Shimoda Explore 40 Starter Kit (w/ 2 Small Core Units) - Sea Pine (520-004)

This may be the most favorable review I have ever submitted. When I make a purchase like this, I do a lot of research. A LOT. In fact, I purchased the Mindshift Gear bag as well, and wanted to try them both out. I stuck with the Shimoda and thankfully, I chose the right reason. Comfort! I just used it for my trip to the Canadian Rockies. I am 59 years old so, comfort is critical for me and my aching bones. The other, most critical feature was how well it travels. I fly out of a regional airport and United has the smallest overhead bins I know it. I fit up there, in a CRJ200. This is a 2x2 type jet. The upper bins are extremely small and my Shimoda fit! I couldn't have been happier. I don't show a photo of my gear because THAT was the least of my concerns. I also purchased the medium and small core units, so after all is said and done, it came to over $400. A hefty investment. But when I am climbing trails with a backpack full of gear, and a tripod, well, you need maximum comfort and weight distribution. This provided it. Held up very well, and I wasn't too concerned when the weather turned wet on us. There is no rain cover, but I felt pretty secure in the zipper design. If you are considering a camera backpack system, I cannot recommend this one highly enough. Oh, it also stood up on top of my business briefcase. All that top heavy weight, and I could leave it untended. Outstanding!

This Shimoda 60 pack is one of Shimoda more useful for me . Lots of room

Agree with other reviewers that the Explore 40 is a great bag, with excellent workmanship, materials, design, and especially the fit/comfort. This is replacing a Lowepro bag, which I also consider to be a good pack. I purchased the Explore 40, medium ICU, small ICU, and a rain cover. Total cost ~$420, so not cheap. (This does not include the small add-on items I purchased below).My reasons for 4 stars instead of 5:1. Unlike many of the competitors, the rain-cover is not built-in or included. Having a built in cover is not only more convenient, but saves space. I bought the cover, and while it is compact, it is one additional thing to pack (or forget to pack).2. No external mesh pockets for water bottles or to stuff small items such as gloves, etc. Yes, you can use the internal "tripod bag" for this purpose, but it is clearly not ideal.3. No external pockets on the hip belt. There are very small mesh "trash" pockets on the belt, but do not close, and are only good for storing trash, unless you don't mind losing the items when they fall out. I purchased a couple of small (3x5) add-on bags (3rd party) with Velcro belt loops.4. The mesh "water bottle" pocket and zip pocket on the shoulder straps are useful, but as others have noted, the water bottle must be small (I bought a slim 10oz bottle which fits fine) and the zip pocket is too small for larger smart phones (my Samsung Note does not fit, but the 10e does).5. No ability to extend the top of the bag (as with Atlas Athlete, Shimoda 60, etc) to stuff items such as clothing. The Shimoda 40 has a single "top" zip section with some small zip mesh pockets. To access these small pockets, you have to first empty any larger items (such as a first aid bag). Also, unlike most packs, there are no key-keeper hooks.I am happy with this bag, but probably should have looked more closely at the Atlas Athlete pack before buying this one.

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.

Love the simplicity of this bag. Easy access to gear, lightweight and very comfortable to wear. Looking forward to many years of using this backpack. It is expensive, but well worth it.

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.

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!

Costruzione e materiali al top, ergonomia perfetta per le mie esigenze (la mia schiena ringrazia, dopo due escursioni di 40 km nessun acciacco).Ho abbinato una Icu medium, avanza molto spazio per portarsi via l'abbigliamento di ricambio ad esempio. Se devo trovare un difetto, direi la mancanza della tasca laterale per la borraccia, quella sullo spallaccio la trovo troppo piccola.Venditore super, comunicazione immediata e spedizione velocissima, ricevuto in meno di 24 ore.

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