Expedition Portal
The Voice
A big thanks to Vulture Equipment Works for becoming a sponsor of Expedition Portal and helping to support our online community! Their camera straps are unlike anything else on the market!
[video=vimeo;77454716]http://vimeo.com/77454716[/video]
In a hot, humid place far, far away, owner William Egbert Jr. decided to take a nap under the tree line on a beach. "Little did I realize I was being surrounded by really big birds while I slept. I awoke to a nibble on my shoe only to greeted by a ton of big black vultures looking for their next meal. I jumped to my feet and was heard yelling "Not Dead - Not Dead!" Many years later, after recovering from that near fatal accident I dreamt about that beach nap, woke up in a panic attack thinking "I'm ot dead, get back up and fight!" So when it was time for the new company, I could only think of one image to brand our logo - The Vulture!"
THE COMPANY: Vulture Equipment Works is an American equipment company who strives to design and manufactures the finest products possible for today's adventure / imaging professional. Founded by William Egbert Jr. his passion lies in using only the best quality raw goods and developing highly specialized life-style gear that can stand the test of time. Unlike most, he chooses to do all of the R&D, design and prototyping himself, in-house at their headquarters just outside of Chicago. This gives Vultrure complete control over the design process ensuring a true linear organic flow. This also maintains their vision in the products integrity and the compatibility with the rest of the product line. Vulture's first line of products are a set of camera / equipment strap systems, complete with an assortment of accessories to complement the system. The company is not stopping there, William is currently producing 6 more products for their line-up to be released in 2014. Not to mention the normal accessories like killer t-shirts and PVC patches that feature the Vulture head logo.
ABOUT WILLIAM: William has had a love for adventure since childhood. From mountain climbing in Utah, fly fishing the Continental Divide, scuba diving in remote locals, racing cars in the Midwest and a passion for riding motorcycles and his Defender 90 which served as his exploration platform for years. For years, William held the deputy director position of a multifaceted government training facility that was formed in the months following 9-11. Some years later William was involved in a near fatal accident which left him with numerous soft and hard tissue injuries included a Traumatic Brain Injury. He then spent the next 6 years in rehabilitation trying to find his way back to normal. Not being able to return to the industry he helped develop and lead, William was encouraged to go back to his creative roots. So that's what he did, started from scratch and picking back up his camera. Commercial studio photography was just not cutting it, after all William had a prior career as a Tier 1 instructor and was a adventure junky! He needed to find something different that would satisfy that "itch." And he found it somewhere around 10,000 feet, another plane in tight follow formation and a fevered rip of the shutter it hit him... "This is so cool, I need a set of specialized equipment!" Standard camera straps are just not that strong and definitely not that cool plus let's face it, lenses and bodies are thousands of dollars or more, and William needed something much more capable. Having to look no further than the C130 he was ridding in, he found his inspiration; aviation cargo equipment and military special ops jump rigs. So with an obsession for highly specialized equipment, his tactical background and a bunch of American ingenuity the Vulture Straps were born.
THE STRAP: Based on those first couple flights it was evident that a true adventure/rigging quality camera retention system was needed in the industry. The Vulture A4 and A2 strap ware designed to fit that need. Both designs are based on William's "4-Point Riggers Platform" which allow the user to determine the type of retention that is needed. Originally these straps were designed for specialized use in Aviation Photography but it quickly became apparent that various other industries could benefit from this design. Furthermore the user is able to adapt their strap to the situation, i.e. safety tether, traditional strap or as a locking harness platform. The sections that connect to your are termed "Lower Risers" and are the second key to the system. Purchasing additional "Lower Risers" allows you to keep all your gear rigged the same and compatible with the strap i.e. your tripod, slider system or even on a pair of binoculars. The A2T is a extension of the camera strap system allowing you a soft "reverse monopod" for environments that restrict the use of traditional tripods or monopods, i.e. museums and historical sites. The A2T also allows the user to add additional rigging options or tether lines limited only by one's rigging prowess and imagination.
THE DESIGN: Don't let their appearance fool you, these straps are very lightweight and soft. Weighing only a few ounces more than other higher end camera straps they feature things that are revolutionary in the industry, not to mention being a product made in the USA from USA materials, even carrying a Berry Compliance Certificate for the U.S. Military! For starters the nylon webbing is real U.S. Military aviation grade webbing where each roll comes with a batch number for control. Next are the replacement of traditional plastic buckles with real mountaineering grade carabiners which allow the user to clip to seat posts or switch out to locking carabiners for higher risk situations. The A2 adjuster buckle is made from machined aluminum and is also load rated to weights well over what your neck will support. The A4 model features the same adjuster buckle but with the added feature of a quick release. The straps are stitched over mil-spec and the ends are folded inwards leaving no sharp exposed ends, which is the same process that is used in manufacturing parachute harnesses. Hell the 1/2" webbing that is used to attach to the camera is even upgraded to real tubular webbing. The strap also features high density acetyl slides that have been tested to hundreds of pounds each and to resist scratching.
THE SKINNY: Is all of this really necessary for a camera/equipment strap? In short, yes! When your or another persons life depends on you retaining your camera gear it's a must. If you are just looking for a ultra comfortable strap that conforms to your body or perhaps you want to use the strap to go over a large winter jacket look no further. As a lifestyle item you don't get any more geeky than having a REAL piece of current mil-spec equipment on your person. There are other camera straps in the market and most are less expensive but no others have the Vulture "4-Point Riggers Platform" and that boast these types of specs.
For more information on Vulture or to order please visit www.VultureEquipmentWorks.com
For William's Commercial Photography visit www.EgbertPhotography.com
[video=vimeo;77454716]http://vimeo.com/77454716[/video]
In a hot, humid place far, far away, owner William Egbert Jr. decided to take a nap under the tree line on a beach. "Little did I realize I was being surrounded by really big birds while I slept. I awoke to a nibble on my shoe only to greeted by a ton of big black vultures looking for their next meal. I jumped to my feet and was heard yelling "Not Dead - Not Dead!" Many years later, after recovering from that near fatal accident I dreamt about that beach nap, woke up in a panic attack thinking "I'm ot dead, get back up and fight!" So when it was time for the new company, I could only think of one image to brand our logo - The Vulture!"
THE COMPANY: Vulture Equipment Works is an American equipment company who strives to design and manufactures the finest products possible for today's adventure / imaging professional. Founded by William Egbert Jr. his passion lies in using only the best quality raw goods and developing highly specialized life-style gear that can stand the test of time. Unlike most, he chooses to do all of the R&D, design and prototyping himself, in-house at their headquarters just outside of Chicago. This gives Vultrure complete control over the design process ensuring a true linear organic flow. This also maintains their vision in the products integrity and the compatibility with the rest of the product line. Vulture's first line of products are a set of camera / equipment strap systems, complete with an assortment of accessories to complement the system. The company is not stopping there, William is currently producing 6 more products for their line-up to be released in 2014. Not to mention the normal accessories like killer t-shirts and PVC patches that feature the Vulture head logo.
ABOUT WILLIAM: William has had a love for adventure since childhood. From mountain climbing in Utah, fly fishing the Continental Divide, scuba diving in remote locals, racing cars in the Midwest and a passion for riding motorcycles and his Defender 90 which served as his exploration platform for years. For years, William held the deputy director position of a multifaceted government training facility that was formed in the months following 9-11. Some years later William was involved in a near fatal accident which left him with numerous soft and hard tissue injuries included a Traumatic Brain Injury. He then spent the next 6 years in rehabilitation trying to find his way back to normal. Not being able to return to the industry he helped develop and lead, William was encouraged to go back to his creative roots. So that's what he did, started from scratch and picking back up his camera. Commercial studio photography was just not cutting it, after all William had a prior career as a Tier 1 instructor and was a adventure junky! He needed to find something different that would satisfy that "itch." And he found it somewhere around 10,000 feet, another plane in tight follow formation and a fevered rip of the shutter it hit him... "This is so cool, I need a set of specialized equipment!" Standard camera straps are just not that strong and definitely not that cool plus let's face it, lenses and bodies are thousands of dollars or more, and William needed something much more capable. Having to look no further than the C130 he was ridding in, he found his inspiration; aviation cargo equipment and military special ops jump rigs. So with an obsession for highly specialized equipment, his tactical background and a bunch of American ingenuity the Vulture Straps were born.
THE STRAP: Based on those first couple flights it was evident that a true adventure/rigging quality camera retention system was needed in the industry. The Vulture A4 and A2 strap ware designed to fit that need. Both designs are based on William's "4-Point Riggers Platform" which allow the user to determine the type of retention that is needed. Originally these straps were designed for specialized use in Aviation Photography but it quickly became apparent that various other industries could benefit from this design. Furthermore the user is able to adapt their strap to the situation, i.e. safety tether, traditional strap or as a locking harness platform. The sections that connect to your are termed "Lower Risers" and are the second key to the system. Purchasing additional "Lower Risers" allows you to keep all your gear rigged the same and compatible with the strap i.e. your tripod, slider system or even on a pair of binoculars. The A2T is a extension of the camera strap system allowing you a soft "reverse monopod" for environments that restrict the use of traditional tripods or monopods, i.e. museums and historical sites. The A2T also allows the user to add additional rigging options or tether lines limited only by one's rigging prowess and imagination.
THE DESIGN: Don't let their appearance fool you, these straps are very lightweight and soft. Weighing only a few ounces more than other higher end camera straps they feature things that are revolutionary in the industry, not to mention being a product made in the USA from USA materials, even carrying a Berry Compliance Certificate for the U.S. Military! For starters the nylon webbing is real U.S. Military aviation grade webbing where each roll comes with a batch number for control. Next are the replacement of traditional plastic buckles with real mountaineering grade carabiners which allow the user to clip to seat posts or switch out to locking carabiners for higher risk situations. The A2 adjuster buckle is made from machined aluminum and is also load rated to weights well over what your neck will support. The A4 model features the same adjuster buckle but with the added feature of a quick release. The straps are stitched over mil-spec and the ends are folded inwards leaving no sharp exposed ends, which is the same process that is used in manufacturing parachute harnesses. Hell the 1/2" webbing that is used to attach to the camera is even upgraded to real tubular webbing. The strap also features high density acetyl slides that have been tested to hundreds of pounds each and to resist scratching.
THE SKINNY: Is all of this really necessary for a camera/equipment strap? In short, yes! When your or another persons life depends on you retaining your camera gear it's a must. If you are just looking for a ultra comfortable strap that conforms to your body or perhaps you want to use the strap to go over a large winter jacket look no further. As a lifestyle item you don't get any more geeky than having a REAL piece of current mil-spec equipment on your person. There are other camera straps in the market and most are less expensive but no others have the Vulture "4-Point Riggers Platform" and that boast these types of specs.
For more information on Vulture or to order please visit www.VultureEquipmentWorks.com
For William's Commercial Photography visit www.EgbertPhotography.com
