It's a little over 6 miles up, and a little less down. The longer trail up is a little less steep. I'll be carrying a couple of water bottles, some snacks for the trail, extra layers for the evening and next day early morning, tape and accessories for the camcorder, and most likely my monopod.

Hey Stephen,

I recently bought a hiking style backpack for my A1 and I love it! It's the perfect bag because it fits all of my gear I carry (tripod, camera, all cables and accessories) and also has room to spare. There is plenty of room for extra clothes and snacks, all typical things carried on a hike. Here is the bag:
http://www.cinebags.com/revolutionbackpackdetails.html
And, if you can purchase from BHPhoto here:
CineBags cb-25 | B&H Photo Video
I personally find this bag to be perfect for all my needs, but it all comes down to personal taste.

That's my pocket change worth,

~Pete

Do you carry the A1 with the lens cover facing down, eye piece facing up?

Hey Stephen,

Yes I do. The bag comes with several small dividers and I use them as extra padding on the lens hood and also as 'straps' that I use to velcro over the camera to keep it from flopping around in my bag while carrying it. The bag also fits a laptop in it (which is convenient for me because I like to take mine with me wherever I go). If you would like, I can post some pictures of my setup later on.

Good luck,

~Pete

If you get a chance to post pictures, that would be helpful!

Hey Stephen,

Sorry for the horrible quality, I couldnt find my digital camera/cord so I just did a little photobooth with the good old macbook pro. Hope these help you out!

~Pete

Good climbing packs are build to travel, comfortable and give good support. If you travel you need room for clothes, rain gear, water, food etc. After seeing a filmmaker doing a doc on the North pole carrying a normal backpack to hold his film cam, I think its the best.

There are two ways of thinking: a pack designed for film/photo or a pack designed for travel/climb. The packs designed for film/photo give you fast and direct access to the cam, the packs designed for travel/climb are better for transporting things during a long walk. Important is also how to attach your light tripod. The audio, the transmitter, small light, tapes, you need to carry a lot. I did it with the A1.

In the end, I bought a HV30 + widelens, and a light manfrotto tripod. Combined that with the Sennheiser transmitter,and I carry it in a normal mountain backpack with good hip support. It's a choice, the A1 is way better camera but all together good cam support (tripod) counts too. It just takes more time to put the camera away. Big zipper bag, and a 'foam coat' to protect the cam.

What do you use for the 'foam coat'?