I got my Loka backpack from F-Stop last week and I got to use it in action already last weekend in the mountains. One weekend is perhaps not long enough to create a definitive picture of the product, but I’m confident that I have a pretty good idea of the pros and cons, based on my extensive (mostly bad) experiences with other camera bag solutions I have tried over the years.

So, when I unpacked the pack, my first reaction – oops it’s heavy (it’s not very heavy in pure numbers but I have to compare it to the packs I’ve used until now). But I needn’t have worried. Even with my gear in the pack, I found it sits really nicely and the weight is not an issue. It will only be an issue if I pack it full and carry it on a 20km hike up and down mountains, but that’s when everything starts to feel heavy and it’s not the fault of the pack!

The internal camera unit (ICU) that I ordered with the pack is the large slope ICU, which is large enough to swallow all my lenses (Canon 300mm f4, Sigma 150mm f2.8, Canon 24-105mm f4, Tokina 16-28mm f2.8) with one of the lenses attached to camera. Perfect for travelling; the size of the pack meets international carry-on standards and with all that gear, the weight is about 9kg which also just qualifies as carry-on. But for my normal hikes, I have max 2 lenses with me so I also ordered the medium ICU. I hope to get it before the summer, it’s on back-order at the moment.

The pack opens from the back and the lid has sturdy zippers which are easy to use even with gloves on. The zippers go all the way down to the bottom of the back, which means that the lid swings wide open and it’s easy to access the gear inside. This is a definite improvement to my previous packs where I always ended up using force to pull out the camera, to compensate for the narrow opening of the lid.

The main compartment can also be accessed from the top. This is for the other gear like extra clothes or food which you pack on top of the ICU. There’s a flat compartment in the front of the pack, mostly suitable for maps and other flat items, although I was able to fit my 0.5l thermos in it. There’s a pocket for a hydration system inside the main compartment, and I would expect that when it’s used, it’s not such a smart idea to put ”fat” items in the front compartment to press against the hydration bladder.

Finally, there’s a small compartment in the top lid for miscellaneous small items. It has some very small pockets which I found not so useful, they are just simply too flat to hold anything meaningful. For example my extra battery is floating around the compartment because it just won’t stay in the pocket. But for things like sunglasses, wallet, handkerchiefs etc the compartment is good.

There are two mesh pockets on the sides of the pack, with a reinforced bottom. It feels like the pockets are a bit too shallow, for example the small water bottle I put in doesn’t go deep enough to feel completely secure, but I’m going to assume that it’s ok anyway, I didn’t see any signs of the bottle falling out. I use the other pocket to hold the tripod (there’s a strap on top which secures the tripod so it won’t swing around). There are also lots of attachment loops for other gear, for small items like travel binoculars to large items like the snowshoes.

The build of the pack is good, all the seams are perfect and you just get this feeling that you can trust the pack for many years to come. The material is not completely waterproof (you can buy a separate rain cover from F-Stop, and there’s a pocket at the bottom of the pack for storing it) but it has enough water resistance to work for me. I have the same situation with my Lowepro Flipside 400 AW, but I’ve never used the rain cover on it. Let’s put it this way – if it’s raining so hard that the pack can’t stand it, then I won’t be out shooting either!

Pros

• Internal Camera Unit system with different size ICUs to fit your current needs (although you need buy every ICU separately)
• Solid construction with an aluminium frame
• Flat bottom, the pack stands up without support
• Space for everything you need for a day hike. And with all the attachment options on the outside of the pack, you could probably even use it for overnight treks.
• Compatible with various hydration systems
• Attachment loops
• Comfortable carry system, feels lighter than its actual weight
• Balanced feel on the back even with tripod attached on the side

Cons

• No actual cons so far, but a few things I haven’t decided on yet (see below)

Reservations

• Flat pockets in the top compartment and main lid. Useful for storing tissue paper… and not much else
• Shallow mesh pockets on the sides. They work, but don’t fill me with confidence.
• The padding material in the back. It’s harder than in my other packs, but I think I won’t find out until the summer hiking season if this is a problem or not.
• Somewhat awkward fit for the large ICU. It fits, but I had to fight to get it in. But once it’s in, no issue.
• The velcro straps inside the ICU are too short. I would need one or two straps which are twice as long, but that all depends on how you arrange the dividers in the ICU.
• The buckles are a little bit too sturdy for my liking. They snap on so hard that I’m always worried that I get some skin between the buckles when I close them, and that kind of pinch is just painful (done that).
• The sternum strap is little bit awkwardly positioned for women. It works when it is at its highest position but there is absolutely no margin.

So in summary, this is a very good camera backpack that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone in need of a hiking pack. I can’t think of a single thing that I really don’t like this pack and none of the reservations I have are deal-breakers. This is also a very expensive backpack (over twice as expensive as anything I’ve bought before), so you are entitled to have high expectations. But if you are like me and have bought new backpacks every one or two years, then the Loka will pay itself back in a few years. I am confident that it’s the last pack I need, and F-Stop are so confident about the quality of their products that they offer a 20 year warranty for any defects in material or workmanship. Impressive!

For European customers, I should add that F-Stops delivers from a warehouse in Europe so you don’t have to pay for customs or any other extra fees within EU, even if the list prices are in dollars.