Since the heavy duty carry case is bulky, i'm thinking placing my topcon TS inside a backpack, but will it be safe enough to carry when riding my scooter motorbike since the road is full of bumps and the instrument is sensitive?
I'm also looking for something to place the rods. Maybe a fishing case could do the trick, they seem long and stretchy. Up until now i put them on a tennis case, but the ends protrude
There are backpacks made for carrying instruments. A lot depends on how often (and hard) you fall while riding...
Doesn't sound like a prudent thing to do. Perhaps you could mount some kind of receiver hitch to the bike and find a trailer of sorts and pad the dickens out of it? Maybe add a few padded PVC tubes for rods, ect. Having the weight of the TS shift in a pack while riding throwing off your center of gravity could end with a trip to the hospital and an expensive door stop.?ÿ
I think the backpacks made for total stations would work fine on a motorcycle. Topcon made a good one to go with the older GTS series total stations. Not very comfortable, but it does the job. The earlier total stations can take much more abuse then newer ones.?ÿ
I've always wanted to take a good hiking backpack and convert it for carrying a TS, but never got around to it.?ÿ
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Of the instrument backpacks I've seen in recent years, none seem to have a frame that would secure to the person carrying it as well as frames made for backpacking.?ÿ You might try having a padded instrument pack retrofitted to a backpacking frame.?ÿ If you do it such that you can keep the weight fairly low on the frame, I don't see a significant problem with your center of gravity as a rider, but it would take a little getting used to.
As far as the jarring, the instrument would be better off in a pack on your back than in a motorcycle trailer.?ÿ In addition to the bikes suspension, the rider would also serve as an additional level of suspension for the instrument.?ÿ When we ride in rough terrain, we put less weight on the seat and more on the pegs, in some cases standing fully on the pegs with knees bent to take up some of the shock.?ÿ A trailer will have a much less robust suspension than your bike (hope your riding a dual purpose with minimum size of a KLR 650 or the smaller VStrom - An adventure bike like a BMW GSA, Triumph Tiger, KTM 1290 or the larger Vstrom would be better), and it would be difficult to pad it enough to equal the road shake protection it would have in a good pack on your back.
For the rods, PVC seems like a good idea.?ÿ I have an old Plano telescoping fishing rod case that would fit the bill very well.?ÿ You might look into whether they still make such a thing.?ÿ Either the Plano rigid tube or PVC could be attached sufficiently to the panniers or the pannier racks made for off-road and adventure panniers.?ÿ Depending upon the type of work you're doing, a pair of 45 liter side cases and a 30 l top case may be sufficient to carry all your small gear and terminal supplies.
If you come up with a system that works, post pics.
I've always wanted to take a good hiking backpack and convert it for carrying a TS
I bought a Kelty cargo pack for this purpose.?ÿ They don't make it anymore, but it has a regular aluminum frame and modern padded straps and waist belt.?ÿ At the bottom of the frame is a fold-down bottom shelf, and instead of a bag it has nylon fabric side panels that can be strapped across the load.
I've only used it on one job, so haven't fine-tuned it's usage, but I was able to get a Leica robot in its storage case, a GEB-171 battery, a TriMax tripod, and a small bag with hammer and stakes all strapped to it.?ÿ At 50 lbs. it was a lot heavier than I wanted to bear (especially since I was carrying the pole and data collector in my hand), but it got the job done.
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I did the same with a pack frame from Cabela's and my Topcon GTS-800.?ÿ OK for occasional and short distance use, but not as a regular instrument carrying solution.?ÿ With the standard Topcon suitcase, it was too heavy, and it required a lot of strapping down to prevent the load from shifting.?ÿ?ÿ
If I was looking for a way to carry an instrument on a regular basis or for longer distances, I'd go with one of the commercially made softpacks for survey instruments and put it on a frame like a Kelty or the one I got from Cabelas.?ÿ Or, I'd have a pack custom made for the purpose.
Have a topload Seco backpack and I carry it on the front carrier of my ATV all the time.
Had to fillin the extra room with a hard styro cutout for the tribrach and place a U shaped of foam to hold the top of instrument in place and it has never been knocked out of alignment.
It goes into the backpack if I am simply going across a yard to make a new setup, period.
I happen to have a SECO side-load backpack similar to the one that Mr. Harris mentioned.?ÿ
And I no longer need it.
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It's in fine working order and served me well for several miles of hiking and ATVing.
Make a reasonable offer and it's yours.?ÿ?ÿ
15% of proceeds will be donated to?ÿ@Wendell?ÿand RPLSToday.com.
Cheers!
