The Tilopa Camera Backpack Review

There are many like my Tilopa, but this one is mine.

The Tilopa backpack is a durable camera bag from F-stop’s Mountain line of camera bags. One feature of their Mountain backpacks series I particularly like are the Tilopa’s attachment points for the F-stop’s interchangeable Internal Camera Unit or ICU system. Having the interchangeable ICU’s is a game changer for someone like me that might one day be on a day hike into the backcountry of a National Park and then a few days later be hiking across Spain for a month. In the past, those hikes required me to purchase two separate bags. With the ICU system in all of the F-stop's Mountain line bags, I am able to switch ICU’s instead of being forced to buy more backpacks.

Why I purchased my Tilopa.

I purchased my Tilopa to use while hiking the French Way of the Camino de Santiago. This roughly 500 mile trail stretches from St. Jean Pied de Port on the French side of the Pyrenees all the way to Santiago de Compostela in the Galicia region of northern Spain. Without any camera gear the 50L bag itself would of been overkill for the journey; however, my Nikon camera, lenses, batteries, and other camera equipment took up about one third of the bag’s space. A great feature of the ICU and the bag is its water resistant material which has protected my camera gear through drizzle and outright downpours and through many adventures since. It hasn’t failed me yet! I bought my green, or rather aloe, Tilopa in 2016 right after the launch of the bag. It is now 2019 and my bag is still in great shape. This is even after trips to Spain, Panama, Iceland, and various places within the United States.

If you find my information about F-stop’s 50L Tilopa backpack useful, please consider using the Amazon affiliate links at the end of this article.

Even the zippers are well protected against the rain.

The bag’s exterior is made out of a tough water resistant and ripstop fabric while the bag’s bottom is made out of an even sturdier waterproof material. I have never once felt unsure when setting my bag down in the field, because I know that the almost rubber like material on the bottom can stop any possible moisture that I may encounter.

The whistle is easy to miss being so well designed into the clip.

The shoulder straps on the bag are wide enough to be both comfortable and help distribute the weight of the bag evenly. There are adjustment straps on top of both of the shoulder straps. These adjustment straps will allow you to move the shoulder straps higher or lower so you can adjust the shoulder straps to you and how the bag rests in relation to your your shoulders and waist. In addition, the metal D rings are solid and reliable. They will allow you to mount additional items to your shoulder straps. There is also a clip with a built in whistle located on a small strap attached to the left shoulder strap. This whistle could be extremely useful if you become lost or need help during one of your adventures.

The MOLLE attachment points on the waist belt can be quite useful.

I’ve found the waist belt to be comfortable even over a long period time. It does a great job of taking the pressure off my shoulders when wearing the bag for extended periods of time. The built in and non-removable waist belt comes with MOLLE attachment points for the company’s attachments. In the past, I have attached a holder for a multitool using a standard MOLLE system, also known as Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment, but it was loose. It would be nice if the MOLLE attachment points on this backpack would accept standard or non F-stop proprietary MOLLE attachments without those standard attachments being loose.

The side pockets offer additional storage room for items you might need quickly.

The Tilopa backpack has two large compression straps overtop a zippered pocket on both sides of the bag. The back of the Tilopa comes with many useful pockets both large and small. These can be handy to store items in and be able to get to them fairly easily. There are two large side pockets that I have used to carry everything from a 1L bottle of water to extra layers of clothing. There is velcro on both side pockets that can be used to compress the side pockets down even more or to expand the side pockets. In addition to everything already mentioned, the Tilopa has a velcroed H2O access flap that can be used to feed a tube from a hydration system which can be stored on the inside of the bag.

This large pocket can accommodate plenty.

There is a large pocket on the front of the backpack with two compression straps over it. There are two loops at the top of either side of this zippered pocket that can be used to hang additional gear or outdoor adventures. You will also find two small loops underneath this pocket as well. I’ve used this larger zippered pocket mostly as a place to store clothes, dirty laundry, flip flops, or my towel while on various trips. There is enough room in this large pocket for a packing cube with some clothes in it or some extra warm layers for cold hikes or trips. You can access the foam padding from the inside of the flap on this pocket. On the bottom of the front of the bag just under the larger zippered pocket, there is a small water resistant pocket. I’ve used it to carry everything from soap and small toiletries for a trip requiring a flight to using it on a local hike as a quick place to store small amounts of trash.

This pocket might be small, but it sure is useful when you’re trying to pack out your trash.

Even the inside of the Tilopa has MOLLE attachment points.

The main zippered compartment for access to the ICU or internal camera unit is well padded and rests against my back comfortably. It is also nice to know that the most direct access to my camera equipment is directly against my back and that it is hard for any thieves to get into.

On the inside of the padded flap that rests against the back and which you unzip to gain access to the ICU inside the backpack is a small zippered pouch at the top of the flap. I recommend that anything you place in this pouch be something soft. That pouch will be resting against any large ICU or possibly something fragile inside the bag. Below that small zippered pouch are three lines of additional MOLLE attachment points. I have never really used these attachment points for any accessories. Instead, I’ve used them to store loose wires for chargers and other USB cords by weaving them through the lines of attachment points.

The top of the Tilopa has a wonderful zipper pocket that can be accessed without going into the main compartment of the backpack. This zippered pocket opens up to reveal two interior pockets. The top interior pocket is zippered and made of a mesh material. The bottom interior pocket is also made of mesh and comes with a small strip of velcro and one detachable key ring. If you press the button, then you can take your keys with you for those times when you don’t need to have your bag with you. I recommend using this pocket as a place to store your toiletries if you plan on flying carry-on with only the Tilopa or traveling with this backpack in general. This area of the Tilopa backpack is very helpful for storing small miscellaneous items as needed when traveling or hiking.

Opening the main compartment from the top can be done by unzipping the heavy duty zipper that is somewhat protected from the elements by some overlapping water resistant material.

Flip the lid up and you find a zippered mesh pocket. This zippered mesh pocket is great for storing documents and other small items that you may need readily available. Note, that it is not as fast to get into this pocket as into the earlier mentioned exterior pocket to get to your small items.

Just below those pockets is a built in protective sleeve. At times, I’ve used this sleeve as a place to store a packing cube full of clothes, as a protective sleeve for my Ipad Pro, or at other times to hold my 13 inch MacBook Pro depending on what I was doing on vacation. I haven’t personally used it to store a 15 inch laptop, but I have been told that a 15 inch laptop will fit into this compartment.

Optional attachments are available for an extra cost, but offer more even user flexibility in setting up your bag. Some attachments like the gatekeeper straps are great for attaching larger equipment such as skis and tripods. Additionally, there are other optional attachments such as different sized pouches for storing extra accessories like batteries and memory cards. An optional filter case is available along with multiple sizes of lens barrel storage compartments for different size lenses. You can get a holder called a Mano for your water bottle. These sorts of optional attachments allow you to further customize your Tilopa backpack to suit your individual needs.

The F-stop rain cover packs down very small.

As an added protection against extreme downpours, I purchased one of their large rain covers for my Tilopa. For me, the rain cover is mostly a just in case insurance policy and spends most of the time stored inside my bag. It barely takes up any room and weighs next to nothing. I’ve used it occasionally and was glad to have it at those times. Although not entirely necessary, it gave me an ease of mind on some long rainy hikes.

The Medium Slope ICU takes up the majority of the Tilopa’s storage space in the main compartment, but the angle of the slope does save you some room behind this ICU.

The Tilopa's height is 23.5in or 59.7cm. The bag’s width is 14in or 35.6cm. The depth of the bag is 12in or 30.5cm. The Tilopa is a 50 liter backpack which weighs 4.1lbs or 1.9kgs when it is empty. I’ve flown on domestic and international flights with my Tilopa as a carry-on bag without any problems. However, as always be prepared to be stopped by the airline. The dimensions of the backpack are technically just a bit too large for a carry-on for most airlines, but I have yet to be stopped. I’ve never really been too worried about it, because I can always fall back on using one of my ICU’s as my carry-on item. I have never been forced by airport staff to check my Tilopa backpack, but I have done so voluntarily before. When I did check my Tilopa, I removed my ICU containing my camera, lenses, and equipment like batteries and then placed my Tilopa inside a medium Osprey Airporter bag. I decided to do this because I did not want the straps of my Tilopa to be damaged while being handled by airport staff.

The Tilopa backpack will fit inside the Osprey Airporter Medium with plenty of room to spare.

ICU Recommendations.

Many different F-stop ICUs can fit inside the Tilopa backpack. However, you should note that F-stop’s Master Cine ICU is not compatible with the Tilopa. Also, combining a Large Pro ICU and a Small Pro will not fit inside the Tilopa. Other ICU combinations such as two Small Pros, one Medium Slope and one Small Pro, and one Large Pro and one Tiny will be compatible and, in fact, are recommended by F-stop. I don’t stack my ICU’s often, but I have found that stacking my Small Pro ICU on top of my Medium Slope ICU does work when I need more camera gear and don’t mind having less space for clothes or other items.

If you’re planning on going on a day hike and need more space for camera gear, then I recommend selecting a larger ICU or stacking two smaller ICUs. I recommend selecting a smaller ICU if you are planning a longer hike or trip and camera gear isn’t your top or only priority. That will allow you to pack other non-camera essentials. The ICUs have a carrying handle at the top which offers you flexibility to use the ICU as a standalone bag if needed. It also makes it easier to remove the ICU from your F-stop bag. I think the interchangeable ICU system is one of the greatest strengths of this backpack and other Mountain series backpacks made by F-stop.

F-stop did not sponsor this review in any way. Nor have I received any money from F-stop to make this product review.

The following links are Amazon affiliate links.

F-Stop Tilopa Backpack: https://amzn.to/2tjVkNH

F-Stop Large Rain Cover: https://amzn.to/2LKHgns

Osprey Airporter Medium: https://amzn.to/2OmFz0S

F-Stop Medium Slope ICU: https://amzn.to/2LGc9sY

F-Stop Small Pro ICU: https://amzn.to/30Fv7o2

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