The BIG BAG!!!  Here I have the F-Stop Ajna 40L backpack and both the Medium Slope and the Large Pro ICUs (Internal Camera Units).  I bought this bag just after Christmas 2017 in the hope that I’ll be doing more photography adventures in the new year.

Well,… 12 months have passed and I’ve only used this bag once 🙂  So much for going for adventures.

One of the reason for buying this was because I was booked to go back to Manila (Philippines) with the family and I was hoping to bring this along but it is a very bulky bag.  I’m short at 5′ 4″ so this bag would look ridiculous on me in the city or airport setting.

My original intention was to use the medium shallow ICU here then carry my laptop (in a laptop sleeve) inside the pack.  I decided to go against this as I wanted to bring more camera gear than what the medium shallow can fit – doing portraits since my family are hardly in one country at the same time so need to take lots of photos while we’re together.  Also, with the laptop inside its sleeve inside this pack, I figured it’ll be a pain to take it out for the security checkpoints.

The one time that I did end up usin
g this bag was when a group of us (4-5 families) went to stay at a place 45 minutes from home.  We all stayed in chalets so it’s not hiking/camping kinda scenario and I decided to use that bag as I wanted to bring my camera, a telephoto lens, a standard lens and a wide prime.  For this I used the Large Pro ICU and I had the following inside it:

• Canon 5D with 70-300L
• Canon 5D with Samyang 14mm prime
• Canon 24-105L lens
• Speedlite
• Canon 50mm f1.4
• Canon 85mm f1.8
• Canon G7X II point n shoot
• Spare batt and card wallets
• Powerbank

I really like the material used in the F-Stop Lotus and Ajna line of camera packs.  They feel durable and very water resistant.  The zippers are great and the compression straps really help make the bag more compact if you are using smaller ICUs.

The design of the packs is definitely aimed at hikers and adventurers as can be seen by the big pockets on the top, front and both sides of the bag.  You can put anything you want in them really – rain jackets, gloves, lunch, etc.  Personally, since I don’t go hiking, I prefer the organiser pockets of the Guru UL and the water bottle pockets on the side.  Again, how the Ajna is designed is perfect for those going on long hikes and need to carry big items…  Which is why I’m still asking myself “why did I buy this bag?”

I like the number of attachment straps, loops, D-rings and large pockets in this bag (including the one at the bottom to store the rain cover).  I think that I got drawn into this
bag because of the Red Bull edition as well… I like the colour combination of this pack and the practicality of the ICUs.

As of writing this, I have taken out the Medium Slope ICU (pictured on the left in the Ajna) and am using it with the Guru UL.  I have put this Ajna with the Large Pro ICU on the market as it is a waste having it at home as I don’t see myself needing a setup like this in the next 6-12 months.  Nice bag.. just not for me.

UPDATE (16 Dec 2018):  I have sold this backpack as it is a bit too big for me and I don’t really see myself using it in the near future.  For air travel I think I might prefer something like the MindShift Gear Backlight 26L where there’s a dedicated pocket for a 15″ MacBook Pro as well.