f-stop Tilopa DuraDiamond (m116 + m231 + m923-69), green

Product Information

The ICU comprises the core of a bag-within-a-bag system which, as regular readers will know, is something I’m not terribly fond of. My current setup utilizes the XL ICU which allows me to carry my camera with any one of my lenses attached. The Sukha pack is still available, but I find it hard to recommend right now because I can only assume that a hugely updated DuraDiamond version of that bag cannot be far off. Depending on the size of your tripod, you may be able to use the lower zippered side pockets or front zippered stash pocket to support the tripod, thus only requiring a single top strap to secure the tripod. I have no information about that, but it seems logical that all Mountain Series bags will eventually adopt this new look.

This is designed to be used for your garbage, giving you a segregated space for food wrappers to keep crumbs out of the bag’s interior and out of your camera gear.With a Large Pro ICU in the Tilopa, there is still room on top for accessory pouches, clothing, gloves, ski goggles, crampons or a drone. These are great for attaching loads to the top, bottom, sides or front of your bag in any combination. Currently I carry a Canon 5D Mark3 body, a 16-35mm, 24-70mm, 70-200mm, two Canon speed lights, radio flash transmitter, batteries and other miscellaneous gear. Without an ICU, the bag is just a good quality, heavy duty shell, but with the ICU it becomes a fantastic photography tool and I can’t imagine going anywhere without it!

I have never had any issues with having to gate check the bag (If you are unfortunate enough to find someone being difficult at the gate, you can always remove the ICU and just check the empty shell of the bag). Registration only takes effect after receipt of my confirmation; it is possible to unsubscribe at any time.The high-quality Ripstop nylon outer is not only light but will keep moisture at bay and dry quickly, keeping your gear nice and protected. I have taken it to some of the harshest places around and it performs beyond belief, to the point where I don’t think twice once the rain starts coming down. Its hiking heritage sees the bag being constructed around an internal frame made from aluminium tubing and the rigidity provided by the frame perfectly complements the bag’s lush padding.

I then reached out to F-stop about testing one of their bags to see if I liked it enough to become my new primary camera carrier, a few weeks later a Tilopa showed up at my doorstep. Although it is only water resistant I have already been out hiking in aweful conditions and my gear kept dry. One thing to note is that there is no bladder hanging loop inside the bag, making it harder to get the last drops of water out when the nearly-empty bladder crumples to the bottom of the compartment. There were pros and cons for each (i can tell more if someone is interested) but overall i liked Tilopa more after all. lens, Hasselblad 501cm, Sekonic light meter, film, batteries, a 16″ MacBook Pro, and a 3 Legged Thing Billy 2.Although the Tilopa has a huge 50 Litre capacity (More than most camera bags), the gatekeeper straps and additional attachment options (Metal D-Rings, Molle attachments, compression straps and elasticated attachment points) mean you can carry a huge amount of gear on the outside of the pack, such as a tripod, hiking poles, a tent, a water bottle, an Ice Axe, a helmet and even crampons!

Your gear will stay safe and dry due to the Tilopa’s weather resistant design, fabrics, and components that protect your gear from the elements. The new backpack is made from f-stop's exclusive and patented DuraDiamondTM fabric, offering greater durability, more protection from the elements and better organization than ever before. All bags in f-stops' Mount I have been using f-Stop bags for several years now and am a big fan of their modular system (more on that in a moment).Rather than the ICU being an afterthought, it is clear that F-Stop has built their bags around the ICU itself. Recently I took a new position shooting video and photography for an aeronautical university, so I knew I’d be doing a lot of shooting on locations, sometimes remote and travel was on the itinerary, so I had to figure out how to bring it all. It does an excellent job of carrying a good amount of camera gear, clothes, and any other accessories I may want to bring along like a tripod. 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.