Firstly, the objective differences are weight and weather/terrain proofing. To answer a burning question for all of those current Loka owners, “Do I upgrade to the Loka Ultralight?” the answer isn’t simple. The ICUs themselves can be jammed in via the back door or via the secret (OK, not so secret but it was a few days before I’d discovered it) opening at the top, which allows for the ICUs to be slipped in without needing any muscle. ![]() The hydration bladder fits inside a sleeve on the interior, backside of the ICUs. You access your camera gear via the flappy door also acting as your back padding. It has space for a hydration bladder and the forward facing port for the tube to come out. The hard plastic waist buckle on every bag I’ve ever owned will somehow always find a way to stab me and no one needs that. Furthermore, with a plethora of attachment points, additional pieces of gear such as skis, hiking poles or even a snowboard can easily be loaded.Īlso, kudos to f-stop Gear for doing something I love and putting the hip belt buckle on the left padded waist arm instead of placing it smack dab in the middle of the belt. It has all the pockets in all the right spots and includes an internal aluminum frame to better distribute the load on your back. In effect, the Loka UL is just like any other backpack you might find. Keeping the comparisons going while glancing at the weight of several other bags in the same class as the Loka Ultralight, and they all weigh in at between two and six pounds heavier. ![]() My first experience hiking with it, packed with a Nikon’s D800, 300mm f/2.8, 24-70 and 14-24 and I actually said to a friend “I’ve forgotten I have a backpack on.” He carried it for the next 200 yards or so and had the same sentiments. Floating like a butterfly on your back while you sting photos like a bee. With that out of the way, lets finally get to the bag. No need to change backpacks, just swap the ICU. Having a full-sized Large ICU and a Small ICU lets you go whole hog or half hog, depending on your needs. When you factor those two features against the less than free wheeling competition, the choice may become easier for you. The next it’s a full day hike with plans to eat breakfast, lunch and supper beside the campfire. One day it’s a three-hour hike with the goal of shooting a specific set of photos and getting the hell out of there. It’s positively my most favorite aspect of all the f-stop Gear Mountain Series camera backpacks.Īs I’ve said before, I’m all over the place. There’s no end to the level of adjustments and packing options with the ICUs. The most appealing part of the ICU system is its customization factor, it is off the charts. Eventually you’re on a job that requires your Magic Arm and it’s in your roller… at home. It’s tiresome, risky and something’s always missed. The task of repacking from one bag to another is one a lot of photographers deal with daily. If you’re the kind of person who does various activities each requiring their own bag type then the flexibility afforded by the ICUs is priceless. When you get right down to it, the f-stop Gear ICU methodology is comparatively inexpensive. Left to right: Shallow ICU medium w/ 70-200, Shallow small w/ D700+24-70, XL Pro ICU w/ D3+300mm 2.8 and 70-200 across the top. ![]() ![]() If this sounds like a lot, then you’ve obviously not shopped for a professional grade backpack this decade. With a price point of around $250 for the bag alone, stare another $60 to $100 in the face for an Internal Camera Unit (or two) and that $250 quickly becomes almost $400. If you’re fluent with f-stop Gear’s lineup, feel free to skip a few paragraphs, you already know why that grumbling is unnecessary. Nothing changes in this department, but for the uninitiated this may cause you to grumble a little. A streamlined revision of the original Loka, the new Loka UL will be the eighth bag in the Mountain Series.įirst and foremost for current subscribers to the f-stop way of life, it’s still an ICU backpack. And I’ll let you in on something else: they solved it a long time ago.īack country mountain men and women have been digging the f-stop camera back system for some time, and the endless vocal support found on many message boards speaks volumes about the quality you get for your money.
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