uscmatt99
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 p.5 #9 · Hiking Backpack w/ Hydration: Shimoda, Atlas, Other? | |
I received a Shimoda 30L pack and 2 of the small core units from a fellow FMer last night. My go to pack for a few years has been the F-Stop Loka, which I've used with both the small and medium slope F-stop ICUs. Overall I've been very happy with it as it fits my frame pretty well. But I wanted something a bit smaller, and I was intrigued by the Shimoda line-up. Specifically, I like the removable waist belt on the 30L if I'm carrying a light load, the way that the back panel opens to the side rather than towards the bottom, and the option for side access.
First thing I wanted to try out was all of my ICUs/Cores in combination. I can smoothly fit the Medium Slope ICU alone, a Small Pro ICU at the bottom with a Small Core on top of it, or two Small Core units with my old Think Tank Hubba Hubba Hiney bag stacked vertically. Pretty versatile options, and I particularly like the last combo.
When I have traveled with my Loka, I usually had the Medium Slope in place with the Think Tank on top. I keep the camera bodies, lenses, ballhead, and other items in the ICU, and my chargers, a flash, batteries, and other junk in the TT. With the Shimoda, I'm able to carry 2 of the small cores in lieu of the Medium slope. When I arrive at my destination, the TT comes out and I rearrange things for shooting out of the bag. With the Shimoda, I look forward to setting up the 2 Small Cores so that I have side access for a camera and mounted lens, and maybe one additional lens.
Initially, I like how the Shimoda carries better than the Loka. The contour of the shoulder straps and waist strap fit even better. My torso is probably a bit shorter than optimal for the Loka. When I pare it down to just my shooting gear, it can be lower profile and less "strappy" looking. For tripod carry, I prefer the Loka as I usually stick 2 of the tripod legs in a mesh side pocket, head pointing up. On the Shimoda, I don't like the tripod pouch much, and had to change up the way I lash the tripod to the side without that mesh pocket so that it doesn't slide down.
To give an idea of what fits in 2 Small core units, I have the following:
Nikon Z6 and Leica M10, both with RRS L-brackets
Nikon 24-70/4S
CV 40/2 SL-II
FTZ adapter
Zeiss ZM 18/4, 25/2.8, 35/2.8, 50/1.5, 85/1.4
CV 35/1.2
Filter sleeve
In addition I have other crap in the TT bag (chargers, straps, Godox AD200, controller, wireless shutter release, tools). I'm also able to fit a Peak Design Tech Pouch for batteries, cables, memory cards. This sits on top of the TT bag.
It's amazing what fits in there without the whole thing looking bulky. Definitely the upper limit of what I like to carry in a backpack, but I never have all that stuff at once when I'm out shooting.
Will follow up after my trip. One thing I can't figure out is the hydration bladder routing. I guess I'd just leave a gap in the front zipper, and run the tube over the top of the bag to a shoulder strap? I didn't see any pass-through spots. Also have to see if I can attach a Peak Capture to the belt.
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