Just Rolling Along…
I am at the Orlando Courtyard Marriott, headed for MCO in a few minutes, then flying first class to DFW and continuing on to Tokyo, Japan for the first and likely last ever Japan IPT. I arrive on Saturday afternoon. I think…. So I am just rolling along enjoying every breath. I should have internet access at most of our lodges so I will see you soon.
|
|
The above image is a rare one as Denise does not like being photographed…. She is pulling a fully loaded, and I mean fully loaded!, Eckla Beach Rolly alongside the Barnegat Jetty. |
ECKLA BEACH ROLLY SAVES THE DAY!
When I was on Long Island last December my shoulders as previously noted were hurting quite a bit due to too much swimming to soon after I got home from Bosque. No surprise there. I rested a lot while visiting New York but wanted to get in one last trip to the Barnegat Jetty. But I was concerned that the almost mile-long walk with the 800 on my shoulder might not be the smartest thing for me to do. Denise Ippolito saved the day with a suggestion. She volunteered to bring along her customized Eckla Beach Rolly and met me at the jetty. We put both of our big lenses in the rolly along with both tripods and Denise rolled the whole shebang rather easily through one mile of soft sand. I felt like the King of Siam walking along with no tripod and nothing on my shoulder. Thanks Lady D! She was pretty much amazed at how easily it rolled. Don’t get me wrong: Denise is in great shape but she was a bit tired after the long haul out and the long haul back.
That said I could not have made it without her help, and she could not have made it without her Eckla Beach Rolly. I envision several uses for my Beach Rolly. It will be great at places with boardwalks like the St Augustine Alligator Farm and Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. You will be able to bring pretty much all of your lenses, and an extra body or two, your flash and accessories, and heck, you can even bring your lunch. On various Florida beaches where you are routinely walking good distances you will be able to do the same. Do realize that my shoulder problem started about eight years ago after twenty years of carrying big glass on a tripod all on my right shoulder… Not too smart. I wish I had had a Beach Rolly back then.
You can learn more about this great product or purchase one by clicking here. See below for accessory details.
|
|
Above is the fully packed Beach Rolly: Denise’s 500mm f/4L IS is on your left, my 800mm f/5.6 L IS on the right in an old Domke Bag. I am still trying to talk Scott Elowitz of LensCoat into making something very similar. My Gitzo 3530LS Carbon Fiber tripod with the Mongoose M3.6 attached is on your left, Denise’s with the Wimberley V-2 is on the right. See details on the Eckla Cargo Net, the Eckla Multi Holding Bar, and the Staples Milk Crate below. |
Denise customized here Beach Rolly Gear Cart by adding a black plastic milk crate from Staples. It is 11 1/2″H x 13 7/8″W x 16 7/8″D. Yours for only $7.99 here. The milk crate keeps everything in the cart. The Cargo Net keeps stuff safely in place and allows you to overload your rolly without fear :), and the tripods are attached snugly by the Multi-holding Bar. All is all is it a neat set-up that can make your life a lot easier. Please leave a comment and let us know how you use or will be using your Eckla Beach Rolly Gear Cart. (Note: I tried the Eckla Eagle Car Door Camera Support and did not like it at all. I far prefer the BLUBB for car as blind work.)
BAA Bulletin #397
BAA Bulletin #397 is on-line and can be viewed best here.
- THE CONTEST: BAD NEWS AND GOOD
- SOUTHWEST FLA IPT REPORT
- SOUTHWEST FLA 2013 IPT ANNOUNCED
- CHEESEMANS’ FALKLANDS/SOUTH GEORGIA TRIP OCT/NOV 2012
- GEAR FOR SALE
- STICK IT TO EM
- IPT UPDATES
Don, thanks for the information. I have been using a Wesco Cart; it has 7 inch non-inflatable wheels whereas the Rolly has 10 inch inflatable wheels. Now I’ve got to decide whether to try to outfit the Wesco like the Rolly or get a Rolly…. Not sure what I would do with the Wesco. You mention issues with the Rolly wheel clips. Do you have any problems with them losing air? Where do you buy spare tires and clips? how often do you replace them? Are there any issues with the aluminum frame/handles bending or breaking? Do you have any photos of your setup and the clips? Thank you.
Artie
Bungie cords work fine to keep the equipment on board — as does the cargo net.
I bought my bungie cords at Ace Hardware. They are adjustable, which is an advantage since none of the equipment gets too much pressure.
Don
Thanks again for all of your help here Don. I hope to see you on the Morro Bay IPT.
The foldout bar will add some additional space in front of the milk crate in the photograph. It extends the platform. Useful to put a shoulder bag that has flash, spare cards, batteries, small lenses like 70-300 II, 24-70, 70-200 II. Not needed if you are only carrying just a single lens and tripod. Yet very handy if two or more photographers are using it to transport gear.
Also, take care flexing the loop and pin that is the wheel retaining clip. Too aggressive a twist to remove it to take off the wheels is what caused the loop to break the metal around the opening in the pin (that springy loop of metal applies a lot of force to the edges of the opening.).
Thanks for the additional info and tips Don. How would you keep the shoulder bag from falling off the fold out platform?
I’ve used mine for about a year. Somehow we got all of Arash, Doug, and my gear into to it go walk the 1.5 miles each way out to the Owls. So that’s at least 5 long lenses and 3 tripods.
This accessory is quite useful:http://www.outdoorphotogear.com/store/eckla-fold-out-cargo-bar-for-beach-rolly.html
Note that purchase of the sunscreen or windscreen precludes the tripod attachment bar
They also sell a foldout that permits you to lay the cart flat at
http://www.outdoorphotogear.com/store/eckla-horizontal-loading-bar-for-beach-rolly.html
But this also cannot be used if you have the tripod support bar.
The cart is quite useful on the beach.
Note that over time the wheel supports wear (aluminum is cut by the red wheel centers).
Also, the retaining clips on the ends of the wheels can have the round clips come out of the center post. The center post is cast pot metal, not machined metal. The good news is that they send me a pair of replacement wheel clips when this happened. You might want to buy and keep some spares (the dealer in Germany sells spares, and sells additional wheels.).
Wheels should be inflated to bring them up to full air pressure — they seem shipped underinflated (although this might help in sand to have them somewhat deflated)
Don Nelson
Hey Don, Thanks for the info. How does the fold out bar help? artie
Are there any modifications that could be made to use both the sunscreen and the horizontal loading bar? The photograph of the horizontal loading bar looks like it also has a windscreen attached?
Thanks,
Mike
Hehe. I almost feel lucky that I only have my one camera that sits comfortably in my small Lowerpro camera bag over my shoulder, whether I’m walking or cycling. Almost. ;¬)
Hmm…not sure where that pic next to my name came from; it’s not anyone I know!
I will have Peter Kes look into it. First time that happened….
Loren: the image comes from your pbase website. If you do not mention your URL in your response, it will not show.
Peter –
The image is not showing now; not sure if you did something to remove it.
That said, that image is not one of mine. Can I select an image from my website to be displayed?
Thanks 🙂
Indirectly: the avatar you use on your pbase site will be used in your comment. I cannot select one for you, because you are not a registered user on the BAA site.
Have (another) great, safe trip, Artie! Do you ever get to use that new pool? Or spend more than 3 consecutive nights at home?
Loren
Thanks Loren. Yes to A. No to B. At least lately April and May will be home for most of the two months.
Does the crate fold down like this one at the container store here? Would it be useful if it did?
Thanks for the link Mike. It would seem that it would be easier to get everything in and out of your car if you detach the crate….
I love my Eckla Beach Rolly. I can pull it fully loaded over any terrain and it’s a dream on walkways.Great idea to use the Staples milk crate. Getting one of those before my next outing.I also got the optional sunroof and windscreen. Nice if you need to sit in the shade. At my age, it can be nice:)
Thanks for the plug!
The cart seems fantastic! I have tried for years to make one myself, but never been quite happy with the result. Now I ordered one from Amazon.de (living in Europe), after 6 weeks of waiting for the delivery I cancelled the order with the first company and then ordered one from another. Shipping is said to happen today, friday, can’t wait! Feels like Christmas!
Thanks a lot for the tip!
Good luck. Do know that we ship small items all over the world every day :).