<p class="MsoNormal"]Good Evening All,
<p class="MsoNormal"]A few of you might recall a few weeks back I asked for some
advice on a good camera backpack that would be suitable for travel. I got a lot
of great suggestions and the one that peaked my interest the most was the F-Stop Guru - which evidently I ordered
and it arrived today.
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<p class="MsoNormal"]I figured since I'd got some good advice from you all that
I'd return the favour and write up a brief review of the F-Stop Guru to give
you an idea of how good it is in the flesh. The pics aren't the best because I've been on a plane all day so I can't be bothered to set up a muslin sheet or anything
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<p class="MsoNormal"]A bit of background first - F-Stop make a range of camera
bags, and their Adventure Series focus on those of us who are planning on
getting our gear to the far reaches of the earth intact and in comfort.
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<p class="MsoNormal"]The Guru works with an Internal Camera Unit (ICU) to store
your gear. These are available in various sizes. I went with the medium ICU.
The pack itself is made of double ripstop nylon, is water and abrasion
resistant and uses all nylon webbing - i.e. it's a solid backpack made of high
quality materials. There's also an internal metal frame to keep everything
sturdy on your back, can carry a hydration pack or 15" laptop. The quality
of workmanship is also very good - all stitching is spot on and everything is
reinforced.
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<p class="MsoNormal"]I won't write too much more here, if you want to have a
better look at the specs head on over to the F-Stop website:<span>[url="http://fstopgear.com/en/guru][b][url]http://fstopgear.com/en/guru[/url][/b][/url]
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<p class="MsoNormal"][i]I bought my Guru from Rod Thomas Photography, Rod is the Australian distributor for F-Stop gear. I'd suggest heading on over to his website to have a look - some of his landscapes are very very nice, it's well worth a look. He's a Canon shooter as well so he must be a good bloke. Here's the link -[url="http://www.rodthomas.com.au/]http://www.rodthomas.com.au/[/url][/i]
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<p class="MsoNormal"]Right, so this is what came in the box today. Back left is the backpack itself, back right is the ICU, the grey item in the front is a removable rain cover (which Rod was kind enough to throw in free of charge), and there's a microfibre cloth there as well. All nicely packaged in dust covers for transport.
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<p class="MsoNormal"]_MG_4029-2 by Ben's Reviews, on Flickr
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<p class="MsoNormal"]First off let's have a look at the ICU. As I mentioned this is the regular depth, medium size ICU and is the largest that the Guru will hold. The ICU is very well padded and can be configured to suit your requirements. As it happened the ICU was configured pretty well perfectly for my setup straight out of the box. There are velcro elastic straps to make sure everything is held in place once vertical and a handle on the top in the event that you want to carry it around outside of your backpack.
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<p class="MsoNormal"]_MG_4033-2 by Ben's Reviews, on Flickr
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<p class="MsoNormal"]_MG_4035-2 by Ben's Reviews, on Flickr
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<p class="MsoNormal"]Here's the ICU next to the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II for reference.
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<p class="MsoNormal"]_MG_4039-2 by Ben's Reviews, on Flickr
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<p class="MsoNormal"]Ok, let's have a look at the bag itself now. This is the forest green colour, it's also available in black and light grey. As I mentioned, the guru is very well made. There are pockets everywhere - heaps of space to store stuff and things.
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<p class="MsoNormal"]_MG_4050-2 by Ben's Reviews, on Flickr
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<p class="MsoNormal"]_MG_4054-2 by Ben's Reviews, on Flickr
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<p class="MsoNormal"]There are a bunch of what F-Stop call "Gatekeepers" attached to nylon webbing loops on the bag. These can be moved around the bag to various locations to suit what you want to carry such as a tripod or monopod etc. The detach easily and reattach wherever you like - there's no risk of these guys coming loose as there's a steel retaining ring on each of the hooks.
<p class="MsoNormal"]Attached:
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<p class="MsoNormal"]_MG_4051-2 by Ben's Reviews, on Flickr
<p class="MsoNormal"]Detached:
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<p class="MsoNormal"]_MG_4052-2 by Ben's Reviews, on Flickr
<p class="MsoNormal"]The zips are all robust and water resistant, there's even a spot to poke the drinking tube of the hydration pack if you choose to purchase it as well.
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<p class="MsoNormal"]_MG_4049-2 by Ben's Reviews, on Flickr
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<p class="MsoNormal"]The straps are very comfortable, they're well padded and robust. There's a waist strap and chest strap as well to keep it snug on your body. The internal metal frame also makes the pack very comfortable. One waist strap has a small pocket on it to hold a mobile phone, compact camera etc and the other has some more nylon webbing loops to hold various odds and ends. There are also side pockets on both sides of the pack to store water bottles, snacks or your pet c<span>hihuahua if you're a C list celebrity.
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<p class="MsoNormal"]_MG_4041-2 by Ben's Reviews, on Flickr
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<p class="MsoNormal"]Pulling the straps back reveals the very well padded back of the pack and the access to the ICU. I like this because those shifty ninjas that like to lighten your load for you (lovely people they are!) can't access your expensive gear.
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<p class="MsoNormal"]_MG_4042-2 by Ben's Reviews, on Flickr
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<p class="MsoNormal"]Opening the back panel up reveals the ICU. Note, there is a zip on the ICU as well however I think I'll be leaving it undone for easier access. I might even remove the padded foam from the back panel and just fold it up underneath. We'll see what happens after a couple of uses.
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<p class="MsoNormal"]_MG_4056-2 by Ben's Reviews, on Flickr
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<p class="MsoNormal"]_MG_4058-2 by Ben's Reviews, on Flickr
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<p class="MsoNormal"]So, the big question is... does everything fit in this seemingly tiny ICU. Well it appears the guys at F-stop have enlisted the help of Mary Poppins because you can fit a surprising amount of gear into this thing!
<p class="MsoNormal"]Here we have my:
<p class="MsoNormal"] Canon5D Mark II with battery grip and Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II attached;
<p class="MsoNormal"]Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L;
<p class="MsoNormal"] Canon 50mm f/1.8 II;
<p class="MsoNormal"] Canon 2 x Extender III;
<p class="MsoNormal"] Canon 580 EX II speedlite;
<p class="MsoNormal"]a bunch of filters and a moth that flew in there.
<p class="MsoNormal"]This all fits pretty snugly with room for one more lens in the ICU (I'd suggest it'll be the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 slotting into that space). There's still heaps of room left over on top of the ICU for a change of clothes etc and room in the front pocket for whatever else. I'll likely have a pouch or small bag in the front pocket for remote triggers, charger, CF cards, dognapped celebrity chihuahua etc etc etc.
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<p class="MsoNormal"]IMG_0283-2 by Ben's Reviews, on Flickr
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<p class="MsoNormal"]and a bit closer:
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<p class="MsoNormal"]IMG_0284-2 by Ben's Reviews, on Flickr
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<p class="MsoNormal"]The rain cover is another nice addition to help protect your gear in adverse weather conditions and it folds up to nothing as well.
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<p class="MsoNormal"]_MG_4070-2 by Ben's Reviews, on Flickr
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<p class="MsoNormal"]_MG_4073-2 by Ben's Reviews, on Flickr
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<p class="MsoNormal"]And what does is look like while you're wearing it. Well the bag looks great, is a really convenient size and is comfortable as hell. However, the model in these photos (i.e ME!) has a head like a smashed crab, is a little out of shape and can be annoying as hell! But hey, we're here for the bag, right?
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<p class="MsoNormal"]_MG_4062-2 by Ben's Reviews, on Flickr
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<p class="MsoNormal"]_MG_4067-2 by Ben's Reviews, on Flickr
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<p class="MsoNormal"]_MG_4069-2 by Ben's Reviews, on Flickr
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<p class="MsoNormal"]So... what's the verdict. Honestly it's the best camera bag I've ever owned, however everything has it's purpose. I really like my Crumpler 6 million dollar home as it's very convenient to throw in the car when I'm heading out for a quick trip (it's another very very well made bag as is all Crumpler gear), the pelican cases are great for when I'm heading bush on a fishing or hunting trip when it's likely things will get a bit messy and the Lowepro slingshot's zippers all broke so it was garbage. The primary purpose of this bag will be for when I'm hiking or travelling around a bit and I have a feeling it's going to be perfect for that. All in all, I'm very happy with it. I don't mind paying a little extra for something that is obviously going to last. In saying that, it's not a bad price for what you get.
<p class="MsoNormal"]Thanks for reading!
<p class="MsoNormal"]Cheers,
<p class="MsoNormal"]
<p class="MsoNormal"]Ben.
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