Posted by Jared Atencio on November 3, 2011 at 12:24 AM
Being in the photo bag market for well over a year now, I finally caved to all the rave reviews of F-stop gear and purchased a Satori EXP with two different ICUs (pro XL and pro med). After receiving in the mail, I am pretty disappointed and would like to know if there are any alternatives out there that people have been happy with?
I don't want to bag on F-stop too much, but in short the bag does not seem very functional. When the XL ICU finally "fits" in the bag (this is after much jamming and squeezing between the aluminum frame poles-which are removable, but then, what's the point?), you are not even able to access the zippers of the ICU and thus, the contents, without pulling the entire thing out, getting your gear, then trying to jam this thing back into the main pack. It seems to me that there is a pretty major design flaw when the biggest pack in your line doesn't fit your second largest ICU? Am I missing something here?
I'm really looking for something weatherproof (built in rain cover a plus), of the backpack variety (I don't care if there are cheap straps sewn on to hold my ice axes), with room to hold a pro body with about 4-5 lenses with goodies. For any real backpacking trips, I plan to take a real backpacking pack with support, breathability, frame, and tons of room and functionality (all for less than $300 BTW), so mainly need a photo bag just for extended rugged day hikes in fowl weather. I'd love to hear if there are any options I may be missing out there, thanks in advance!
Posted by David Taylor on November 3, 2011 at 1:00 PM
Hi Jared -
Sorry to hear that you have been disappointed with your F-stop Satori EXP. Full disclosure, I am an F-stop sponsored pro, and use both the Satori EXP & Tilopa BC extensively. I was approached by F-stop because a great deal of my photography involves backcountry travel, here in Alaska. I agreed to try out their bags (and then, agreed to sponsorship) with one caveat - I could still speak my mind and give honest reviews.
That said - perhaps I can give a little insight as to how I use my F-stop bags. The ICU system (for me) has worked nearly flawlessly. I used to insert them like (it sounds) you are doing, through the back-zippered area. I have found that, although it works, it is actually much easier to slide the ICU in from the top of the bag. You can do this with or without your camera gear already packed in the ICU. I typically use the large ICU for car-based photography or air travel, when I need nearly everything in my camera bag, but I'm not worried about 'slogging through the mud' with everything. I use the small or medium for landscape or wildlife-focused hiking, and leave the large at home. The XL ICU does fit, but it is too long for my needs, and yes - the access door is to short to easily access the upper most area of the XL ICU. I also do not zipper any of the ICU's closed, except for extended travel. I keep it open, so I can grab it and the gear access panel, I can pull both 'flaps' open in one motion and immediately access my gear. This workflow has worked very well for me; my gear stays in place and I can access things very quickly.
No bag is 'perfect', but after 15 years of suffering through various Lowepro & Tamrac designs, I'm very happy with the functionality, design, sturdiness, lightweight, and comfort of each of my F-stop bags. I would also recommend contacting F-stop with your concerns, regardless of if you find my response adequate - F-stop has been very open to constructive criticism from both sponsored pros and consumers - often times implementing changes in future designs.
Hope this helps!
Posted by Jared Atencio on November 3, 2011 at 9:29 PM
Thanks for the very thorough response Dave.
As I said, I know plenty of folks who are perfectly happy with their F-Stop gear and it's great to hear some tricks to making it work for your needs. I also fully realize that everyone is different and every photog has different needs and requirements for their gear in the field, and what works for one person may not necessarily work for another. I will take my complaints and suggestions for improvement up with F-stop as I've heard from others that they ARE genuinely interested in real feedback, but just curious if other people have found anything else out there that they are liking before I decide whether or not to try and make f-stop work for me. Thanks again for your feedback and suggestions!
Posted by David Bostedo on November 3, 2011 at 10:01 PM
I have a Clik Elite Cloudscape bag that I like very much as a day pack, but it's one of the smaller ones. Still some nice features, including easy access to the camera, and well made. It's more of a standard backpack with a good place to stowe a camera and a couple of lenses. It's not one of those packs that is meant to store nothing but camera equipment.
I haven't owned many other bags though, so I can't comment on any of the major brands - like Tamrac, or Kata, or Thinktank, or Lowepro.
Posted by Graham Welland on November 4, 2011 at 12:53 PM
One other tip for effectively using the ICU with the f-stop bag is to remove the foam pad in the ICU lid. It provides extra padding and protection but to be honest it is overkill once the ICU is inside the pack.
I would agree though that the XL ICU suffers from having a lid that is bigger than the access panel on the rear of the Satori, Tilopa or Loka packs. I stick with the Large ICU and then pack the top of the bag with non critical items in ThinkTank wallets or small organizer bags. It works well for those items like flashes and other items that I'm not constantly using but always want with me.
I've yet to find another bag with the same comfort and utility as the F-Stop range personally, even after trying and owning many many Lowepro, Tamrac, Tenba, ThinkTank, Gura Gear, Moose Petersen, etc etc.
Jared, I'm able to fold back the front of the ICU and I keep it folded back when I'm hiking, making access to the gear in the ICU very easy. As Graham mentioned everything still seems very well protected. Also, I just read a story by Jay and Varina Patel about getting pulled into the sea with their packs on and not having a single drop get inside! (http://www.photographybyvarina.com/photography/blog/iceland-day-5-2) I am thrilled with the way my bag fits and for the first time in years I'm not in pain after 30 minutes of hiking.
Posted by Jared Atencio on November 4, 2011 at 10:54 PM
Thanks again for the feedback all. Maybe it's just a matter of getting used to a change of workflow in the field. As for my current Lowepro AW pack, I can attest that I have watched it being tossed around in the Pacific for a good ten minutes, and although I lost all my gear (the pack was unzipped) I am still using it today (after I narrowly fished it out). Another thing I like about the Lowepro bag is the built in rain cover. I just returned from 3 very rainy days in the PNW and this built in cover was invaluable (I know that F-stop sells a cover separately if I want). The main drawback from the Lowepro bag is comfort, and my back and shoulders are begging me to look for other options. Again, I value your feedback and will probably just try to find the right F-stop bag that will fit my needs and see how it goes from there. Thanks again!
Discussion
6 repliesI don't want to bag on F-stop too much, but in short the bag does not seem very functional. When the XL ICU finally "fits" in the bag (this is after much jamming and squeezing between the aluminum frame poles-which are removable, but then, what's the point?), you are not even able to access the zippers of the ICU and thus, the contents, without pulling the entire thing out, getting your gear, then trying to jam this thing back into the main pack. It seems to me that there is a pretty major design flaw when the biggest pack in your line doesn't fit your second largest ICU? Am I missing something here?
I'm really looking for something weatherproof (built in rain cover a plus), of the backpack variety (I don't care if there are cheap straps sewn on to hold my ice axes), with room to hold a pro body with about 4-5 lenses with goodies. For any real backpacking trips, I plan to take a real backpacking pack with support, breathability, frame, and tons of room and functionality (all for less than $300 BTW), so mainly need a photo bag just for extended rugged day hikes in fowl weather. I'd love to hear if there are any options I may be missing out there, thanks in advance!
Sorry to hear that you have been disappointed with your F-stop Satori EXP. Full disclosure, I am an F-stop sponsored pro, and use both the Satori EXP & Tilopa BC extensively. I was approached by F-stop because a great deal of my photography involves backcountry travel, here in Alaska. I agreed to try out their bags (and then, agreed to sponsorship) with one caveat - I could still speak my mind and give honest reviews.
That said - perhaps I can give a little insight as to how I use my F-stop bags. The ICU system (for me) has worked nearly flawlessly. I used to insert them like (it sounds) you are doing, through the back-zippered area. I have found that, although it works, it is actually much easier to slide the ICU in from the top of the bag. You can do this with or without your camera gear already packed in the ICU. I typically use the large ICU for car-based photography or air travel, when I need nearly everything in my camera bag, but I'm not worried about 'slogging through the mud' with everything. I use the small or medium for landscape or wildlife-focused hiking, and leave the large at home. The XL ICU does fit, but it is too long for my needs, and yes - the access door is to short to easily access the upper most area of the XL ICU. I also do not zipper any of the ICU's closed, except for extended travel. I keep it open, so I can grab it and the gear access panel, I can pull both 'flaps' open in one motion and immediately access my gear. This workflow has worked very well for me; my gear stays in place and I can access things very quickly.
No bag is 'perfect', but after 15 years of suffering through various Lowepro & Tamrac designs, I'm very happy with the functionality, design, sturdiness, lightweight, and comfort of each of my F-stop bags. I would also recommend contacting F-stop with your concerns, regardless of if you find my response adequate - F-stop has been very open to constructive criticism from both sponsored pros and consumers - often times implementing changes in future designs.
Hope this helps!
As I said, I know plenty of folks who are perfectly happy with their F-Stop gear and it's great to hear some tricks to making it work for your needs. I also fully realize that everyone is different and every photog has different needs and requirements for their gear in the field, and what works for one person may not necessarily work for another. I will take my complaints and suggestions for improvement up with F-stop as I've heard from others that they ARE genuinely interested in real feedback, but just curious if other people have found anything else out there that they are liking before I decide whether or not to try and make f-stop work for me. Thanks again for your feedback and suggestions!
I haven't owned many other bags though, so I can't comment on any of the major brands - like Tamrac, or Kata, or Thinktank, or Lowepro.
I would agree though that the XL ICU suffers from having a lid that is bigger than the access panel on the rear of the Satori, Tilopa or Loka packs. I stick with the Large ICU and then pack the top of the bag with non critical items in ThinkTank wallets or small organizer bags. It works well for those items like flashes and other items that I'm not constantly using but always want with me.
I've yet to find another bag with the same comfort and utility as the F-Stop range personally, even after trying and owning many many Lowepro, Tamrac, Tenba, ThinkTank, Gura Gear, Moose Petersen, etc etc.