and not bite me inside the rainfly. If it's a one-nighter or a trip where there's really no chance of rain I just bring a tarp and lie on that. A tarp can also be converted into an emergency rain shelter with the help of a hiking pole and a couple stakes.
I carry a dedicated camera bag and strap backpacking gear on the outside, bringing a large rain cover for everything just in case. I've measured my pack at as much as 65lbs and that was a bit miserable. It was also a 5 day trip so food and whatnot was heavy. Most the places I go have water sources so I would prefer to not carry much water and use a filter more often, and my stove and cookware are tiny. I haven't weighed my bag when it's got just the mamiya and backpacking gear in it but I would guess maybe 40 pounds. I'd still like to get it down a bit with some lighter stuff or a bag that feels better with that weight. My legs and stuff do just fine but the weight on the shoulders is rough after a while. Now I always make sure to toss some lenses and think of only the essentials for that area.
