Like most Hikers and Backpackers, you want to have your camera ready for the once-in-a-lifetime shot, but it can be difficult sometimes to carry your camera up until you need it. Especially if you have a large DSLR and Telephoto lens.
Peak Designs has a great product called the "Capture". It’s designed to attach to your Backpack arm strap, and when combined with the compatible plate that screws into the bottom of your camera, your camera can be securely attached to your backpack strap. When you need your camera, you just press the release button and take your shot.
But what if you can’t get the Peak Design Capture clip to work for you? Maybe your favorite backpack strap is too large for the Capture system, or in some cases, it’s not that comfortable in the location you did get it to work on. Or even what if your camera and lens are over 6 lbs., the clip may hold it, but it is far from comfortable. Peak Designs claims it will hold well over 200 lbs., but would you want that much weight on your pack strap?
What if there was another way to comfortably carry any size camera/lens combo on your pack and even have it ready for that perfect photo faster. There is and it’s even another Peak Design product, you will just use it a little differently. The product is the Peak Design “Slide” or “Slide Lite” strap with Anchor Links. The Peak Design Slide Lite Strap is 1.3 inches wide and has a better chance of fitting in most cases compared to the Peak Design Slide Strap at 1.8 inches wide.
Pretty much all multi-day backpacking packs and some hiking packs have “Load Lifter” straps where the top of the shoulder strap meets the top of the pack. These straps are used to bring the pack closer to your body making the heavy load more comfortable.
The trick is to slide the Peak Design Slide Lite strap through the Load Lifter straps on your pack. This will keep the weight of the camera off your neck and distributed across your shoulders allowing you to carry a heavy rig for longer periods and the camera is ready to go. Your camera is securely attached to the strap and won’t go anywhere, plus you don’t have to release it from anything like you would with the Peak Design Caputre device.
Some packs don’t have “Load Lifter” straps, and a good example of this is my Hyperlite Junction 2400 pack. But the Hyperlite packs do have gear attachment straps on the top part of the shoulder straps which work just fine with the Peak Design Slide Lite Strap.
Tip: If you don’t like the camera strap flopping around while it’s on your pack when your camera is stored away during travel, place a Peak Design Anchor Link at the very bottom of each pack shoulder strap to hold the strap in place.