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Bag height on your chest: how low or how high?


Philip Perkins

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I've noticed in a lot of pix of soundies wearing their bags that they have them kind of low--like belly-button or so for the top of the bag. Mine's setup only slightly higher than that, same general zone. This seems to work well for balance and back issues, as well as not being so close that I absolutely have to have my glasses on to see anything at all on the rig. But on a recent job where I had to walk quite a ways on uneven ground I noticed that the bag started to make it hard to lift my legs high enough to climb very well--every leg-lift had to lift the bag too, thus. But having the bag high enough for that to not happen would not a great thing for my back, right? How do you folks deal with this issue, esp those of you having to do hikes etc fairly often. At the moment having less gear=smaller bag is sort of not possible for me.

phil p

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I never liked having a bag slung around my waist for the very reasons you mentioned. I prefer to wear my gear in more of a chest rig configuration. Screens are closer to my eyes, controls closer to my hands (when holding a boom above my head), and the ability to move freely without something bouncing against my thighs. I've take a Versa Flex harness, removed the load bearing waist belt (never felt it helped much, and rigged up some carbiners / ties on my gear to allow easy on/off.

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Philip i use a shorter harness. The Versaflex HS-3n is 4 inches shorter than the more popular models. This allows the rig to ride higher on my chest and I can full out run with it on. When I worked on Expedition Impossible we had to be self sustaining as were trekking with the teams throughout the day. I carried a Camelback Day pack that carried my raingear, food water, batteries etc. I used the straps with biners to carry the rig. It allowed for a balanced X5 rig that rode high enough for me to flat out run with it on.

I also used the HS-3 to carry a 788 and 8 RFs in a petrol bag around location in texas, and it was suprisingly comfy for such a heavy rig (no running, and sitting as much as possible). So try a shorter harness with the back support. It should make a difference.

I of course have back pain that stems from improper lifting before I started in the business, so no matter what method I use, my back hurts.

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Hey Phil!

I've always shortened the chest straps on all my harnesses as far as they will go. Meaning my mixer bag has always ridden slightly higher on my chest, mostly for the scenarios you describe. I've always used small carabiners to further minimize height.

The biggest problem for me while hiking with my mixer bag is not being able to see where my feet land. I have a second harness that I can clip my bag onto like a backpack or I throw the mixer into an actual backpack for extended hikes.

Everyone's body is different. My back, although not entirely pain-free at the end of a long day, seems to manage.

I've experimented with a lower bag height that results, with me anyway, with almost immediate lower back pain.

Of course, I try to keep overall weight to a minimum and keep the center of gravity of the bag close to my body.

It's a delicate balancing act, with no one-size-fits-all solution.

What I've never been able to do is wear any sort of waist belt pouch, either on the front or on the back. Kills me!

Dave Wendlinger

San Francisco, CA

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My bag rides high near my chest too. Also allows me to rest my left elbow on the edge of the mixer/bag when booming overhead. You just need to make sure you suck in your gut, putting emphasis on your core to support your lower back, which in turn should bring your chest up and out.

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Count me in as a high, chest-mounted mixer as well... suggested by a chiropractor.

Said mounting the mixer as high as possible would promote strengthening of core/back muscles rather than straining them by mounting it lower.

Use a slightly modified VersaFlex harness to get the mixer up pretty high.

Recently tried using it lower around the waist area, and that took the weight off the shoulders, but restricted movement a lot, especially when climbing stairs or in any running situation.

Cheers,

Rich

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If I'm not walking around much I keep the bag low with the weight on my hip belt. I built a double waist belt for even more support, and the shoulder straps don't actually hold much weight at all. If I have to run up a mountain, (which is not infrequent on Vancouver shoots) I have rings up high on the shoulder straps of a good Arc'teryx mountaineering backpack, onto which I lift the entire sound bag up to for extra height. I also have the daily harness still on and the waist belt (which is now at the bottom of my ribs) serves to keep the bag from flopping outward from my chest. Sounds complicated and messy, but clip 2 carabiners and it's ready to run - undo the carabiners, and I can drop the backpack entirely, and still be in my regular rig. (good for when you can stop chasing your subject and talk to them in one spot for a few minutes)

I spent an entire summer shooting in the backcountry with this rig (4 wires and 552) carrying about 60 lbs at all times. - Being able to drop the pack quickly was awesome! Being able to climb steep mountain trails was even better!

cheers,

Brent Calkin

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keep mine high ish as well but I will periodically adjust it as the day progresses shifting the load higher or lower to relive muscles. My bag is a petrol with a Porta-Brace harness which allows for a good amount of adjustment. If I was doing backcountry work I would probably rig the bag to my small internal frame pack which would hold water spare mic/boom etc and let that carry the load.

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For years I have used a Petzl chest harness like this one: http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/full-body-harnesses/voltige

I tend to wear it up higher, because it seems to help diminish any back issues, and its easy to see and adjust levels while booming, The harness is modified with sturdy brass dog leash clips, which I find much easier to clip on the bag than carabiners. It is very adjustable for various types of weather and clothing, and easy to put on and off. It is not at all bulky! The weight distribution is excellent. Headsets store in a large chalk bag, which doubles as a quick temporary storage while shooting. It is sturdy, but much lighter that other types I have seen or worn, and not very pricy. I have had the one I use now for about 20 years.

Like all harness, it is hard to see your feet, so you learn to be extra careful. Like most of us, we carry around way too much gear weight, but there is not much we can do about that. I have found that yoga has helped me strengthen my core, and minimize back issues. But I take the bag off or rest it whenever I can.

One other thing, when it is really really hot and muggy, I wear it a little bit lower than normal because you can get a little sweaty under the bag. I just add a small carabiner to extend the bag and I am good to go.

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I am a recent convert to Kortwich bags. It places the top of the bag just about at my navel. I love the bag - it has the waist strap/lower back support and really really works - no pressure on my shoulders/shoulder blades. I walk away at the end of the day feeling good. I have one for my fusion, and am planning on getting one for my 302/dr-680 set-up.

The only hassle is having to bend down to pick things up off the floor, or sitting - in which case I have to loosen the waist straps.

-Greg-

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i've only got crummy cell phone pix at the moment - later next week I might be able to snap some clearer pictures.

The main pouch actually fits a full deva (w dvd ram burner), but also has a divider, so it's possible it was meant for a different mixer/recorder combo. I put in a thinner divider in and now have a spot for more receivers.

You can see pix of the padded waist strap here in the meantime: http://www.filmtontechnik.de/412.html

-Greg-

post-146-0-04845700-1316237424.jpg

post-146-0-11659900-1316237501.jpg

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