The Kenti is the latest addition to the popular Mountain Series of bags from F-Stop, designed specifically with outdoor, nature and adventure photographers in mind.  The Kenti brings some very different design features with it though that set it apart from the other bags in the series.  It is (at time of writing) the only camera backpack that I am aware of that features zippered access on both sides of the bag. Two camera bodies with lenses already attached can be quickly reached and stowed away again in record time, if speed is of the essence in your photography then you should definitely read on.

Bag Design & Features

The pack is constructed from Nylon 330 Denier Double Ripstop PU 1500mm DWR.  In other words is damn tough and pretty waterproof !

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The new Dakota components are designed to compliment the Mountain Series packs that I have reviewed in the past.  As well as the products that I’m about to show you, F-Stop have also released a belt system featuring several new lens cases, a large padded waist belt and optional supporting shoulder straps.  I have not had a chance to see or test the lens cases for the new belt system but you can view these on their website.

Tripod Bag

This bag is available in either black or foliage green for a modest $49 and will work with just about any bag you can imagine.  Whilst it’s called the tripod bag, its sufficiently large enough for a two or possibly a three man tent, or perhaps a bedroll.  Those who own one of the previously reviewed Mountain Series packs such as the Tilopa or Loka will be familiar with the tough nylon that this bag is also made from and this version takes it one step further with water proofing rated to 15000mm.  The bag has been designed to handle just about any size size of tripod you can imagine, including larger video specific variations with hefty fluid heads on top.  Any excess material can be neatly rolled up and because the material is thin, there is no real leftover bulk to speak of.

I’ve seen a few tripod bags before and they tend to be bulky, heavily padded unwieldy things.  Well that doesn’t really jive with the Mountain Series packs that this is designed to complement.  These are packs that you want to take anywhere, however far or however wild the ride may be on the way.  As such, this tripod bag offers little in the way of padded protection and instead concentrates on protecting your 3-legged investment from the mud, sand, rain, dust and snow that mother nature might chuck at you while on your adventure.  The line of loops down the side of the bag means that there is always one in the right place for threading a side strap or Gatekeeper through to secure it to your chosen pack.

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As the bags from F-Stop become more and more popular the company is expanding to set up distribution networks around the world.  I know there is a fair number of readers based in Australia so I just wanted to quickly pass on the contacts for F-Stop’s Australian distributor Rod Thomas.  You can e-mail Rod HERE or give him a call on 0417 677966.  The Australia specific website for F-Stop is fstopgear.com/au.  Give Rod a shout and he can help you figure out the best place to pick one up.

Happy bag hunting !

For a list of all my F-Stop bag reviews please click through to this page.

 

 

Beginning immediately, F-Stop will now be shipping all their products internationally for a flat rate of only $5 !  A crazy bargain !

I know you guys are fans of these bags so now is a great time to grab one if you have been holding back.  Here is a list of my previous reviews of their current Mountain Series lineup.

Guru – 28 liter all purpose mountain pack for small & medium ICU

Tilopa BC – 48 liter backcountry specific pack for small,medium & large ICU.

Loka- 37 liter all purpose mountain pack for small,medium & large ICU.

Satori EXP – 62 liter expedition photography pack for small, medium, large, XL and Monster ICU

These reviews have been incredibly popular so here’s a quick index to remind yourself of your options when you need a new photography backpack!

Guru – 28 liter all purpose mountain pack for small & medium ICU

Tilopa BC – 48 liter backcountry specific pack for small,medium & large ICU.

Loka- 37 liter all purpose mountain pack for small,medium & large ICU.

Satori EXP – 58 liter expedition photography pack for small, medium, large, XL and Monster ICU

Dakota Components – Accessories designed to compliment the Mountain Series. Continue reading »

Last week we took a look at the newly released Guru 28 liter backpack.  This week I’m giving you guys a first in-depth look at the soon to be released F-Stop Satori EXP which is due to be on sale this coming July.  This pack sits at the opposite end of the Mountain Series to the Guru, with a Capacity of 62 liters and as the EXP designation implies this one will hold everything you need on your next expedition.  The pack might be larger than the Tilopa BC but by forgoing the waterproof TPU base seen on the Loka and Tilopa BC the shell is actually lighter.  If your main outdoor pursuit is skiing or snowboarding then the TPU base of the other two is a really great feature.  If on the other hand you spend your time hiking into the wilderness  to shoot landscapes and wildlife then the Satori is going to be more up your alley and provides a wealth of options for attaching additional gear and accessory bags.

The Satori EXP will be available directly from F-Stop as a shell only for $359 (in Grey Mist, Foliage Green or Black) or with various configurations of ICUs, prices of which will be detailed closer to it’s release.  If you are unfamiliar with the ICU system, all will be revealed below.  Essentially it allows you to decide the size of the padded camera compartment in the bag depending on how much camera gear you need and how much other gear.  One you have an ICU or two you can just purchase Shells on their own when you decide you need a different pack.  Perfect if you are a bagaholic photog!

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F-Stop have started to ship a new pack in their Mountain Series lineup a couple of weeks ago.  Firstly I should disclose that I am a member of F-Stop’s Faction pro team and as such this pack was given to me to use for my work. So as I have done in the past, I’ll keep this as more of an informational post about the pack so you guys can get a good feel for it before you place your order :)   In all seriousness , given the traffic spikes I see on my site whenever I post about new F-Stop gear, I know you guys love this stuff anyway!

If you aren’t familiar with the other Mountain Series packs from F-Stop you might want to take a quick look back at my previous posts covering the Tilopa BC and the Loka. Both of these packs have been incredibly popular and have quickly become the default pack for adventurous photographers all over the world.

As you would expect then the Guru is designed and manufactured to just as high standards as the other packs in the lineup.  The main difference here is that the Guru is the smallest pack of the series with a 28 liter capacity compared to the 37L of the Loka and the 48L of the Tilopa BC.  Towards the bottom of this post you will  find some comparative photos showing all of the packs together.  The Guru is designed to work well with either the small or medium ICU for those with a minimal amount of gear who want to carry a few extra items with them, food, extra clothing etc etc.  As you’ll see from the images below, either of these ICUs still leaves plenty of room in the pack.  The Guru also features a comprehensive organizing pocket in the front with multiple internal zippered pockets and slots for all sorts of things.  You could fill it with pocketwizards and cables, or even take it to school with some pens and other stationary in it.  Due to it’s smaller size and inconspicuous looks, the Guru can be used for any number of uses.  A great pack for a day in the city or an all day mountain bike adventure.  Shredding pow in the mountains or carrying a camera around your school or college.  It features an unpadded laptop sleeve that will fit up to a 15″ laptop. Guru features the same ripstop nylon as the Loka and Tilopa and let me tell you, it’s tough stuff so this is going to last you a long long time.  F-Stop packs are available exclusively through their own store. And prices for the Guru start at $245 for the shell + 1 ICU.  Of course if you already own ICUs for your other packs you can also just grab the shell for $195.

Now please take a scroll through the 50 odd photos below which detail every part of the new Guru including comparisons with F-Stops other bags, possible uses and a look at the all new Gatekeeper functionality.

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F-Stop is now shipping the first batch of their new day pack the Guru.  This new back is a great do anything bag.  Carry it around town with you , take it snowboarding or hop on your bike.  The rear opening of the pack is smaller than that on the Loka and Tilopa BC and is designed around the size of the medium ICU (you can find extensive photo comparisons of the ICU sizes on this page).  As with all the new F-Stop bags though you have a choice over which ICU you purchase with the bag, or you can buy them all to give you the best flexibility with how much gear you carry.  The Guru is the first pack from F-Stop to feature their new Gatekeepers , which will appear on several new packs in the future.  The Gatekeepers are removable, adjustable straps.  There’s more of a dedicated “organizer” pocket than on the very mountain specific bags, again adding to the versatility of this one.  You could easily use this to carry some books to university or college by day and camera by night.  The internal sleeve will fit most 15″ laptops , though offers no padding so so you might want to slide it into a sleeve as well.  The Guru starts at $215 , more details below. Continue reading »

A couple of weeks ago I gave a detailed look at the all new F-Stop Loka backpack.  This week we have its bigger brother, the Tilopa BC which features all the innovations of the Loka, with a few extra of its own thrown into a pack that is both bigger than the Loka and more specifically designed for backcountry and wilderness location shooting.  The Loka is a 37 liter pack and the Tilopa is 50 liters.  If you haven’t already read the Loka writeup that I did I’d urge you to take a look at that too so you can really get a feel for the differences between the bags.  Further down the page here I do have a direct comparison with the Loka as well as a complete run through of all the various ICU (internal camera units) sizes and what they can hold.  There is something in the order of 6o photos here but if they still don’t answer your question please leave a comment and I’ll try my best to answer. Continue reading »

I have introduced the F-Stop Loka backpack before when it went up for pre-order and I have been excitedly waiting for this pack for a very long time, ever since I was signed up as part of F-Stop’s Faction pro team a few years ago.  At that time the Tilopa and Satori were the main backpacks in their lineup but there needed to be a slightly smaller pack to fit more peoples needs.  As well as myself, F-Stop also signed up the very best action and adventure photographers like Christian Pondella, Tim Kemple and Sven Martin to test their packs and contribute to the development of the new products.  On top of the new Loka pack, bag designer Ian Miller also began  to develop updated ICU (Internal Camera Units) for the new bags based on our feedback and also feedback from previous customers.  The final production versions of the new Loka and the ICUs have just shipped to pre-order customers so it’s time to take an in depth look at them. Continue reading »

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