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This March I will be traveling to South Africa and need a new backpack.  The largest items I have I want to fit are I a 1dxii, Canon 100-400ii and a 15.5” Mac Book Pro.  It is a bit tight, but the bag I have at the moment fits all my gear. 

This is the bag I have. The main problem I have with it is that a 15” computer will not fit.  Also, the massive profile of the 1dx would crush it even if I could get it in there.  

I have been looking at, and love the  F-Stop Tilopa.  It looks like there is plenty of space for all the gear plus a laptop, and I love how versatile it is.  The drawback is it’s huge.  The one thing I am worried about is using it as a carry on bag for traveling.  

Does anybody have the F-Stop Tilopa?  What has your traveling experience with it been?

What bag would you recommend?
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I think a Gura Gear 32 will suit you if you can get one.( Looks like Tamrac has stopped making it. )
I have one for trips with big lens and camera bodies.

The other option suggested by others in this forum is Backlight series by Thinktank. 

https://www.thinktankphoto.com/collections/backlight-series

Three models of Gura Gear bags are currently bring made. The only place to buy them (new) is B & H Photo. Two models have sleeves for laptops. The 30L does not accept laptops.

For a 15 inch laptop the one that might work for you is the Gura Gear Kiboko 2.0 22L . Make sure it i deep enough to accept your cameras especially of they have battery packs attached.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... 20EALw_wcB

I have the F-stop Tilopa with the Large Pro ICU filled with a gripped Nikon DSLR, 150-600mm, and assorted smaller zooms, and have used it for flying a few times (all within North America), once with a 17" MacBook Pro. Short version: while it can be done, you have to make a lot of compromises and I wouldn't recommend it if you have other options.

Long version: With the ICU inside, all the pockets empty, and the straps all cinched tight, it's right at the limit of carry-on size (especially the length) and will fit in larger overhead bins, but you will start struggling as the bins get smaller (and forget about small planes). What I ended up doing after some trial and error was pulling the ICU out of the pack when I got to the airport, cinching down the pack to make it as small as possible, and carrying the ICU with a small shoulder strap (not recommended - it's really not made to be carried like that). You might be able to keep it in the pack, but I was always nervous it would be flagged as too big and they would make me check it. Once on the plane I would put the ICU under the seat, and put the pack in the overhead bin after grabbing my snacks (on small planes they would put it underneath and then give it back when I exited the plane, but all my gear was with me so I was OK with that). The biggest issue I have with doing it that way is that the ICU isn't meant to be a standalone camera bag, so the handle is super uncomfortable for holding a bag full of heavy camera gear, the strap rings aren't that beefy, and (most importantly) the padding of the ICU isn't substantial enough to protect against more than light bumps. You might be able to get away with keeping it in your pack with one of the smaller ICUs, but it's not really a flying-friendly setup in my opinion.

Here's a backpack for flying

I have an F-Stop Tilopa and have been using it for more years than I can remember. I have been on standard and commuter planes. I think that you could pack your gear into the large pro ICU rather than the XLarge pro ICU. As nchild states, the ICU's are not great for transport alone, but they are the easiest way to go small when you need to.

I can carry the following in my FStop Tilopa w/ Large pro ICU
Option 1: D500 on 500mm PF w/ hood in shooting position, D810 on 70-200 f/2.8E w/ hood reversed and Z6 in the ICU. In the space outside the ICU I put a 24-70S in an Fstop small barrel case and 14-30S in a second small barrel case. There is still room for a cable and batteries pouch as well as my laptop.

Option 2: 200-400mm f4VR (un mounted), 500PF w/ hood reversed and body attached (or 70-200f/2.8 w/ hood reverse and body attached) and a second body (Z6 or D810). I can add my wide angles as above as well as cable case and laptop.

I like the bag a lot for hiking and travel.

To be honest, I would not buy a big camera bag that can hold a laptop for flying. The airlines (esp. when flying internationally) are so finicky with hand luggage now, that I am studying the rules with a magnifying glass, and try to find "loopholes".
So for example, usually (there are of course exceptions), you are allowed, in addition to your "main" hand-luggage, a "personal item", like a purse or a laptop bag. If you have a separate laptop bag, it usually doesn't count in the weight (and size) restrictions of the hand-luggage.
Having the laptop in a separate bag also allows to keep the camera bag smaller, to attract less attention during check-in.
Of course, you have to carry one more bag (don't forget it, as it happened to me !), and outside of the flying, it is less convenient than one bag for everything.

Hi,

Great thread as I need a bag to fly to Hawaii later this year, and my monster pack won't fit.

Have Fun,
Jeff

Jeff Colburn wrote:Hi,

Great thread as I need a bag to fly to Hawaii later this year, and my monster pack won't fit.

Have Fun,
Jeff

I just bought the F-Stop Ajna with the Pro Large ICU and its exactly what Im looking for.  I can put my 15" laptop comfortably behind the ICU (not sure why this isn't advertised), with all of my gear packed there is still plenty of space to load in random bits like clothing, and the metal frame comes out so the bag can be squished to fit into and over head compartment.  

Thanks, I'll check it out.

Have Fun,
Jeff