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 »

Just a quick note today to say that the long awaited F-Stop Loka backpack is now on its way.  The first shipment is in transit from the factory and those that pre-ordered early enough will be getting theirs shipped out to them very soon!  I have been a part of F-Stops pro Faction team for a few years now and alongside the designers, permanent staff members and other pro team members we have spent a long time pooling our ideas and experiences to get this pack together.  I am posting a few photos of the black Loka below and I will have much more information and coverage as soon as the final production ones land in my hands in a few days so stay tuned!  In the meantime, if you just can’t wait any longer you can place orders via F-Stop’s website here.

If you missed my previous article detailing the Loka please take a read of it here.

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F-Stop gear is having a great sale this weekend on the Tilopa backpack to honor the military (up to and including Monday 31st May).  This bag has been extremely popular this year so this is a great opportunity for you to save 25% and also get a FREE F-Stop t-shirt in the deal.

To get the discount simply follow this link to the F-Stop store and then at the checkout enter the promotional code Cap-Nick in the discount code section on the last page of the checkout.  I also have a review and more photos of my F-Stop Satori which is a very very similar bag to the Tilopa.  The difference being that the Tilopa comes with a slightly smaller internal camera compartment and is also about 2 inches shorter in overall height.

Tilopa Specs:

  • Volume: 50 Liter / 3,100 Cubic Inches
  • Weight: 2032 Grams – 4.47lbs (With Full ICU) / 1392 Grams – 3.07lbs (No ICU)
  • Dimensions: 12” x 24″ x 10″
  • Internal Compartment Dimensions: 12” x 22” x 10”
  • Internal Compartment Space Available with Large ICU: 7” tall ½” on each side, extra depth taken by laptop sleeve.
  • Torso Length: 18.5”
  • Metal internal Frame for support carrying heavy loads.
  • Fabric Info: Ballistic Rip-stop Nylon, Abrasion Resistant Nylon Webbing, High Density foam, Heavy Gauge Zippers, YKK Waterproof Zippers, Waterproof Urethane coasted mesh

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