Patrik Orcutt 02.02.23
F-stop Gear is a camera bag company that has been around since 2005. Initially, the company’s goal was to combine camera bags and performance backpacks into one, creating a bag to fill this void in the market at the time. Fast-forward 15 years and in the photography community they are a brand synonymous with quality and cutting-edge designs. Back in November of 2019, I noticed my camera bag was starting to come apart at one of the zippers. I then reached out to F-Stop Gear about testing one of their bags to see if I liked it enough for it to become my new primary camera carrier. A few weeks later an F-STOP Gear Tilopa showed up at my doorstep. Being a full-time military photographer at the time, I primarily used this bag to carry around my camera gear. In the four months that I have had this pack, I have taken it into the forests of Germany, the streets of Madrid, and up into the European Alps.
- MSRP: Originally $320 (As Tested $399.99)
- Colors: Green, Black, Orange
- Height: 59.7 cm or 23.5 in
- Width: 35.6 cm or 14 in
- Depth: 30.5 cm or 12 in
- Volume: 50 Liters
- Weight: 1.9 kgs or 4.1 pounds
Camera bags tend to get heavy fast due to the weight of the equipment. One of the things I instantly fell in love with when I first got my F-Stop Tilopa, was just how comfortable the bag felt. It brings a whole new level with well over twice the padding and “cushiness” on both the hip and shoulder straps. Once the bag is loaded and fitted to your body, it literally feels like you’re carrying half the weight you actually are. And when you’re carrying 25-35 pounds of gear/clothes/etc, it makes a tremendous difference
The shoulder straps are able to be adjusted in both lengths (adjusting how high the bag sits) and also how snug the bag fits against your back. Personally, I recommend you make it as snug as possible to distribute the weight of the bag more evenly over your shoulders and upper back. The good thing is there is barely any weight ON your back and shoulders as almost all the weight of the pack sits comfortably on your hips when the hip strap is fastened.
Most of the bag is covered in WR-treated, 420D ripstop nylon, it is not the lightest material but it is very tough and weather resistant. After rubbing up against lots of granite rocks and being caught in the rain, the pack currently shows little wear. All along the pace are some of the best zippers I have ever used. I’m not sure what kind of voodoo magic they put into these things but they are easy to open yet secure. Overall the entire bag oozes in quality with more bells and whistles than most people will ever need.
One of the things that impressed me the most about this pack was the warranty that F-Stop puts behind it. On all their Mountain series bags, they have a 20-year limited customer warranty. Let me say it again, 20 YEAR! Obviously, this does not cover neglect on inappropriate care but it’s still impressive to see a brand slap that kind of warranty on a pack.
Most F-Stops bags are built around their ICU system with ICU being short for the Internal Camera Unit. Like the name suggests this is a place for all your valuable camera goodies to go. The ICU is also fully customizable with hook and loop dividers giving the user the ability to tailor the unit to their specific needs. F-Stop is far from the first company to use a system like this but in my opinion, they have nearly perfected it with a few smart ideas. Unlike many similar systems, the ICU can be Velcroed into the bag’s aluminum frame. This allows the ICU to be locked in tight and essentially become a part of the bag’s internal structure.
The reason I like this feature so much is that you don’t have a big heavy cube moving around in your pack while you’re walking. Keeping that weight secure and mostly static makes it much easier on your back when you are really putting on the miles. Using Velcro to attach the ICU’s also means there’s nothing stopping the user from taking the whole unit out and swapping it for something else. The ICU that I was given by F-stop was their large variant but they sell different sized ICUs to fit different needs. There is also nothing stopping you from removing the ICU system altogether with the aforementioned aluminum frame helping the bag keep its shape.
This amount of modularity allows this pack to be useful in so many different situations. If you were going on a big photo shoot and needed to bring all your gear in one bag, use the XL ICU. Imagine you were planning an overnight camping trip and needed to bring a sleeping bag or food and camera gear was a secondary concern to you. You could simply slide in the medium ICU so you have more space for other goods. I have even taken out the ICU all together and just used the entire main compartment to house all my clothing for a flight.
The primary access point into the ICU is through a zippered panel where your back rests. I have seen many other camera bags utilize this design in the last few years and I always thought it was a bit gimmicky, to be honest. Once I used the back panel to acmes my gear it all started to make sense to me why so many camera bags were using this feature. By putting your primary opening on the back of the bag, allows you to lay the bag on its back where it has a weather-resistant fabric. The alternative to this in the past has been to lay the bag on the ground so that the back padding is getting dirt or wet (weather permitting). Then when you would go to put your bag back on you might have some water on the back padding or small rocks that have crept into the mesh.
The Tilopa also comes with many smaller mesh pockets inside of other compartments and openings on the bag. We, photographers, love these little pockets because it gives us a place to put extra cables batteries and media cards. On the sides of the pack, there are expandable side zipper pockets for longer items like a water bottle or an extra pair of pants. I would have liked to see their pockets be flow-through like on one of my Kelty packs, This would make extra-long items like tripods and tracking poles easier to secure and not get snagged on so many tree branches.
On top of the side, pockets are the reinforced carry straps and these straps are solid. When I sinch down something with these straps, I know it’s not going anywhere. Right below the bottom straps, there are hardened rubber loops. Usually, when you strap something heavy to the side of a bag the straps come loose and the item begins to sag down. The rubber loops act as a catch to hold your gear in place so it can’t slide down while you’re on the go. Couple this with the excellent straps and you have a great way to carry everything from tripods to skis.
There are multiple hanging points for an ice axe along with compression straps on the back of the bag for securing even more gear. The Tilopa comes with two sets of what F-Stop calls “Gatekeepers”. Think of the gatekeeper as an additional compressor strap for any part of the bag. In my experience, these little guys are very useful for attaching uncommon items on the back of the pack like snowboards or crampons. I think the best thing about the gatekeepers is that they are not preparatory to F-Stop packs. You can use them on almost any bag with compression straps or Molle.
The bag also features a large padded laptop/ water bladder compartment. Due to the ICU system, the compartment is located on the back of the main compartment of the bag. It’s not an ideal spot because it is difficult to gain access to but it’s still nice to have.
Likes
- The ICU system with a back access panel
- The pack is incredibly comfortable even after many miles on the trail
- Built Quality is second to none
- 20-year Limited Warranty
Dislikes
- The pack does not come with an easy way to store a water bottle
- The color selection is very limited, only 3 colors are available at the time of review
- Additional ICU inserts are pretty expensive
F-stop bags are built for diehard photographers who want a bag that is durable enough to withstand constant contact with the outdoors. I’m rough on my gear and I need a bag that is going to stand up to constant abuse. At the end of the day, the Tilopa is probably the most rugged bag on the market and the ICU system certainly makes it the most customizable. Take the ICU out and you have a great day pack or even a small overnight backpack. Unfortunately F-Stop no linger produces the Tilopa in anything smaller than a 50-liter size but if you’re looking for a comparable bag they do have the AJNA in a 37-liter and that is basically an upgraded Tilipia in a slightly smaller package. Stay tuned for a review on that bag.
