Chest packs for attaching to shoulder straps of a backpack?

Hey guys,

I'm looking into purchasing a chest pouch/pack that will attach to the D rings on the shoulder straps of my backpack. I need it to carry a Canon 50D, 70-200 f/4, 17-40 f/4, polarizing filter, a close-up diopter, some batteries, and some memory cards.

So far the Lowerpro Toploader Pro 70 AW looks the best, but from the product description I will only be able to fit the 50D with attached 70-200 f/4 inside. Any experience with this system or other Lowepro Toploader model numbers? Any other brands out there that will accomodate my gear?

Thanks,
Chris

Hi Chris. I have the TL 75; it holds up to 300/4 mounted to a body (including 1-series). I bought it for the Grand Canyon, where I carried a 20D with 10-22 and 50/1.8 in it; one lens on the body and the other in the bottom of the TL under a divider. There was room for a CPL in its case inside next to the lenses, and the pocket on the front has room for some other stuff. I carried a 70-200/4 in a Lowepro Lens Case 3 on my pack belt. You can attach the lens case to the side of the TL, but it's already pretty big. I think the only difference between the 70 and the 75 is depth.

Hope that helps,
Will

I've had a bunch of TLZ-75s, which work fine with 1-series stuff and smaller cameras with grips. I have an old article on that here. I don't have that body or lenses so can't comment on precisely what would fit where.

I'm just trying out a Kata H-16, which is a consideerably more sophisticated bag. The down side is that it comes with only two d-rings, so you have to put the lower rings on yourself. You may not need those anyway if you're using it on a backpack, although personally I prefer to use a separate tape harness (needs 4 rings) for the camera as then the camera pack and back pack are independent, plus you don't get the thing flapping about as you move. What's needed depends on what sport you're doing to some extent.

I've not tried the H-16 chest-mounted in anger yet so I'm not sure if it's going to work well or not. This fits a body with grip plus 24-70 and hood mounted without hassle and as it's narrower front-back and wider side-side you can get an additonal lens or flash or both in the side pockets.

Try Kinesis. Look at the C-series holster cases, and the Y303 generic pack adapter. The largest C-series case will hold a pro body with 70-200 or 100-400 with the hood in shooting position. They also have some straps to keep the case from swinging around while attached to your pack. If you have any questions, e-mail them, they're usually pretty responsive.

If you're talking about a hiking backpack with a proper hipbelt, the belt goes through the sleeve at the back of the TL and prevents any swinging around. If it's a photo pack or rucksack-type daypack I agree you'll want to use it with a harness. I don't know about the TL70, but my 75 came with such a harness.