First Use: Shimoda Designs Action X70 Backpack (Video)

Today will be my first opportunity for an overnighter in the mountains near Mt. Rainier. During the extended offseason, I used the opportunity to upgrade most of my camping gear to reduce mass and improve efficiency. Much of this was forced as compensation for adding the larger, heavier Fujifilm GFX medium format camera system. The result of throwing money at the problem is an overnight kit that fits completely within my Action X70 backpack while still having 15-20 liters of space left over and weighing in below 20kg. To demonstrate both the efficiency of my chosen gear and my packing skills, I made a short video of my unloading all of the camping gear from my backpack's expandable 35 liter cargo compartment.

2020-06-25 4

Quick Take: Shimoda Designs Action X70 Camera Backpack

Usually, Kickstarter is a collection of scams and bad ideas for internet virgins to be separated from their money. Sometimes, if you know what you're doing, it's a source for good deals. In this case, Shimoda Designs has established itself as a reliable maker of durable, action oriented camera backpacks. Shimoda decided to use Kickstarter as a "group buy" for their new line of Action X backpacks and mine managed to arrive just after Xmas.

2020-01-12 0

Prepping to hit the road again.

Jay (IG @JasonTanakaPhotography) and I are gearing up to hit La Push, WA, near the Quillayute Tribal lands on the Pacific coast of the state. I've been there twice before, the most recent being last winter with Craig (IG @SomeWAWino). This will be another overnight trip but with a twist: we're gonna camp on the beach in hopes of getting some astrophotography in after some sunset shots.

2019-10-23 0

This always happens to me: Shimoda Design Action X70

So, 2 full months after I bought my Shimoda Design Explore 40 backpack, they opened a Kickstarter for a new line of packs. Called the Action X series, they're basically a collection of improvements, many of which were universally requested by owners, including myself.

2019-10-21 0

Gear Review: Manfrotto BeFree Compact Carbon Fiber (MKBFRC4-BH)

I only had this tripod for a week before returning it from whence I bought it. I was so thoroughly disgusted with it after receipt, then after one use, that I didn't bother to take photos of it before throwing it into its shipping container and sending it back.

2018-07-30 0

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Tag: backpacking