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Archive 2014 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder

  
 
TMaG82
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder


Just a quick heads up, I got an email from my contact at fstop gear that the Loka UL is now available for pre-order with ship date in late May. Looks like only black with blue trim is available at the moment and the price is $249, only $30 cheaper than the regular Loka. I would've liked it to be a little bit cheaper (I read the rumored price was $200), but for me I don't need the extra connectors on the outside. Plus I like the fact that it's substantially lighter (over 1.2 pounds lighter). Interesting that they have a suggest ICU setup for the Loka UL, and they recommend the Micro, Small Shallow, and the Medium Shallow, while simply saying that the Small Pro, the Medium Slope, the Large Slope, Large Pro, and 2 Small Pros will simply fit. That's perfect for me since I have the Small Shallow from a previous setup. Might be a good fit for those who were looking for a Loka but wanted something lighter and didn't need all the extra connectors on the outside. Plus the color scheme looks like a good fit for me.



Apr 29, 2014 at 10:07 AM
Mr Joe
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder


Thanks for the info! Here's a link: http://fstopgear.com/news/2014-04/introducing-loka-ul


Apr 29, 2014 at 10:54 AM
dgdg
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder


The loka is a great bag. The Loka UL looks like an incremental improvement which will be nice for new buyers. If it had a floating top that doubled as a waist pack, and a drawstring skirt top, I'd consider switching out my bags. Of course, that might add extra weight and offset the main selling point. The back external compartment now zips along the middle instead of on the top. Not sure if it matters.


Apr 29, 2014 at 11:15 AM
doogie2304
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder


dgdg wrote:
The back external compartment now zips along the middle instead of on the top.


not sure what you mean by that. when i look at the photos on the fstop site, the zipper arrangement looks identical to my 'standard' loka.

of course i could be wrong - it happened once before...



Apr 30, 2014 at 02:04 AM
dgdg
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder


Nuts, you're right. The Loka outer pocket back zipper is vertical. I was thinking of my Satori I was recently digging through. I like the upper zipper as it makes a bit of a pouch you can cram things into.


Apr 30, 2014 at 07:37 AM
sjms
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder


if he is speaking on the back panel zippered pocket that hasn't changed. it was fairly easy to strip down a the loka for a weight reduction.

removed pockets from the hipbelt
do cutout on hipbelt
remove webbing for sides
simplify shoulder strap design/construction
remove back "board"/compression straps
remove vinylized bottom
slightly thinner compression straps
modified backpad structure






Apr 30, 2014 at 07:40 AM
KaBudokan
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder


sjms wrote:
if he is speaking on the back panel zippered pocket that hasn't changed. it was fairly easy to strip down a the loka for a weight reduction.

removed pockets from the hipbelt
do cutout on hipbelt
remove webbing for sides
simplify shoulder strap design/construction
remove back "board"/compression straps
remove vinylized bottom
slightly thinner compression straps
modified backpad structure



Based on these changes, I'm glad I have the Loka - a few things I think I would miss are the webbing on the side and the vinylized bottom.



Apr 30, 2014 at 07:45 AM
sjms
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder


we just carry that extra weight


Apr 30, 2014 at 08:36 AM
TMaG82
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder


dgdg wrote:
The loka is a great bag. The Loka UL looks like an incremental improvement which will be nice for new buyers. If it had a floating top that doubled as a waist pack, and a drawstring skirt top, I'd consider switching out my bags. Of course, that might add extra weight and offset the main selling point. The back external compartment now zips along the middle instead of on the top. Not sure if it matters.


The back is the same, the color scheme just makes it look a little different. But if you zoom in you'll see the zipper work the same way.

The more that I look at the UL, the more it appeals to me. It's bold and different from the standard black bag. I was just about to buy the black Loka. If it's lighter that's good for me, since my camera setup is the GH4 with smaller lenses, but I ended up getting the bundle deal with the medium shallow. I don't need all the extra connectors on the side, just having a hydration opening, room for a medium ICU, and room for other stuff means that this may be a good daypack for me. Some people are posting that the color being black/blue is too bold and may draw too much attention when they travel to foreign places, but for me I like that it's not boring in color.



Apr 30, 2014 at 09:21 AM
gcuff
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder


These bags have a very loyal following and the ul looks interesting but I have a question. How do you carry a canon 500 f/4, 70-200, 24-105 and 17-40 together with a 1dx and 5d iii? It seems that the large icu won't hold all that.

I am looking for a bag that will and have room for a jacket or sweatshirt.

Thanks for any input



May 19, 2014 at 01:38 PM
sjms
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder


then you look a a larger more appropriate combination/pack. the loka as is is a medium sized product.


May 19, 2014 at 05:47 PM
rolly
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder


I had to go to the F-Stop Satori and the XL ICU to carry my 1DMKIV, 500 f4, 100-400, 24-105, 1.4x, 2x. That's pretty much all that will fit in the XL ICU. I have to put my other camera in the top compartment above the ICU in a camera wrap. I believe that is the largest pack and ICU available. It is by far the best pack I've used to carry heavy camera equipment.


May 19, 2014 at 08:38 PM
mangosi
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder


Bump for the F-stop Loka UL.


May 21, 2014 at 12:49 PM
TMaG82
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder


Got my Loka UL in on Friday before my weekend trip and I like it. I bought a regular Loka as well, going to get that in this week and evaluate which one I like better.

I never had the Loka myself, a buddy of mine has one and I really like it. It looks like they made some cuts to bring the weight down and I'm not sure I need it. Sure that extra 1lb they cut is vital for those that carry it around all day with heavy pro gear, but I intend to use this with mirrorless gear that weighs less.

At first glance the black with blue trim looked really nice but I'm more a subdued kind of guy, don't like to stand out. I would rather not attract too much attention to myself, so I could see where the blue would be helpful to stand out say if you're on the ski slope or on the mountains but the classic all black might work out better for me.



Jun 02, 2014 at 02:16 PM
TMaG82
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder


So I got the Loka UL about a week ago and just out of curiosity I ordered the regular. I'm going to take them both out for a spin this weekend and see which one I prefer but here are my quick first impressions. Pictures will be added later if requested.

The UL is really light without any ICUs inside, you can clearly notice the difference by holding the packs. It has fewer straps and buckles. It doesn't have the front two buckles. It doesn't have the straps on the sides. The regular Loka has a grippy texture on the bottom of the pack, I would assume it helps if you need to place the pack down on a wet surface for water to enter the pack. The UL is simply the bag material all around.

A big difference is the back padding. The regular is thicker foam padding while the UL is thinner padding, I would think that would make a difference. Probably the most substantial difference between the two that I could notice upon first glance is that the hip is thinner on the UL, not solid in between but has a hole. But the potential deal breaker for me is that the waist buckle has been moved from a center snap to a snap on the far left side of your body. Why is this a potential deal breaker? Because if you don't have the waist buckle snapped, the strap will dangle, otherwise you'd have to snap the waist buckle closed and put the strap behind your body.

I'll report back after this weekend's tests.



Jun 06, 2014 at 08:03 PM
xnavyguy
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder


TMaG82 wrote:
So I got the Loka UL about a week ago and just out of curiosity I ordered the regular. I'm going to take them both out for a spin this weekend and see which one I prefer but here are my quick first impressions. Pictures will be added later if requested.

The UL is really light without any ICUs inside, you can clearly notice the difference by holding the packs. It has fewer straps and buckles. It doesn't have the front two buckles. It doesn't have the straps on the sides. The regular Loka has a grippy texture on the bottom
...Show more

Just wondering what your thoughts were between the two bags....I'm looking at ordering one of them so I'm very interested in your findings.



Jun 12, 2014 at 02:03 PM
TMaG82
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder


I've decided to keep the regular Loka for myself. There are few reasons for this and I'll attach some pictures to show why. The Loka UL to save weight I believe used the bag material for the entire bag, from top to bottom while the regular Loka has a rubberized material for the bottom of the bag. This can affect if you were to place the bag down on a wet surface and whether or not water will seep into the bottom of the bag. The Loka UL has a very simple back padding while the Loka has a thicker, more comfortable padding. And the main reason that I picked the regular Loka is that the hip support snaps in the center. This is important because if you were to wear the bag but not buckle in the hip support, the straps would not hang down too low but on the Loka UL the hip support buckle is off to the far left side, which means if you don't secure it fully the strap will dangle and become a nuisance perhaps when you're walking. I asked my wife too and she said that the Loka in black is very sleek while the Loka UL with the powder blue accents is a little too loud, it'll work if you're using the back on the mountains or while skiing perhaps but if you're just wearing it around it might be too loud.

Don't get me wrong the UL is a very nice bag, the biggest two oversights for me are the bottom of the pack which is not rubberized and the center buckle is the big one. Sometimes I want to carry the pack but not have to fully buckle in. Having the strap drag or dangle behind my right leg would become too much of a pain. It's very nicely made and you can definately tell the weight difference (the UL is more than 1 lb lighter). If the price difference was bigger and you were on a budget then the UL would make sense, but for only $30 more, if you can tolerate the extra 1lb which I can since I use an a7, I would pick the regular Loka.

DSC00068 Very simple side of the Loka UL

DSC00075 Somewhat more secure side of the Loka

DSC00071 Bottom of the UL which may allow water to seep in

DSC00076 Rubberized bottom of the Loka

DSC00072 very simple back pad of the UL

DSC00077 slightly better padded back of the Loka

DSC00073 And the dealbreaker for me, the long strap unbuckled of the UL

DSC00078 vs the shorter buckle of the Loka



Jun 12, 2014 at 07:00 PM
xnavyguy
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder


Thanks for the very helpful information.

For the same reasons you pointed out, I think I'm going with the Loka and not the UL version. The back padding not only looks more comfortable but it looks like it has an air channel to keep the pack off of my back. Not fond of the blue color after seeing the pictures and that strap would probably drive me crazy as well.

Now I just have to look at their ICU's to see if a large pro will hold the gear I plan on putting into it.

Thanks again for the quick response, it's greatly appreciated.




Jun 12, 2014 at 07:48 PM
bgiddens88
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder


Nice reviews. Curios if you've heard of any new colors in the regular bags or even in the new UL. Love the look of the UL. I need to purchase three new ones for snowboarding. I carry two for my lighting and one for my cameras.

Thanks for the help.



Jun 28, 2014 at 11:59 AM
Joseph.
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · F-Stop Gear Loka UL now available for preorder


Thanks for the review, I think I'm gonna go with the regular Loka as well. I do have a question regarding the ICU's.. what is the purpose of the "sloped" ICU and under what circumstance would I want one as opposed to the regular Large ICU?


Aug 29, 2014 at 12:47 PM
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