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Stupid question: how safe to carry an expensive lens in a trolley? - Printable Version

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Stupid question: how safe to carry an expensive lens in a trolley? - stoppingdown - 08-23-2016

So, I can carry the 150-600mm for a few kilometres on my shoulders, but it's a pain. In some cases, a few good hides for watching birds can be reached by walking on a paved road, even though a little bumpy.

 

I was guessing about carrying the lens with a trolley such as this one:

 

https://www.amazon.it/vojagor-Carrello-trolley-colore-scelta/dp/B00SJ3W2NI/ref=sr_1_1

 

I actually bought one. But then I was worried about the fact that the wheels are not damped and perhaps vibrations could damage the lens. So I wasn't brave enough to try it... Huh  

 

Thoughts?




Stupid question: how safe to carry an expensive lens in a trolley? - Brightcolours - 08-23-2016

You can put vibration insulation in it/ around the lens (like a rubber/foam).




Stupid question: how safe to carry an expensive lens in a trolley? - stoppingdown - 08-23-2016

Quote:You can put vibration insulation in it/ around the lens (like a rubber/foam).
 

I was thinking of a few large beach towels, folded, that in this period are at hand... Do you think it's enough?



Stupid question: how safe to carry an expensive lens in a trolley? - toni-a - 08-23-2016

Personally I wouldn't do it, for the simple reason it's not practical, tried something similar and dropped the whole idea




Stupid question: how safe to carry an expensive lens in a trolley? - Brightcolours - 08-23-2016

Yeah I think that those towels will be enough to get rid of the impact. Whether the trolley shape is right to be easy and no bother, I can't comment on.



Stupid question: how safe to carry an expensive lens in a trolley? - davidmanze - 08-23-2016

I don't really buy the trolley idea, I can see it being a pain bouncing and clattering on any surface that isn't  smooth!

 

  i bought a Lowpro 500AW backpack and with the Nikor 500mm F4 and a couple of bodies it's just carryable,  5.5 Kgs! 6Kgs inc. the backpack.

 

My much smaller shoulder bag with the Tamron and a body which hangs from just one strap is more uncomfortable to carry but is half the weight! 

 

  An appropriate  Lowpro model (or other) backpack with what you carry shouldn't be too heavy, the advantage of these backpacks is the weight is carried by the waist strap, with only a small amount on your shoulders.




Stupid question: how safe to carry an expensive lens in a trolley? - toni-a - 08-23-2016

Quote:I don't really buy the trolley idea, I can see it being a pain bouncing and clattering on any surface that isn't  smooth!

 

  i bought a Lowpro 500AW backpack and with the Nikor 500mm F4 and a couple of bodies it's just carryable,  5.5 Kgs!

 

My much smaller shoulder bag with the Tamron and a body which hangs from just one strap is more uncomfortable to carry but is half the weight! 

 

  An appropriate  Lowpro model (or other) backpack with what you carry shouldn't be too heavy, the advantage of these backpacks is the weight is carried by the waist strap, with only a small amount on your shoulders.
I second that, a good backpack is a much better option



Stupid question: how safe to carry an expensive lens in a trolley? - JJ_SO - 08-23-2016

I've seen a trolley from Tamrac (?) with a pretty stable holder for a tripod head. Like that here, but it's 3 years old and I don't find them on Tamrac's site

 

When I had to carry this big 150-600 Sports, I did it mostly in a ThinkTank GlassLimo. It takes the lens with attached hood and FF body with grip. Like dave says, it's good to carry - I was just very often too lazy to get the lens out and in some situations it was difficult to hold myself and manÅ“uvre the backpack, not to mention fiddle the lens out.  :blink:

 

So, a trolley has it's advantages. Especially because it stands for itself - if you don't want it to park downhill.

 

As for the stones: Depending at their size, you could carry the trolley, if it's only short distances over stones. But if there's only stones or sand and not much way, I would opt for backpack.




Stupid question: how safe to carry an expensive lens in a trolley? - davidmanze - 08-23-2016

Quote:I've seen a trolley from Tamrac (?) with a pretty stable holder for a tripod head.

 

 

 

When I had to carry this big 150-600 Sports, I did it mostly in a ThinkTank GlassLimo. It takes the lens with attached hood and FF body with grip. Like dave says, it's good to carry - I was just very often too lazy to get the lens out and in some situations it was difficult to hold myself and manÅ“uvre the backpack, not to mention fiddle the lens out.  :blink:

 

So, a trolley has it's advantages. Especially because it stands for itself - if you don't want it to park downhill.

 

As for the stones: Depending at their size, you could carry the trolley, if it's only short distances over stones. But if there's only stones or sand and not much way, I would opt for backpack.
 

 

Tamrac was made for Tarmac?    (tarmacadem road surface)! ....... Strange coincidence the name!

 

 

It's all a question of terrain, smooth is good, rough and bumpy makes it a bit of a "palaver"  (no complaints that you don't understand the word now.)     Oh ho har  hoo, Oh what a giggle we have here! Wink  




Stupid question: how safe to carry an expensive lens in a trolley? - stoppingdown - 08-24-2016

Thanks for the excellent feedback, as usual. As for the stones, fortunately there are no stones on the road, as the road is not gravelled, but asphalted. Since it's a road reserved to hikers, bikers, and a very limited number of authorised vehicles, it's not maintained with the usual standards and there's no smooth asphalt (that would not make me worry), but - especially in some places - is full of  irregular"patches".

 

In any case I'm also considering an alternate approach: put into the trolley everything else than the big lens (such as water bottles, the binoculars, the emergency kit, etc...). Might be anyway an effective mitigation of the overall weight on my back.