THE SCOPAC LITE
EVOLUTION OF A TRIPOD CARRIER SYSTEM
by Ian McKerchar
I've been 'proper' birding for 29 years now and for 26 of those that's involved lugging a telescope and tripod around almost daily. Those 26 years have rather surprisingly seen only three tripod straps employed, two fabric camera style straps and for the last 20 years or so an Op/Tech USA strap. The camera straps not surprisingly wore through very quickly and were terribly uncomfortable and impracticable but it is fair to say, the Op/Tech USA strap is still going strong and has never given me anything but effortless service. Fair play Op/Tech! Unfortunately though, age and rugby have begun to catch up with me, leaving me with sporadic very painful back problems and a dodgy knee for which surgery just proved it really was knackered! So with the telescope/tripod combo slung over the usual left shoulder and exacerbating my weary bones I've become more prone to leaving it behind rather than taking it out with me, despite both being some of the lightest equipment money can buy! Of course taking no scope with you equals immediate and frustratingly distant views of 'something good' or a digiscoping opportunity that you simply can't believe your luck at, there seems simply no compromise. I'm knackered if I do and knackered if I don't! Or is there?
Obviously I've known about the 'rucksack style' tripod carrier systems since they originally came out and have always sniggered at their apparent girlishness (no offence intended girlies ☺) and their complete lack of respect to how it used to be done 'back in the day'. Real birders use a single 'over-the-shoulder' strap, they drive through the pain it brings and indeed carry it as a mark of their devotion to their 'hobby'. By the same token those 'real' birders also have deformed spines, a permanent pained expression and are more often than not completely out of it, having had to overdose on ibuprofen! No, the time had come to re-visit the newer carrying system. Re-visit you ask? I had in fact tried out the older version of the Scopac (the Scopac-original), perhaps the most well known and utilised of the 'rucksack style' tripod carrier systems but had found a couple of problems for my own personal taste. I had felt that the scope was held too high on the mount and caused my centre of gravity to shift upwards to somewhere around my cranium, which meant I fell over backwards when viewing overhead raptors. Also, when I pulled the shoulder straps up tight it sent the scope crashing into said cranium, leading to bouts of mild concussion and mis-identification of migrants (my excuse anyway!).
Anyway, I visited Scopac's website to check out the Scopac lite, the solution which seemed to best fit my pain free/lightest weight possible requirements and my eyes fell upon the photo on the home page of the guy (who I termed 'without hair' when enquiring via an email to Paul Lee of Scopac, only to find out that it was Paul himself. Doh!) wearing what appeared to be a new and improved Scopac lite. The scope appeared to sit lower in the harness and importantly it utilised a 'waistcoat' type of upper back/shoulder section that appeared to eradicate the concussion potential. Had all my prayers been answered? After a quick correspondence with Paul I was assured this was indeed the case so without further delay I purchased one (in black, although you can choose green if desired) and impatiently awaited it's arrival.
The Review
Once in my possession and subsequently attached to my Velbon Sherpa Pro CF-545L tripod, I took stock and things looked good, very good. The quality of the harness, from the high end rucksack style shoulder straps, the standard of stitching to the buckles and straps employed looked superb. Overall it looked the part too, exuding class and attention to detail and in the black colour I had chosen it looked mean and moody, befitting of an S.A.S. soldier in full counter terrorism attire!
Above: The new Scopac lite (left) and a 4 year old Scopac- the Original (right). The differences and evolution involved in the newer model are plain to see but note that my tripod (left, on the Scopac lite) is a shorter 4 legged item whereas the other is a more usual 3 leg model. I found the fact that my tripod was shorter than those the lite was perhaps intended for made no difference and the whole package worked perfectly.
With the wider set apart shoulder straps dissipating the weight more evenly and effortlessly it was a joy to use and was almost quickly forgotten about once on the back. The slightly lower centre of gravity the Scopac lite enabled the tripod and scope to be carried was the pleasant bonus I had expected and not once did I fall over backwards (arms and legs flailing in the air like an overturned beetle!) when viewing overhead. The whole assembly felt comfortable and natural, with no problems in getting it on or off the shoulders other than the tabs used to pull the shoulder straps tight being too short and difficult to get hold of when fully extended. This was however easily solved by passing some cord through the provided loops and attaching something to get a grip of, something I similarly had to do with my top of the range Osprey Atmos 35 rucksack. I also found that it was possible and not uncomfortable to carry the whole assembly slung over one shoulder with the legs fully extended, though perhaps only for short periods such as when tracking down that fleeting 'little brown job' or similar.
The Scopac lite's ability to pull the tripod snugly and completely into the back meant there was no chance for it to swing about with the wearers movements and none of those 'scope smashing into the back of the head when jumping down from a stile or fence' incidents. There was also the inclusion of two D rings on the shoulder straps so you can attach, well...whatever takes your fancy and also an adjustable chest strap which is frankly a necessity in my view.
Above: The new Scopac lite (left) and four year old Scopac- the Original (right), mounted on a shirt-wearing pie-eater! The differences in harness design around the shoulders especially are evident and the lite pulls the whole ensemble snugly into the bag, eliminating any 'gaps' which allow it to swing with the wearers movements. The strap just underneath the tripod head on the lite is also of a much improved design and enforces its whole ability to prevent swinging and movement of the scope/tripod combination. Importantly, note the difference in overall height of the scope/tripod and the capacity for the lite to lower the overall centre of gravity. The tripod head on the lite version (left) is clearly underneath the collar of the shirt and in line with the shoulders but the Original (right) is higher and above the shoulder. A small disparity perhaps but one which made a big difference in it's use for me. Note: the circular lens bag on the tripod leg on the left image is nothing to do with the Scopac, it is my own attachment which carries my digiscoping adaptor!
The Scopac lite differs from other models in the Scopac range by having a mesh back and for good reason. Those models with solid fabric backs can suffer from the 'sail effect' where gusts of wind catch the back of the Scopac like a sail and simply blow the whole tripod and scope combination over, not the most ideal of occurrences! Of course Scopac originals (with solid backs) can easily be unattached from the legs allowing them flap about freely and not catch the wind like a sail but the Scopac lite negates the need for this and simply allows the wind to pass through the mesh. This has been true of mine so far but the complete lack of any really strong winds up to now has left me cautious about just how effective it will be in those strong September blows. It might be sensible to undo even the lite on such occasions of prolonged scope use in really strong winds, just to be on the safe side.
Above: Scopac lite with digipac attached (left) and without, allowing air to pass freely through (right).
I also purchased the additional 'Digipac' which at the special offer of only an extra six quid was an absolute steal. This small bag attaches to the Scopac lite via a single toggle at the top and two plastic clips on the bottom and functions to hold small objects such as digital camera, spare batteries, note books, a few sarnies, Mars bars etc (you could fit a field guide in there but I'd never advocate that, be 'old skool' and use a note book instead!) and also contains a mesh section to hold a drinks bottle. It is for me atleast, ideally suited to warmer weather when you're less likely to have sufficient pockets to put all your stuff in but can be removed in autumn/winter (if desired) when your big waterproof coat can hold everything in one go and the stronger winds of the season will be allowed to simply pass unobstructed through the mesh back of the Scopac lite.
Above: The Scopac digipac attached (left) and removed (right). Taking the digipac of is an absolute doddle and its inclusion of a drinks bottle holder was considered pure genius in the 32 degrees heat on the day the photos were taken!
So, is it all positive? Well, up to now that's a resounding yes. Even my shorter four section tripod fits it well and everything looks strong and well manufactured but only time will tell just how well made the Scopac lite is. I do have something of a reputation for treating my gear rough and birding in the very worst conditions so I'll certainly be putting it's reliability more thoroughly to the test in the coming months and hopefully years. That said, a friends four year old Scopac- Original has given him excellent service and is in tip top condition with no manufacturing failures of any description, in fact his only complaint was that the original black colour had faded over time to a purplish-blue!
During my admittedly short time with it, every aspect the Scopac lite exceeds my expectations and in my opinion it offers good value. I purchased my Scopac lite direct from Scopac and at a price of £49 for the lite or the current special offer of £55 complete with digipac (which should be £15 on it's own) I couldn't grumble. More importantly it takes the strain and allows you to get on with birding, uninterrupted by discomfort and on that note it does exactly what it intends and them some.
So remember, nowadays 'real' birders also use a Scopac lite!
For more information see: http://www.scopac.co.uk/
Ian McKerchar, July 2009
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