Product Review: GuraGear Kiboko V2.0 16L+ Camera Bag
UPDATE: Check out the video review on the YouTube channel.
GuraGear Kiboko V2.0 16L+ Camera Bag. Andrew Pielage photographing in Patagonia, Chile.
GuraGear contacted me a few months ago about testing some of their gear and it was perfect timing as I was about to leave for a three-week trip to Chile.
I was able to choose between three sizes of their Kiboko V2.0 backpack. I went with the smallest size, the 16L because I like to travel as light and fast as possible, it makes navigating planes, trains, buses, and boats much easier. It is nice to have all your gear with you and I do take it all when I shoot around my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona but there are things that I rarely use in my gearbox and these are the things I didn't want to take internationally with me.
My mindset... every piece of gear I took to Chile, I had to use and I needed to cover both landscape shooting and an architectural shoot. With that packing philosophy, I started filling up my Kiboko pack.
Here's what I had inside:
Body:
Canon 5DS
Lenses:
Canon 17mm f/4 TS (Tilt Shift)
Canon 24mm f/4 TS (Tilt Shift)
Canon 24-105mm f/4
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8
Other:
3 batteries, battery charger, 7 Lexar SD cards, 3 glass cleaner clothes, camera weather cover, Canon wired timer/trigger and an iPhone mount for my tripod.
Before I give you my thoughts here are a few of the highlights advertised on GuraGear’s website: www.GuraGear.com
Kiboko 16L - Interior Dimensions 11.42 x 15.75 x 4.33" / 29 x 40 x 11 cm
photo credit: guragear.com
• Holds 2 mounted mirrorless cameras plus additional bodies and lenses
• attached lenses up to 100-400mm f/5.6
• 13" Laptop Sleeve
• Ultradurable X-Pac VX-21 outer shell
• Lightweight: 3.0 lbs
• Patented Butterfly access to Dual Compartments
• Water Bottle and Tripod Sleeves
My thoughts on GuraGear Kiboko V2.0 16L+ Camera Bag
Durability
I beat up on my equipment and I expect it to hold up, the Kiboko was impressive in this category. GuraGear uses a high-tech sailcloth used on racing yachts, its called the X-Pac VX-21 fabric and it is awesome. The material is made in the USA by Dimension Polyant and is as lightweight as it is durable/weatherproof. Even with the X-Pac, the pack does include a rain cover and luckily, my only experience out with rain was walking around the city of Punta Arenas way down on southern tip of South America. I didn’t really want to put on a rain cover as I was walking around the streets ducking in and out of shops, so I decided to test out the fabric without the cover. It was in light but steady rain for about 45 minutes and the fabric beaded up on the fabric like a champ. With that little test, I would trust the rain cover in heavier rain but nice to know its not needed for lighter stuff. Even though the pockets are curved the zippers worked in one smooth motion and the zipper pulls are big enough to put a finger through, both help getting into pockets quick and easy. I never felt like I was pulling on the zippers too much. All the clips and buckles held up fine. I did think the side buckles/clips were a bit bulky but not enough to get caught on anything. All the straps including the shoulder straps were also solid. Overall, I give a 10/10 for durability, and this is a very important category for me. I didn’t find a weak point on the pack.
Weight
The pack comes in at 3 pounds. Again, I want to go light and fast when traveling so I was happy to only start with three pounds for the pack before I start adding heavy gear in it. Good photo equipment is heavy, don’t start out with a heavy pack people. We don’t have to do that anymore. With that said, loading up the pack with all my gear, snacks and water it was a little heavy for just shoulder straps on my 12 mile hikes at Torres del Paine National Park, I would have like to have a simple hidden hip belt on this pack. I should note that the other two larger packs do have hip belts on them. Overall, 10/10 for weight.
Design
It’s an easy design to learn and get fast and efficient with. The design is mirrored so you really only have two overlaying pockets on each side of the pack. If you open the bottom or largest one, that will have all your camera and lenses and it also has pockets for all your accessories. With two sides, I like not having to expose all my gear to the elements in one big open compartment like previous packs I’ve used. The top pocket above on each side was great for personal items, passport, headphones, masks etc. I like this idea of only two pockets on each side. That means, if I pack it right, I only have to open one zipper to get to all my photo equipment AND photo accessories on one side. On other packs I’ve had to open two to get to my camera, lenses and say, SD cards out. It doesn’t seem like a big deal but the less time in my pack, the more time getting the shots and GuraGear nailed it here with their design. In addition, it does have both a 13in laptop sleeve, I slipped my iPad in there for the plane, and a designated pocket for the rain cover. Both are great ideas as it makes the pack more versatile for photographing and general travel. GuraGear came up with what they are calling a “butterfly opening” so you can clip the pockets open when getting in and out. (see images above) This is a great feature for loading or unloading but out in the field, I really like to keep my pack closed so I didn’t actually use this feature as much as I thought I would. It has two side pockets, one for your water bottle and one tighter one for your tripod. I wish both were larger then, if needed, I could have put two water bottles on the sides, making it a more versitle pack for hiking/traveling. Clips, buckles, zippers were solid, no problems there even with thin gloves on. The big top handle was great and comfortable to use then I couldn’t throw it on your back. Shoulder straps and the 3D mesh padding with airflow channels worked great and kept my back cooler on my longer day hikes. Overall, I give the design 9/10 minus a point just for the (too) small side pockets.
Overall
I am a hug fan of backpacks and believe you should have one for every occasion in your life, so it was fun to test GuraGear’s Kiboko pack out.
Would I recommend it to friends, family, and my workshops students? Definitely.
It is a well thought-out, comfortable, and efficient design for every category of photographer and has the durability to get your gear safe and dry to any location around the world. I’m excited to see what new products are coming.
Read my review on guragear.com