During the summer I was looking for some photobackpack. The requirements were clear: sufficient size and so universality, the possibility of attachment of skis or SNB, a separate pocket for avalanche equipment. Classic photobackpacks didn’t meet these conditions, so, thanks to Mike Douglas’s facebook page, I found products of american company F-Stop Gear. At last I took their biggest model Satori.

Satori has in papers capacity of 58L, which can seem to be too big for skiing, but if your equipment is a couple of lenses, a flash, you want to put there also some snack and drink, it’s just right. The inside of the backpack is fully customizable, due to changeable ICU (Internal Camera Unit), I choosed size L, so I have under the cover of the backpack still enough space for the little things, such as skins etc. ICU is hard enough and protects the photo equipment perfectly (I have several times fully landed on back and it was cool), rate for this is the weight of the whole complet: 1850 g wtihout ICU, with XL size of ICU 2700 g.

The transport of both, skis or snowboard, is really comfortable. The board is after attach to the front side of the backpack stable, even with the filing of both front pockets, where you can comfortably put a shovel, probe and other little things. Thanks to this pockets is the avalanche equipment still ready. Skis can be carried as board on the front side or can be attached to the sides. Straps, even though they seem quite thin, stabilize everything and there was no problem with them. I can say the same thing about the buckles, which are sort of different construction, than we are used to, but they don’t freeze over, hold reliably, and even that I squashed them a few times, they were alright.

The Satori back system is designed more for male figure, back straps are quite far apart and the back panel is quite long. I personally (180cm, 85kg) were it comfortably and even that I have Nikon D300, 12-24, 18-200, 75-300, 50/1,8, flash SB600 and other little things in there, I don’t know about it on back at all and it doen’t limit me anyhow when riding.

If you are shorter figure, you’re looking for a backpack only for riding in the resort or you have just one-two lenses and you don’t want to carry more, I’d rather advise backpack Loka from the same company, which is significantly smaller. But if you’re looking for a photobackpack for summer as well, for one-day-trips, via-ferraty, hiking on ski-alps and some travelling, I can Satori only recommend! You can buy it on official F-Stop company sites ( www. fstopgear.com ) for 349USB including the ICU unit.