Is This My Forever Bag? f-stop Guru Review
I’ve owned something in the region of forty photography bags over the last thirty years or so and none of them have lasted the course except for four. The f-stop Guru and three others.
Table of Contents
Overview
I do like a good camera bag. If I’m going to carry around €7k worth of camera kit around with me, it had better be comfortable, safe and hard wearing. Oh and good to look at too!
Those that follow my YouTube channel will know that I am very fussy about camera bags, I’ve spent far too much money over the years on sub standard bags or bags that cut into my shoulders, bags that fall apart or are nor water resistant. The saga drags on but I’m please to say I seem to have reached a place of sanity where I have a set of bags that cover my every use case. These include:
Think Tank Retrospective 15 Backpack – the only bag I own that will be allowed as Ryan Air cabin baggage. If anyone knows of another bag that fits, do let me know. This bag is not waterproof!
f-stop Tilopa – you can read my review of this bag – f-stop Tilopa 50L Camera Bag Review
f-stop Ajna – smaller and more manageable than the Tilopa, I use it when I want to take my drone out in addition to the camera kit.
f-stop Guru – the subject of this review – the only bag that has exceeded 400 trips without showing any signs of wear, superbly comfortable, surprisingly spacious.
Comfort
I’ve had too many bags that cut into me after the first few miles. Non of the bags I currently use do and that’s particularly true of the f-stop Guru. Over 400 trips on the clock and not a bruise or a blister to show for it.
A lot of credit goes to f-stop designers for this, the shoulder straps are more than adequate, but you can still clip a PeakDesign Capture clip onto it to hold your camera.
Space
25L of storage space, I carry a lot of gear, 1 camera back (Usually a Canon 5Ds, DSLR, old school and heavy. 2-3 lenses, cleaning equipment, food, waterproofs, extra layer, gloves and water. This leaves ample space for cards, keys, batteries, filters etc.
Materials
This bag features an aluminium frame (one of the secrets of its comfort) and a belt to go around the hips as well as an adjustable sternum strap. What are these for?
Hip Belt – takes the weight of the bag from your back to your hips. Makes a huge difference.
Sternum Strap – prevents the shoulder straps from sliding around on your shoulders.
Wear
What can I say? I’ve done over 400 trips with this bag and there is really no trace of wear. I hike through mountains, forests and deserts in Spain almost every week and the bag does heavy duty. It’s impeccable.
It’s made of heavy duty, water resistant (a water proof cover is available) materials that protect your gear. Inside the bag, you put an ICU (separate purchase) which is a padded box to contain the camera and lenses. This gives a second layer of protection and in my case, can be easily swapped between the Guru, the Ajna and the Tilopa.
Summary
f-stop have been around for long enough to rise above fashion accessory status, leave that to the mind boggling array of newcomers, but so far as adventure bags go, f-stop really know their stuff. The Guru is an attractive, all purpose day bag and as far as I can tell, I’ll get another 400 trips out of it easily. It may even outlast me!
Buy this Bag
You can buy this bag directly from F-Stop Gear, using this link
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