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Backpack help please

alatreille

Member
Has anyone checked out the 45L ortlieb for sizing?

If it was too large, would there be any problems, cinching it up tighter?

I am an Ortlieb fan from way back. My panniers are 19 years old and still waterproof!



How funny I have an order from them now and am a keen customer !

Besides taxes, our postal service is overpriced usually.
 

rdeloe

Well-known member
Has anyone checked out the 45L ortlieb for sizing?

If it was too large, would there be any problems, cinching it up tighter?

I am an Ortlieb fan from way back. My panniers are 19 years old and still waterproof!
My 35L is jammed tightly with camera gear and the internal carrying unit I built, so no room for clothes or food! From the measurements provided by Ortlieb, it looks like the 45L is not much larger in any dimension. I almost wish I had gone with the 45L for when I need to carry more than just camera gear.
 

MartinN

Well-known member
All camerabags are too small 15 minutes after buying. There is always so much to stuff. Well at least most bags are too small for my FUJI GX 680 setup. ;)
 

med

Active member
Earlier in this thread, Mike (pelorus) recommended the Ortlieb Atrack backpack. I was intrigued because it seemed to have everything I was looking for (water proof, good harness, lots of room, simple, flexible). Mike had the 25L model, which I thought might be a bit small. Thanks to his enthusiasm and helpful advice, I decided to try one of these in 35L.

Big thanks to Mike for his pre-sales advice!

Thanks for the pictures and description of your process! As mentioned in another thread, I also purchased the 35L Ortlieb Atrack backpack. The pack itself is fantastic (pics and mini-review to come soon...), but the F-stop Pro Small ICU that I purchased isn't really working for my tech camera(s) as it is not deep enough to house either my RM3Di or Factum, although the Factum is close. Unfortunately most ICU type cubes seem to be around the same depth (7.5-8" internally).

I am thinking I am going to take a page out of your book and just use a block of foam inside the pack, although I am not very crafty so I am going to have some foam custom cut for me from a local case manufacturer that I work with professionally from time to time.

How deep did your foam block end up being? The F-stop ICU is 8 inches deep and I'm wondering how much deeper I can get away with, for both my tech camera as well as my 4x5 camera; I am going to get 2 or 3 blocks cut for different configurations.

Thanks!

-Matt
 

anyone

Well-known member
Matt, let us know about your success of having the foam custom-cut. I tried the same here in Germany and failed since all manufacturers are only interested in large batches (and therefore the tool costs to setup the machines are way too high).
 

rdeloe

Well-known member
I am thinking I am going to take a page out of your book and just use a block of foam inside the pack, although I am not very crafty so I am going to have some foam custom cut for me from a local case manufacturer that I work with professionally from time to time.

How deep did your foam block end up being? The F-stop ICU is 8 inches deep and I'm wondering how much deeper I can get away with, for both my tech camera as well as my 4x5 camera; I am going to get 2 or 3 blocks cut for different configurations.

Thanks!

-Matt
The main body of my insert (i.e., not counting the "peninsula" that holds my GFX 50R) is 24cm wide x 18cm high x 34cm long. An insert that is wider and not as tall would also fit because the bag has no structure when it's empty. If you use a 45 L Atrack, you can make it a few cm taller.

Here it is out of the bag, with a small dog for scale :) As you will see, I come from the "ugly but it works" school of design...





The foam is called "Kaizen". I used three layers of the thickest one (57mm thickness) for the main body, and two layers for the "peninsula" that holds my GFX 50R. There's also lots of black tape for strength! This foam is rather clever. Each sheet is many very thin layers bonded together. To excavate a hole, you cut the shape of the hole, to the depth you need, and then you pluck out the chunk that will hold the piece. The layers are designed to tear apart easily.

To build it, I started with the lowest layer, and cut out all the foam needed to hold the camera. Then I measured and cut the middle layer, and finally the top layer. The layers are glued together with a 3M spray adhesive designed for this kind of foam. The tape is mostly to prevent the foam eroding, and to add a bit of strength. I added a thin sheet of corrugated plastic as the very bottom for strength, and to provide more room to fit in the compendium that nests in the cutout in the centre of the main part.

Mine is completely customized for a Toyo VX23D and a GFX 50R. Nothing else will fit in it. If you make a more generic layout, there will be a lot less cutting and measuring.
 

med

Active member
The main body of my insert (i.e., not counting the "peninsula" that holds my GFX 50R) is 24cm wide x 18cm high x 34cm long. An insert that is wider and not as tall would also fit because the bag has no structure when it's empty. If you use a 45 L Atrack, you can make it a few cm taller.

Here it is out of the bag, with a small dog for scale :) As you will see, I come from the "ugly but it works" school of design...
Thanks Rob! That is most helpful. Seems like your insert is almost exactly the same depth as the f-stop small ICU (17.8cm). I have it oriented so the long side of it fills the width of the pack (29.2cm). I feel like there is a *little* bit of room to go either deeper or wider but definitely not much. If I want to go deeper (I reckon I will need about 20cm of depth to accommodate my RM3Di) then I am probably better off making my foam block less wide to ensure the zipper will still close.

As for the Atrack mini-review I promised, here it is...

M1010344.jpg

I opted for the loud "Signal Red" version of the Atrack 35 for visibility purposes and it better matched the colour scheme of my other camping gear. It is a bit less subtle than it looks in some of the Ortlieb marketing materials so I may not have picked that colour had I seen it in person, but its main purpose is for camping and hiking so I have no regrets. If I had planned to use it in urban environments I think black would be the better colour choice. I considered getting the 45L version as it comes with good compression straps so you can always make it smaller, however if I have the space I tend to fill it, so I think this will force me to be more economical with my gear.

As Rob mentioned the pack is totally formless on its own, but thanks to the f-stop ICU it can stand on its bottom. Since the pack is totally watertight and airtight, if you close it almost all of the way you can inflate it with your mouth to give it some form before sealing it. I found this handy to give a bit of an air cushion for the gear that didn't fit into the ICU, such as my little point and shoot.

M1010199.jpg

I took the pack with me on a three day canoe trip, and while I thankfully never had to test the Ortlieb waterproof claims, the pack certainly seems well suited to standing up to the elements. I really like the idea of gaining access through the back as I naturally do not put the padded strappy side down when in canoes or on trails as that is where all of the water and mud usually is :). The Atrack quickly gained a home directly in front of my seating position in the canoe so I could get at my camera when necessary.


M1010345.jpg

Inside I currently have an F-Stop small ICU, which is positioned so that the long side goes side to side in the pack. This occupies about 50% of the vertical space in the pack, so there is plenty of space left over currently. This ICU is not deep enough to hold my RM3Di unfortunately. It fits, however one edge of it invariably sticks up out of the ICU, The pack still closes and I tried it this way for a bit, however the edge is far enough out that you definitely can feel it on your lower back, despite it being behind the ample padding of the Atrack.

Pictured here is my Arca Factum, which still sticks out a little bit, however cannot be felt through the padding. I have gone through a few configurations, both with camera disassembled and fully assembled and can safely fit tech cam with 2 lenses, viewfinder, digital back, and basic accessories. When disassembled I can fit more accessories since there is a lot less wasted space. My goal with a custom block of foam will be to fit a tech cam with mounted lens and back, one (or maybe 2?) extra lenses, another back, and basic accessories. Perhaps this is too ambitious, but as you can see there is still a lot of extra room above the ICU so my block will be expanding upwards for sure, but I would like to leave some space to stuff a jacket, lunch, or perhaps my point and shoot.

M1010343.jpg

I also purchased the Ortlieb "Accessory Mounting Kit" along with the pack which comes with a few nifty straps for mounting just about anything you might want to the outside of the pack. There is a smaller strap system meant for hiking poles and the like that I think may be able to carry lighter tripods in side or centre carry positions, but I have not tried it yet. Pictured here is the large accessory mount, which consists of some straps and two "ladder" bits that slide through the mounting holes in various configurations to suit your gear. I have configured mine to carry my RRS 4 Series tripod in the centre, upside down and as low as possible.

M1010341.jpg

M1010342.jpg

Thanks to all of the straps adjustment points I was able to get the legs attached snugly to the pack with minimal play, and certainly no extra sway or movement that could be felt while walking, although with both 4 series legs and Cube attached to the back of the pack, it was getting into less than ideal weight distribution territory. It is just two clips to get the legs attached/unattached, which was done at the beginning/end of each portage. No big deal.

I tried it both with and without the Cube attached, and while it works fine in both configurations I don't want to push my luck with the mount point weight ratings. I also don't have a good protector bag or anything for the Cube just yet so it is rather prone to scuffs, scratches, dings, and dirt whenever setting the pack down since it is the first part of the pack to touch the ground. I have started to use a Phase One lens wrap for it, but still feel better with it off and carried inside the pack. I will probably account for the head in my growing foam block.

M1010340.jpg

Here you can get a sense of how the Atrack with as big a tripod as any of us are likely to hike with sits on my frame. I found the padding and straps to be very comfortable while somehow being minimalist. They were enough to very comfortably carry the weight in the pack for all of my portages, yet never felt like they were in the way at other times. So far a hearty thumbs up for this pack. Thanks to Rob and Mike for bringing it to my attention!



M1010209.jpg
 

med

Active member
Matt, let us know about your success of having the foam custom-cut. I tried the same here in Germany and failed since all manufacturers are only interested in large batches (and therefore the tool costs to setup the machines are way too high).
Will do! I do not know the process these guys use but I do not think it involves crazy tooling setup. One-offs are their specialty and I already have had them do some cut outs for smaller Pelican cases before. Their work is perhaps not as form fitting or fancy as anything involving 3d printing or lasers, but they can usually get support in all the right places and costs are reasonable.
 

jeremy121

New member
What about Mini Nixon Men's Landlock? I like this backpack. It has enough place to put everything inside and I can carry a skateboard with me.
 

rdeloe

Well-known member
Thanks Rob! That is most helpful. Seems like your insert is almost exactly the same depth as the f-stop small ICU (17.8cm). I have it oriented so the long side of it fills the width of the pack (29.2cm). I feel like there is a *little* bit of room to go either deeper or wider but definitely not much. If I want to go deeper (I reckon I will need about 20cm of depth to accommodate my RM3Di) then I am probably better off making my foam block less wide to ensure the zipper will still close.

As for the Atrack mini-review I promised, here it is...
I just noticed your review of the mini. Thanks and well done. It looks like a great fit for what you need.
 

nameBrandon

Well-known member
View attachment 150237

Inside I currently have an F-Stop small ICU, which is positioned so that the long side goes side to side in the pack. This occupies about 50% of the vertical space in the pack, so there is plenty of space left over currently. This ICU is not deep enough to hold my RM3Di unfortunately. It fits, however one edge of it invariably sticks up out of the ICU, The pack still closes and I tried it this way for a bit, however the edge is far enough out that you definitely can feel it on your lower back, despite it being behind the ample padding of the Atrack.

Pictured here is my Arca Factum, which still sticks out a little bit, however cannot be felt through the padding. I have gone through a few configurations, both with camera disassembled and fully assembled and can safely fit tech cam with 2 lenses, viewfinder, digital back, and basic accessories. When disassembled I can fit more accessories since there is a lot less wasted space. My goal with a custom block of foam will be to fit a tech cam with mounted lens and back, one (or maybe 2?) extra lenses, another back, and basic accessories. Perhaps this is too ambitious, but as you can see there is still a lot of extra room above the ICU so my block will be expanding upwards for sure, but I would like to leave some space to stuff a jacket, lunch, or perhaps my point and shoot.
Rob, thank you so much for this. I'm leaning towards doing something very similar with the Atrack. I like that I could use a Pelican case + ICU's for transport to location and pack the backpack into luggage (since there's no frame), then once in the general location move everything from Pelican to Atrack.

My question about your setup specifically.. Does the Small Pro ICU fit the other direction, the longest side of the ICU perpendicular to the zipper opening? I'm wondering if I could get a medium pro ICU + small ICU in there, or potentially two Small Pro ICU's.. Ideally if I did two small pro ICU's I'd like to stack them on top of each other "flat" at the bottom of the bag, leaving some more room up top.

The Ortleib Atrack spec page says it has a width of 11" and I know the long side of the Small Pro ICU is 12.5".. Not sure if that pushes the bag too far so that it won't close? It looks like the 45L has a width of 12.6" so that size technically should work, but would defer to the smaller 35L if possible.
 

rdeloe

Well-known member
Rob, thank you so much for this. I'm leaning towards doing something very similar with the Atrack. I like that I could use a Pelican case + ICU's for transport to location and pack the backpack into luggage (since there's no frame), then once in the general location move everything from Pelican to Atrack.

My question about your setup specifically.. Does the Small Pro ICU fit the other direction, the longest side of the ICU perpendicular to the zipper opening? I'm wondering if I could get a medium pro ICU + small ICU in there, or potentially two Small Pro ICU's.. Ideally if I did two small pro ICU's I'd like to stack them on top of each other "flat" at the bottom of the bag, leaving some more room up top.

The Ortleib Atrack spec page says it has a width of 11" and I know the long side of the Small Pro ICU is 12.5".. Not sure if that pushes the bag too far so that it won't close? It looks like the 45L has a width of 12.6" so that size technically should work, but would defer to the smaller 35L if possible.
Too many Atrack users now! ;) I'm not using the ICU. I think that's med's pack you're seeing.

Rob
 

nameBrandon

Well-known member
Too many Atrack users now! ;) I'm not using the ICU. I think that's med's pack you're seeing.

Rob
Woops, sorry about that, you're right I was looking to get med's input with the ICU setup. I did order the Atrack 45L from MooseJaw (there were really not a lot of places in the US had the 45L version!) so we'll see shortly. Will be sure to post some photos. I also ordered the Anja, so I'm curious to see how they compare. One is definitely going back..
 

med

Active member
My question about your setup specifically.. Does the Small Pro ICU fit the other direction, the longest side of the ICU perpendicular to the zipper opening? I'm wondering if I could get a medium pro ICU + small ICU in there, or potentially two Small Pro ICU's.. Ideally if I did two small pro ICU's I'd like to stack them on top of each other "flat" at the bottom of the bag, leaving some more room up top.

The Ortleib Atrack spec page says it has a width of 11" and I know the long side of the Small Pro ICU is 12.5".. Not sure if that pushes the bag too far so that it won't close? It looks like the 45L has a width of 12.6" so that size technically should work, but would defer to the smaller 35L if possible.
As Rob mentioned, I am med not Rob :D


The picture above is with the long side of the small ICU perpendicular to the zipper in the 35L Atrack. It zips up fairly easily but the limit is certainly approaching... you cold perhaps go wider or deeper but not much. Since the medium and large ICUs are the same depth and width in that configuration, just "taller" I would not anticipate any difficulty fitting the medium or large ICU in there, or even two small ICUs.

If the ICUs were 1.5" deeper then they would be perfect for me and I would be doing exactly as you are describing...
 

nameBrandon

Well-known member
As Rob mentioned, I am med not Rob :D


The picture above is with the long side of the small ICU perpendicular to the zipper in the 35L Atrack. It zips up fairly easily but the limit is certainly approaching... you cold perhaps go wider or deeper but not much. Since the medium and large ICUs are the same depth and width in that configuration, just "taller" I would not anticipate any difficulty fitting the medium or large ICU in there, or even two small ICUs.

If the ICUs were 1.5" deeper then they would be perfect for me and I would be doing exactly as you are describing...
Thanks, Med-not-Rob, very helpful!! :)

I’m wondering now if I overshot with the 45L Atrac.. I’ll have 2 small pro ICU and a medium slope ICU to test with so we’ll see which combination works best.
 

med

Active member
Thanks, Med-not-Rob, very helpful!! :)

I’m wondering now if I overshot with the 45L Atrac.. I’ll have 2 small pro ICU and a medium slope ICU to test with so we’ll see which combination works best.
It is a lot easier to cinch up and compress the 45 to be the size of the 35 than it is to stretch out the 35 to the size of the 35 :)

I probably would have purchased the 45 if it was in stock and could arrive as quickly as the 35 did; I was about to embark on a trip so I went with the one that was likeliest to arrive in time.

I like the size of the 35 but wish it was a little bit bigger at times. No regrets though!
 

Hausen

Active member
Woops, sorry about that, you're right I was looking to get med's input with the ICU setup. I did order the Atrack 45L from MooseJaw (there were really not a lot of places in the US had the 45L version!) so we'll see shortly. Will be sure to post some photos. I also ordered the Anja, so I'm curious to see how they compare. One is definitely going back..
I would be keen to see what you think of the 45l. I almost pushed the button the the 35l but keen to see what you think of 45l.
 

anyone

Well-known member
I will order the Atrack 45l (black as I do not want more attention). I kind of disliked the non-matching back access of the f-stop backpacks to their ICU's, so the Atrack seems to solve this problem and is waterproof. I will certainly give it a try. Did you also order the optional gear straps for tripod mount, or are they unnecessary?

Thank you!
 
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