Patty, thank you for the kind words. Yes, I have spent almost 3 weeks, working several hours per day, reviewing, culling, identifying, and postprocessing photos. My slideshow set has reached 407 photos. I'm still willing to cut some and am still working on presentation. I spent hours yesterday almost finishing the ID of beasts and places, adding the information as Keywords in Lightroom. Then I had to find a way to display the Keyword ID's on the slides. Now that I have gotten that fixed, I'm reviewing and enlarging some of the photos where the subject was so far away that they are tiny in the Slideshow. Lightroom has an "Enhance" feature that doubles the pixel size of a photo and that has worked great to do the enlargements. I'm trying to complete the Slideshow this week. jak

I know I’m dating myself by admitting this. I still own a Nikon 800mm f8 manual lens that I use for certain things. It is about 28 inches long and weighs just under 8 pounds. It requires a good gimbal head and solid tripod to use.

I do not use a photographer’s backpack. I use an Osprey cyclist’s commuter backpack designed to carry a laptop and what not. Consequently it has a dense foam backpad in a sleeve so things don’t gouge you. Good shoulder straps and multiple compartments I use for filters, batteries, etc. So I can load up the 800 plus accoutrements and a 300mm plus body and be hands free while walking to a spot.

The Osprey costs a fraction of those marketed for photogs. Use whatever works is my thought. I have found this choice to be effective. Have fun.

I am a big fan of fast primes so that means I need to have a way to move them around. My biggest challenge is the beast of a Minolta 600/4 that weighs in at over 12 pounds. Since handholding for more than just a quick burst or two is out of the question, I also need to have some sort of support for it. Here are the various options I use, depending on the situation:

For storage in the vehicle, the Tamrac bag mentioned above is my choice. I can keep the lens with a body attached to it inside. If I am shooting from my vehicle, a bean bag on the windowsill is all I need. If I am walking a short distance, the attaching the tripod and slinging it over my shoulder is what I do.

For longer walks, I will use the backpack, but it gets old in a big hurry. I have used sling straps, Cotton Carriers and a variety of other options. Each works to some degree, but each has its own challenges. I am eyeing this carrier: https://mrjangear.com/shop/lens-carrier-system/ I think that may be what you were thinking about.

But honestly, I have found an all-terrain jogging stroller to be my favorite method for walking any distance. I put the Tamrac bag in the stroller seat and nestle the tripod in next to it. I get some strange looks (especially at the zoo) but have found it to be a stress-free way to cover distance with such a big load. I can also put a folding stool and a small cooler inside, so I am set to spend hours in the field. I have found that it will go almost anywhere I can walk (and certainly anywhere I can bike). The shape of the stroller, coupled with the legs of the tripod, push brush and branches aside quite readily. I picked one up dirt cheap on Craigslist, figuring that I could always resell it if it didn't work out. Turns out that it was just the solution I needed.

Good luck in your search for a solution that works for you. Yes, there are lighter lens options. Sometimes my 150-600 is that option for me. But nothing beats the rendering of that massive prime!