*Guest post by Jake today. Back in February he got an F-Stop pack as a birthday present after we’d had some previous issues with photography on our adventures. Here is his take on the Loka pack.
Last year I started photographing more of our adventures. I quickly ran into a quick problem. By the time I managed to get anything more than a point and shoot out of my pack the shot I wanted was nothing but a fleeting memory. So as Rochelle and I chatted about this dilemma Rochelle mentioned that I should check out these packs made by F-Stop. To the internet I went and checked out F-Stop. Holy wow! They had exactly what I was looking for. Then I looked at the price and thought wow again.
Because it fit exactly what I wanted I decided to order anyway only to find out that the pack that I wanted was out of stock. So the waiting game started. In late January the pack came back into stock. Because I wanted a pack that would fit my backcountry ski gear and keep my camera gear safe but with easy access I ordered the Loka pack and the large internal camera unit (ICU). They arrived in just a couple days. The packing was really out of this world. I immediately checked out how everything was going to fit. A little front country testing was required before I wanted to take it to the backcountry so I took it local ski hill. Day one was a success it was super comfortable and carried well. Knowing that the gear was going to fit made it time to take this pack to the backcountry. Off to the Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains. It proved as comfortable in the skin track as it was on the downhill.
So the pack rode well and was comfy but what about the accessibility to the camera and gear? Simple, fast and organized. The awesome zippered back panel allows fast access to your camera and other gear. The front zippered pocket provides plenty of space for avalanche gear and skins. It’s nice that this pocket keeps your wet stuff away from your precious camera gear. After several trips I decided that the large ICU was a little to big so I ordered the Medium Slope ICU. This decision made the pack work even better for me. The Medium Slope ICU fits better with my gear set-up and leaves even more room for ski gear. Although it initially seemed like the price was a bit stout if you’re looking for a well-built, comfortable pack that will take you on adventures but makes photography in the great outdoors easier I’d highly recommend giving F-Stop gear a try.