About to buy an f-stop bag - thoughts?

jamsomito

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Aug 29, 2010
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I have searched to the end of the internet and back, and I am now well aware that there is no such thing as a perfect camera bag - no way, no how. Can't blame anyone because of the wide array of uses they need to design for, but it sure doesn't make picking one any easier. I've been putting so many hours into finding one that my head is spinning, so now that I have an idea of what I want and what's out there, I thought I would run it by you guys to see if you think this is a good choice.

Needs:
This will be my camera bag first and foremost. However, I need this bag for a 2-week trip to Alaska (land/sea cruise with excursions). I will be carrying it with me whenever we're not sitting every day. I am going with my pregnant wife and 2 year old son, so the bag needs to be able to carry some extra stuff besides just my camera gear. I plan to keep this pack for a very long time, and until the kids are all 5-6 years old or so, I think my situation will be the same on every trip we take. So, it needs to haul my camera gear, and maybe about that same volume again of other stuff. My camera gear is as follows:

Canon 70D (no battery grip, but I do have a Peak Design Capture clip attached to it at all times - the clip will likely be on the shoulder strap though, so only the plate on the camera when I'm using this bag)
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM (mk1) w/hood (reversed is fine)
Canon 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM w/hood (reversed is fine)
Canon 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM w/hood (reversed is fine)
3 LP-E6 batteries (1 in the camera)
1 battery charger
3 SD cards in a waterproof case
77mm circular polarizer and step down ring
Canon EF 12 and 25 II extension tubes (can stack, or just bring one)
Joby Gorillapod Focus + Ballhead X
20,000mAh battery (flat)

Optional:
Canon 50mm f/1.8
Canon 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III
Canon Speedlite 420EX
hotshoe cell phone mount (for DSLR controller - time lapse, intervalometer, etc)

Other stuff I'll be carrying - rain coats, maybe one other layer for everyone, water bottles (1-2L), snacks, emergency diapers (for the kiddo obviously), kindle, laptop, misc charger cables.

So I think I need something around a 30-40L pack. I've narrowed it down to the f-stop Lotus or Ajna, still debating between the two, with a medium ICU. I think this fits the bill best, but it's a lot of money to throw down just to haul my stuff, so I wanted to ask you all what you thought of this decision.

Other packs I've looked at in this google doc here: Camera backpacks

How is the quality of f-stop bags? How is their warranty if a zipper or clip breaks or a handle tears? Customer service? How is the availability (they say backordered until May, but I need it in early June)? Any other reservations?

Thanks much for any help you can offer.
 
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I just called them to ask about availability - nobody picked up and the voicemail box was full. This bodes well...

I then emailed. We'll see if they get back to me.
 
I just got a response via email from them. FWIW, here's what they said:

Thank you for your interest & inquiry.

The May delivery dates are actually "worst case scenario" estimates. If you were to create your order now, the very latest we would expect to ship your order would be around the end of May. Also, the incoming restocks are very large shipments, so there would be no worry of running out of stock again.

Kind regards,
Mirko T.
Customer Service
USA/EMEA Sales Support // f-stop
E: [email protected] | W: fstopgear.com
 
Well obviously this is going to be a very opinionated thread, so this would be my take. I do not have a ton of hiking experience so I definitely could be off my rocker, but I'd probably end up going a different route myself.

I think the gear selection is pretty good, other than one thing. I'm not seeing the point of bringing the 17 - 55. Do you specifically need to shoot at 35mm? If not then the wide end is covered by your 10 - 18, and the zoom end will be covered by the 70 - 200. You'll most likely walk around with the 70 - 200mm about 95% of the time, then for those few wide shots where you have all of the time to take, you'll reach into your bag to grab the 10 - 18 and swap out the lenses. There probably will be a few shots where you could compose it at 35mm, but you can probably take 3 steps back, and frame it in at 70mm instead.

So if you agree with that, then you're really talking about having one setup, plus an extra lens. But you're probably not going to even have the camera shoved into the bag, but rather have it hanging around your neck more than half the time. You're not going to be able to simply drop that bag off your back, pull the camera out, and get that shot of whatever was running across the landscape in front of you. You'll probably need the camera a bit more accessible than that.

So my take is that the bag really isn't a "camera bag" at all, but a hiking bag for your hiking equipment. I'd probably have a small belt loop bag or another method that holds exactly the one camera with the one lens that you pull up a flap, pull the camera out and you're ready to go. The rest of the gear can sit in a ziplock bag wrapped inside of something that provides a bit of extra padding in whatever bag you have.
 
Appreciate the thoughts, thanks. A couple things: I was actually planning on using the 17-55 as my primary "walk-around" lens about 80% of the time haha. The 70-200 on a crop body is really pretty zoomed in, so it wouldn't be that effective around town unless I wanted a bunch of close-ups, which wouldn't be a bad thing at all, but I think I need the 17-55. Usually I carry my 17-55 and 10-18 to cover everything I usually shoot, the problem that spurred needed something more is now I want to include the 70-200 and my shoulder bag isn't big enough for it with everything else (it's crammed as-is). That, and now I need to carry some extra stuff for the family too.

I've tried throwing my lenses in my hiking pack before, but it was hard on the equipment having them loose in a bag (even wrapped in a hat or something), and took a while to get to; though, admittedly, not much longer than a setup like I'm proposing above would take. It's fine if it takes a little time to change lenses, I'm expecting that, and I won't be doing it every 2 minutes. Also, I have the Peak Design Capture system so I can clip the camera to a shoulder strap. Instant access to the camera isn't really that necessary either because of that. It'll be out when I want it on-the-ready, and it'll be in the bag when I want to put it away for a while.

If this was just a day trip, I'd be fine only taking one or two lenses. But, I'll be out for 2 whole weeks, so I'd like to take at least a wide, standard, and telephoto lens to cover everything. I might add a fast prime, but it's not entirely necessary. Since I'm doing literally every type of travel (plane, bus, car, boat, hiking, schleppin' around town), I'd like a bit more protection, which is why the ICU's (or something similar from another manufacturer) is appealing to me, inside another bag. The f-stop just allows quick access so I don't have to dismantle my bag to get at stuff, which would get really annoying.
 
I just placed an order for a black Ajna. If anyone's interested in some thoughts I might write up a review after my trip in June.
 
Fair enough. Sounds like you basically have it all sorted then. I can understand the need of the 17 - 55 if you're spending a lot of time in town versus out in the wilderness. I'd be interested in hearing how it worked out for you when you get back.
 
You made a Google spreadsheet for a simple purchase, is this a Cerulean thread?!? :eek:
 
You made a Google spreadsheet for a simple purchase, is this a Cerulean thread?!? :eek:

You obviously have not seen this thread: Humor me while I overthink this... case recommendation

edit: crap, the images don't work anymore. I'll dig them up. It was really impressive.

edit2: here you go (click for bigger)


What it boils down to is my money means a lot to me. Anything over $100 gets a lot of thinking about. As do things I'll be stuck with for a long time.
 
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It's too late for this to be helpful as you've already ordered, but as an intro to a lot of great bags for hiking there is this video that I suggest:



Does daypacks to things quite a bit larger.
 
Thanks, Unknown Souljer - I actually watched that video as part of my research. Good stuff.
 
I actually just ordered the f-stop Kenti since it's on clearance for $100. Seems decent size for a few lens when I'm hiking to location, and not carrying too much stuffs. The mid-may order was kinda worrisome,especially since it's a clearance item, hope they're not about to belly-up. Would love to hear your experience with the bag if you get it first. From my past research, f-stop seems to have decent bags, but on the expensive side for the money.
 
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I actually just ordered the f-stop Kenti since it's on clearance for $100. Seems decent size for a few lens when I'm hiking to location, and not carrying too much stuffs. The mid-may order was kinda worrisome,especially since it's a clearance item, hope they're not about to belly-up. Would love to hear your experience with the bag if you get it first. From my past research, f-stop seems to have decent bags, but on the expensive side for the money.

Oh, cool. I saw that, as well as an eBay deal on a new Guru that were both awfully tempting. They were just not big enough for what I was looking for. Ill certainly post some thoughts if you do the same :)

I had the same worries as you, but I think the Kenti just didn't sell as well as the others since it isn't centered around the ICU concept like all their other bags (except the shoulder bags). Every source I read had the same comment, that the bags were pricey, but worth it, and shipping times were long. Apparently they regularly have availability problems, and they've been around for something like 6-10 years now (don't fully remember ATM).

If your Kenti isnt shipping until May, that's a little odd. You'd think they would only clearance products they had in-stock that weren't moving... But, I obviously don't have a crystal ball on their operation either.
 
Got my pack today! I called and said I have a trip coming up, and they basically just overnighted me one from Hong Kong. Crazy.

I'll be loading this up and adjusting it over the next couple weeks before my trip. If anyone has any questions I'd be happy to answer them. I might have better insight after my 2 weeks trip with it though.

DSC00623 by J Horton, on Flickr

DSC00624 by J Horton, on Flickr

DSC00625 by J Horton, on Flickr

IMG_8577 by J Horton, on Flickr

IMG_8581 by J Horton, on Flickr

IMG_8582 by J Horton, on Flickr

IMG_8584 by J Horton, on Flickr

IMG_8586 by J Horton, on Flickr

IMG_8593 by J Horton, on Flickr
 
Here's a few quick snaps of it all loaded up. This pack has a really nice amount of room. More than I need probably for my photo/family trips. Will be just right for minimalist backpacking without camera gear too - really looking forward to that as well (I can still clip my camera to the shoulder strap with the peak design capture system).

20160521_152223 by J Horton, on Flickr

20160521_152428 by J Horton, on Flickr

20160521_155119 by J Horton, on Flickr

20160521_153127 by J Horton, on Flickr

20160521_153910 by J Horton, on Flickr

20160521_154154 by J Horton, on Flickr

20160521_154229 by J Horton, on Flickr

^This was stuffed with mostly the gear I want to bring on my trip, plus an extra tripod just to see how it would fit, and then topped off with about 6 jackets to fill it out. Still contemplating if I want to bring the 70-200 f/2.8 (mk1) if I'm already bringing the 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 (mk1). I'd use the 70-200 most of the time, but I want the 100-400 for a one-day birding trip, so maybe I'll just bring that. I have a 1.4x extender too, so maybe I'll just stick with that and the 70-200. Idanno... decisions, decisions. NOT complaining though - FWP for sure.
 
I wore the pack around the house a few times. First, fully loaded with all my gear and filler (as pictured), and it was about 31 lbs. It was dense, but it seemed to be designed to support that amount of weight. Some people were complaining that it couldn't support the potential weight it could carry, but I've used a truly overloaded daypack before and it was miserable. This bag still had adequate support

I took a bunch of stuff out, down to just my camera gear (one tripod and one telephoto), and it was about 16 lbs. With everything sinched down tight to my back It was almost unnoticeable

Overall the quality is very good. I'm really enjoying this pack so far.
 
Here's my actual load out for my trip. There's still some room in the pack. I opted for just the 100-400, but I'll miss the 70-200. My back will thank me later though. Pack weighs in at 30lbs with a full water bottle.

20160608_110432 by J Horton, on Flickr

20160608_111058r by J Horton, on Flickr

I suspect most of my family trips will have similar packing for the next 5 years or so...
 
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