Rucksac for hiking & carrying gear that's comfortable??

jerry12953 said:
Those fstop bags look great but do they have a compartment for non-photographic gear, like thermos, sandwiches, waterproofs, etc, which doesn't need expensive protection?
Click to expand...

yes, the loka has 2 good size top compartments. and access above the ICU so depending on what size you get you have the remaining space there too.
 
jerry12953 said:
Those fstop bags look great but do they have a compartment for non-photographic gear, like thermos, sandwiches, waterproofs, etc, which doesn't need expensive protection?
Click to expand...

Jeremy, All the space not used by the ICU is available to use as a conventional sac. If you have a large and small ICU you can fit whichever suits the trip you are doing and balance the ratio of the space. On my Tilopa with large ICU there is always room to spare when I have filled it with what I need for the day.

A nice touch I like is the toughened material on the bottom of the sac so you can drop it on a muddy surface without worrying. I think it is a well thought out bag designed by Photographers who work in the mountains...Paul
 
seltechpc said:
Jeremy, All the space not used by the ICU is available to use as a conventional sac. If you have a large and small ICU you can fit whichever suits the trip you are doing and balance the ratio of the space. On my Tilopa with large ICU there is always room to spare when I have filled it with what I need for the day.

A nice touch I like is the toughened material on the bottom of the sac so you can drop it on a muddy surface without worrying. I think it is a well thought out bag designed by Photographers who work in the mountains...Paul
Click to expand...

Thanks. it does look like a well thought out system ...its a pity its not possible to see them in the flesh before buying, though.
.
 
ivandobski said:
Like I said, everyone's different. The way I carry camera kit doesn't suit the compartmentalised nature of the f-stop bags and having had a good look at the f-stop packs on the web following this and previous threads then they don't look to have the features and layout I like.

Personally I prefer to have a big empty space which I can then fill as appropriate.

Crap weather and danger of damage? Stick camera in Lowe Pro case, lenses in pouches and chuck in drysack within the pack.

Less extreme conditions? Wrap it in a fleece (if that) and chuck it on the top of the rest of the kit.

Thinking I want to shoot on the move? Then I'll prob take a smaller pack and attach the Lowe Pro case to the outside for ease of access - spare lens in a lens pouch attached to a waist belt or wherever.

Want the camera out? - "Get the camera from the top of my bag" to whoever I'm with, swing it around waist or take it off.

Camping/Bivvying? Carry it all in in a normal mtn pack and then use the Lowe Pro case as a wandering about camp camera handbag.

Not taking the camera at all? Then I've not spent loads on a pack I'm not using.

Want a bigger/smaller bag? Money saved. The protection is the Lowe Pro type small case, the bag is just the carrying system - I'm not paying for the F-Stop system each time.

Imho to make it worth buying an F-Stop then you have to use it as it's intended - ie with the ICU. If you don't like this or prefer a more versatile way of working then you're paying a lot extra and not using it's USP. I still think it's an expensive way of buying a not particularly brilliant daysack and then limiting what you can do with it.

Rather than argue back and forth that the F-Stop is a good mtn pack I'd prefer to hear why people prefer the F-Stop "system" as I just don't see the point.
Click to expand...

I guess it's down to personal preference, but I do agree that the FStop bags aren't better than any other bag without the ICU.

I like the FStop system (bags and ICUs together) because I can choose how much camera gear and how much other gear I take with me, generally all my camera gear lives in my medium ICU and when I go out I just put the ICU in either my big bag or small bag depending on how much other stuff I need to take. If I want to travel light, or pack more other gear into my smaller bag I'll take a body and a couple of lenses out of the medium ICU, put them into the small one and put that in the backpack. With the small ICU and 62L Satori EXP I have got plenty of room for extra gear, certainly enough to overnight in the hills. It is essentially packing a small camera bag inside a big rucksack.

To me there are a few advantages, kit is well protected, if I take a tumble snowboarding, wrapping my camera in a fleece won't protect it, likewise if I want to wear the fleece. However to me the biggest advantage of the system is the ease of getting to my gear (not just camera gear), I always carry first aid kit and waterproofs at the top of my bag, with the heavy stuff, camera etc at the bottom and don't want to be rooting through my bag when I need to get something quickly, with the FStop system I can take my bag off and get easy access to the camera section.
 
jerry12953 said:
Thanks. it does look like a well thought out system ...its a pity its not possible to see them in the flesh before buying, though.
.
Click to expand...

If you speak to their man in the UK I'm sure he'll be able to sort things out.

I've got a half written review of their Guru bag which I'll try to get posted later in the week with lots of pictures.
 
jpwild said:
Exactly, just seems strange pricing. Why bother with one ICU when get 2 for same price. Odd.
Click to expand...

Well, there's $60 in it, but my understanding is that they when you buy a pack the 2nd/3rd ICUs are sold at near cost. I went for small/medium and I'm glad I got both, it's great being able to leave some gear at home & have more space for other stuff when I want to travel light.
 
simonkit said:
Spoken to Paramo in London today (UK stockist) - no stock of the Loka and no idea when they'll have any
Click to expand...

Not sure what bags they have in stock, but they do have the F-Stop CPU's in stock. We just bought the medium size.
Apparentley they only started selling the f-stop range a few weeks ago and have proved very popular.

Kay
 
As much as I like the sound of the F Stop not actually being able to see/try one before purchasing is a bit of a non-starter for me. I tried several standard hiking rucksacs before finding a comfortable one and when spending £200+ I want to be sure it will be comfortable. Shame F stop haven't sorted out their UK distribution

Has anyone tried the lowepro Photosport 200 AW?

http://www.lowepro.com/photosport


Simon
 
There's a pretty in depth review on Dan Carr's website.
 
simonkit said:
As much as I like the sound of the F Stop not actually being able to see/try one before purchasing is a bit of a non-starter for me. I tried several standard hiking rucksacs before finding a comfortable one and when spending £200+ I want to be sure it will be comfortable. Shame F stop haven't sorted out their UK distribution

Has anyone tried the lowepro Photosport 200 AW?

http://www.lowepro.com/photosport


Simon
Click to expand...

I agree. The idea looks like a good one but it would be an expensive purchase only to find one didn't like it.

I emailed them about seeing them in the UK and they said -

"Their may be a few places that you can see the pack but we don't retail them."

Not very helpful. But they did say you have 45 days to return the bag if you're not happy.
 
jerry12953 said:
I agree. The idea looks like a good one but it would be an expensive purchase only to find one didn't like it.

I emailed them about seeing them in the UK and they said -

"Their may be a few places that you can see the pack but we don't retail them."

Not very helpful. But they did say you have 45 days to return the bag if you're not happy.


The Lowepro bag you mentioned had a rave review in Outdoor Photography but from what I could see the photo gear section looked pretty small. Ideal for the active outdoor type with one body and two lenses maybe.
Click to expand...

What did I do there.....:bang:
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top