WHAT’S MORE IMPORTANT: a backpack camera bag that’s designed to take your cameras, or one that’s designed to be comfortable to wear and practical to use? Fortunately with the F-Stop range, you don’t have to compromise on your decision because their bags cover all bases.
The Sukha model (which the editor took to the Western Arthurs on a week-long trek last year) is one of the larger back packs, but the trick is not to fill it up with cameras. Rather, the extra space is useful for clothing, water bottles and other accessories. Sometimes we’re a little quick to fill our bags with camera equipment, forgetting the human essentials we also rely on.
F-Stop was the first bag that we saw that had the opening to your camera gear on the inside. Before this design, you generally put the camera backpack on the ground and turned it over so the side that sat on your back got covered in dirt and mud! Not great when you put the pack back on!
With the F-Stop design (and that of several other bags these days), you put the bag down on its back and the ‘inside’ points upward, away from the mud, and gives you access to your camera gear.
Inside, F-Stop uses a range of ‘ICU’ or Internal Camera Units, which are purchased separately. In this way you can choose to fill the bag with cameras, or leave more space for other things.
The ICUs themselves have modular dividers which allow you to easily customise them for your specific collection of cameras, lenses and accessories.
Other features include heavy duty, water and weather resistance zippers, impact protection and prevention of water penetration provided by Hypalon® zipper garages, and fast and catch-free closure provided by Hypalon® pull-tabs.
There’s a range of pockets around the bag, lots of straps for attaching everything from tripods to skis, and there’s even provision for a large laptop if you’re really going to carry the extra weight!
The Sukha has a RRP of $499 and you need to add an ICU to hold your cameras – from around $94 to $165 for this bag, depending on the size you require.
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