Originally Posted by
gmacmt
My biggest caveat: I am going to carry my medium format camera system, a mamiya 7. It weighs as much as my wheelset at just over a kilo, but its a requirement. It is a rangefinder camera, so I cant really just mount it somewhere rigid as if it gets jarred too much it will go out of alignment. I was almost thinking about a small back/fanny pack for it, but that sounds to me like a pain in the ass.
That's it? I carried a Mamiya 645 with the metered finder and power grip (5 AAs in that sucker) along with 55mm, 80mm and 150mm lenses AND a Nikon 6006 with a 35-80mm lens for over 5,000 miles up hill into a headwind while wearing newspaper for shoes. Wimp.
That's all true except for the all uphill-headwind-newspaper part. Take good care of that thing. While I am not a huge fan of them, the fanny pack sounds like it might be the best option. Lower Pro used to make camera-specific fanny-type carrying bags. (Don't know if they are still around.) If anything, a fanny pack provides accesibility, which might make all the difference.
Another option is a CamelBack with storage space for camera plus more. Before I ever tried a CamelBack I just knew I would hate it. Then I bought one out of necessity while travelling in warm, hilly southern Spain. I found I did not mind it and now tour with one regularly, albeit a relatively small one.
Good luck and get some nice images.