ShimodaExplore 60 Starter Kit (w/ 2 Small Core Units) - Sea Pine (520-014)

Overall, I find this to be a great camera bag with only a few small annoyances. The ICU is thinner and easier to manage than the thicker F-Stop ICU. However, I do find that the Shimoda unit would benefit by being about 1/4 of an in shorter (less tall) and a bit more flexible as it would make the ICU a bit more flexible.The shoulder straps are brilliant and very comfortable. They are a tad annoying if using the Peak Design Capture Clip given the width and thickness of the strap coupled with placing the clip in a comfortable position. I am 6' tall and longer in the torso than legs, so maybe that's the reason.I did give it a good test with an 8-day hiking trip and could carry all my kit pretty well - A full-frame DSLR, 24-120 lens, sleeping bag, clothing article and various bits such as a battery recharger, tripod, intervalometer, a few filters, and cloths. It certainly manages all the camera kit I need for day hikes and trips.

The quality seems decent. I like that it is lighter than the f-stop gear Sukha but it doesn’t seem as rugged as the Sukha, especially the bottom of the pack. I’m not sure why Shimoda hasn’t gotten there stuff together but they don’t have any core units available until middle of July. This is bananas. I leave for a 2 month trip and they don’t even have stuff available. Huge turn off for me in that regard. If you cannot supply photographers the gear they need, how do you expect to stay in business? The f-stop xl icu does not fit in this 60L pack without crunching it. The depth of the pack doesn’t seem as deep as the sukha. I do like the shoulder straps better on the shimoda. I like the separate gear spot on the shimoda and the ability to unzip that and remove. I do like how much lighter it is but I hope it lasts a long time. These cost more than quality backpacking packs such as Gregory baltoro. I wish the front pocket was more organized. I do not think this is a true 60L pack. The top does not even look close to 20L. I’d guess this is more of a 50L pack. It’s a good start but you really need to work out the supply issue. These are made in China which may be why.I will update after I’ve used this for a bit.

I have used many different brands of camera backpacks, but the Shimoda has by far been the best. I watched many YouTube reviews and they all talked about comfort, I am here to tell you, it is very comfortable. I also own many top brand backpacking packs and this is still the most comfortable. It carries everything I need. It also has a dedicated area for a water bladder which is a huge deal. You can't go wrong with this pack. It is on the pricey side, but you get what you pay for.

Been using it at least twice a week for almost a year and it’s great. It’s usually holding my Nikon d810 camera, 15-35mm, 24-70mm, 150-600mm, tripod, filters, and other odds and ends. It’s very secure and comfortable holding around 30# weight and there’s still enough room for a tent and sleeping bag.

I don't post reviews frequently but I am over the moon with my Shimoda 60L. It securely holds a ton of gear and is very comfortable. A lot of my friends that I shoot with have F-Stops and there are things about this bag that they all really like. One of them is even looking to switch over to it.

So far I have hiked roughly 15 miles with this bag weighted down with camera gear!! I cannot complain about the functionality at all! If I had one complaint it would be I wish there was a little more in the way of side pockets on the waist straps! I will eventually get the larger pack for more than one day hikes!

Very comfortable!Holds my kit without a problem plus my camping gear.Flexible (I also bought the medium ICU) I can carry a lot of camera gear by combining the midium and one small ICU, less by just bringing the midium or eben less by just using a small one.Very well thought out design.In short I am a happy customer!

Absolutely love this backpack. So much room, so comfortable, and the zipper for the main compartment is so smooth. After searching for the perfect backpack from many different brands I was about to give up or settle on fstop but I’m glad I didn’t.