Third Party Accessories

The Gura Gear brand returns with launch of three new Kiboko backpacks

Canon Rumors
Posted onNov 7, 2018 at 8:10 AM
Updated onUpdated on Nov 7, 2018 at 8:44 AM

Our absolute favourite camera backpack manufacturer Gura Gear has returned with a new range of Kiboko backpacks and Et Cetera accessory bags.

Gura Gear built a reputation for making the best quality backpacks on the market, along with one of the best warranties. The brand went away after it acquired Tamrac, and the Gura Gear series became the G Elite line. The bags weren’t quite as good and the Tamrac name just didn’t carry the same cachet as “Gura Gear” did.

The return of Gura Gear has been a long time in the making, years in fact. We’re excited to see the brand come back, and they truly make the best travel backpacks on the market. The second versions of the Kiboko bags have the same fantastic build quality and can carry pretty much anything you throw at them.

Gura gear is launching new 16L, 22L and 30L Kiboko 2.0 backpacks.

The Kiboko 30L can carry your 600mm and 800mm lenses, along with professional DSLR bodies and will meet international carry-on restrictions. I will note that the Kiboko 30L does not have a laptop pocket, this is because it wouldn’t be possible to carry your super telephoto lenses in a backpack with a laptop section and keep the bag carry-on compliant.

The Kiboko 22L is a great choice for folks with lots of lenses, but none of the big super telephoto glass. This backpack does have a laptop pocket.

The Kiboko 16L is aimed squarely at the mirrorless shooter, and also has a laptop pocket.

Gura Gear Kiboko 2.0 30L Backpack:

  • Dual Side-By-Side Camera Compartments
  • For 2 DSLRs, 7 Lenses or Med Format Kit
  • Also Holds a DSLR and a 400mm f/2.8 Lens
  • Padded Touch-Fastening Interior Dividers
  • Dual Front Panels with Accessory Pockets
  • Top Carry Handle and Side Carry Handle
  • Exterior Bottle/Tripod Holder Pocket
  • Side Strap for Tripods or Monopods
  • Padded 3D Mesh Rear Panel for Comfort
  • Weather-Resistant Exterior, Rain Cover

Gura Gear Kiboko 2.0 22L Backpack:

  • Dual Side-By-Side Camera Compartments
  • Holds 2 DSLRs and 6 Lenses
  • Also Holds 2 DSLRs & 300mm f/2.8 Lens
  • Padded Touch-Fastening Interior Dividers
  • Dual Front Panels with Accessory Pockets
  • 15″ Laptop Pocket, Top Carry Handle
  • 2 Exterior Bottle/Tripod Holder Pockets
  • Side Straps for Bottles/Tripods/Monopods
  • Padded 3D Mesh Rear Panel for Comfort
  • Weather-Resistant Exterior, Rain Cover

Gura Gear Kiboko 2.0 16L Backpack

  • Dual Side-By-Side Camera Compartments
  • Holds 2 DSLRs and 3 Lenses
  • Holds 2 Mirrorless Cameras and 4 Lenses
  • Padded Touch-Fastening Interior Dividers
  • Dual Front Panels with Accessory Pockets
  • 13″ Laptop or Tablet Pocket, Top Handle
  • 2 Exterior Bottle/Tripod Holder Pockets
  • Side Straps for Bottles/Tripods/Monopods
  • Padded 3D Mesh Rear Panel for Comfort
  • Weather-Resistant Exterior, Rain Cover

Along with the new backpacks, Gura Gear is launching a new line of Et Cetera accessory bags, also one of our favourite products from the past. The new sizes will be Extra Small, Small, Medium, 1Large and 2Large.

You can preorder all of the new Gura Gear products here. We’re told shipping will happen very shortly.

Canon Rumors

View thread (15 replies)
B

BK

I'm New Here
Aug 16, 2012
11
0
www.mispronounced.net
I bought the 22L for $150 when they were closing them out back in 2015 based on a post I saw here.

It's seen a lot of use in the last three years and looks brand new. It's very comfortable on my back, even fully loaded and the "suitcase" handle on the side comes in handle when wrestling it into an overhead compartment or car trunk.

The butterfly design is great for the lens/body compartments but it makes storage in the front-most pockets a little more of a pain. Since the front pocket is divided down the middle it acts a bit like a black hole. I'll sometimes use film for instance and it takes a little digging to grab it out of the pocket - if I've got different kinds of film then I've got to grab a handful to find the type I'm looking for. The pocket does flip open, but not completely.

My other issue is that the laptop pocket can be a weak point if you don't latch the clips that attach the strap to the bag at the top. It's not a big deal to make sure the clips are latched, but if the strap on the clip isn't tightened securely then you are still putting a lot of stress on the zipper of the laptop compartment.

Both of these issues are very minor in my mind given the overall quality of the bag. I'm very happy with the bag and haven't been tempted to look at anything else since I've had it. I don't know that I could have justified a 300-400 backpack for myself but I think I got a steal at the price I paid.
 
D

docsmith

EOS 6D MK II
Sep 17, 2010
890
276
BK said:
I bought the 22L for $150 when they were closing them out.
Click to expand...
I did the same. This is my favorite bag (I have a small collection). I actually like the butterfly split. Grad ND filters go on one side and common "accessories" (spare battery, wipes, lens pen, memory cards, etc) go on the other.

Good news that they are coming back. I am looking for a new "small" bag as my Lowepro Flipside 400AW is showing its age.
 
J

jeanluc

EOS 80D
Oct 29, 2012
164
78
BK said:
I bought the 22L for $150 when they were closing them out back in 2015 based on a post I saw here.

It's seen a lot of use in the last three years and looks brand new. It's very comfortable on my back, even fully loaded and the "suitcase" handle on the side comes in handle when wrestling it into an overhead compartment or car trunk.

The butterfly design is great for the lens/body compartments but it makes storage in the front-most pockets a little more of a pain. Since the front pocket is divided down the middle it acts a bit like a black hole. I'll sometimes use film for instance and it takes a little digging to grab it out of the pocket - if I've got different kinds of film then I've got to grab a handful to find the type I'm looking for. The pocket does flip open, but not completely.

My other issue is that the laptop pocket can be a weak point if you don't latch the clips that attach the strap to the bag at the top. It's not a big deal to make sure the clips are latched, but if the strap on the clip isn't tightened securely then you are still putting a lot of stress on the zipper of the laptop compartment.

Both of these issues are very minor in my mind given the overall quality of the bag. I'm very happy with the bag and haven't been tempted to look at anything else since I've had it. I don't know that I could have justified a 300-400 backpack for myself but I think I got a steal at the price I paid.
Click to expand...
I have the Gura Gear Bataflae 26L and it is very good. No laptop compartment, but no other problems. Fits under seat of the much loved CRJ regional jets no problem. I use it mainly for transport as opposed to hikes.

I also have an F Stop Gear Lotus 32L pack. Can’t say enough about it and their products. Very, very well made and thought out. Essentially waterproof without a rain cover....I’m talking about 2 hours in unexpected Oregon rain with no cover and no problems...has room for everything including LT and also fits under RJ seats. I use it for actually hiking.

They are the perfect combination IMHO.
 
H

Hector1970

EOS 6D MK II
Mar 22, 2012
1,120
310
I have what was branded as a Tamrac G32 which is an excellent if expensive bag that I use for travelling with the 600mm F4 II.
There was no drop in quality in the Tamrac branding - don’t know why that was put in the first posting.
The butterfly design is great.
Are the worth the price - probably not but they produce excellent bags.
Lowepro would be much better value for money.
I’ve two Peak Designs bags and don’t like either so expensive is not always best.
 
D

Del Paso

M3 Singlestroke
Aug 9, 2018
684
708
Another really great bag is the F-Stop Ajna, very high quality, modular and english- rain -resistant. Also extremely comfortable to carry, even fully loaded (2 FF bodies, 10X40 binos, 8 lenses including the EF 100/400 and many accessories AND !!!!!!! a Camelback waterbladder.)
By the way, are the Gura bags "back loaders" ? This is a deal-breaker feature for me (the lack of).
 
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arbitrage

arbitrage

EOS RP
Jul 4, 2013
225
44
Vancouver Island, BC, Canada
www.flickr.com
I have the original Kiboko 30L, the Bataflae 26L and 32L and the best of all the Chobe (lets hope it makes a return also). They are the best airline gear haulers out there and excel at that....they are not the best hiking bags mostly because when they get fully loaded they also get ridiculously heavy and the straps which are decent aren't up to that sort of load. I use them either on planes or out of the car where I don't have to hike very far to my shooting location.

For hiking my favourite so far is the F-stop Ajna with XL-ICU which does fit a 600/4 in it if needed. It just won't swallow as much other stuff as the 30L or 32L GuraGear bags. In the Ajna I can fit the 600, 1DX, 100-400II and the TCs but not much else unless you start wrapping things and stacking them.
 
E

Etienne

EOS 6D MK II
Sep 19, 2010
1,367
161
Ottawa Ontario
The butterfly design is a major turn off for me, non-starter. I like to open one compartment and see everything at once, no flipping flaps back and forth and having them get in the way.
 
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D

degos

EOS RP
Mar 20, 2015
220
140
Canon Rumors Guy said:
and the Tamrac name just didn’t carry the same cachet as “Gura Gear” did
Click to expand...
And there's half the problem with the commercial world these days. Branding, marketing and 'influence'.

The 'cachet' of a name doesn't matter. What matters is the final product.
 
K

kirispupis

EOS 7D MK II
Oct 4, 2011
466
20
www.calevphoto.com
I love my Bataflae 32L. I've used it literally every single day for the last several years. However, it's beginning to show its age. One of the zippers now has to be perfectly aligned to work, the bottom is starting to rip open, and there's a hole near the zipper on the side. Although that sounds bad, due to how often I use it I've destroyed every other camera bag I've had - including ThinkTankPhoto, LowePro, and a Tamrac (lasted about a month).

I'm tempted to pick up the Kiboko, but I'm concerned that it's only 30L. I currently have a 600/4, 1Dx2, TS-E 24, TS-E 17, 24-70/2.8, 70-200/2.8, 11-24, and an extender in the bag. I'm rather doubtful that a bag just a bit smaller will be able to fit all of this.
 
J

Joakim1024

Nov 9, 2018
1
0
Etienne said:
The butterfly design is a major turn off for me, non-starter. I like to open one compartment and see everything at once, no flipping flaps back and forth and having them get in the way.
Click to expand...
You can open all at once just like a "normal" bag.
 
D

docsmith

EOS 6D MK II
Sep 17, 2010
890
276
Joakim1024 said:
You can open all at once just like a "normal" bag.
Click to expand...
I think you are thinking of the Bataflae, which can do either. The Kiboko, at least mine, it is butterfly only. I see nothing in the pictures of the V2 to make me think it is any different.

But, I love the butterfly design. Each to their own, but half my gear stays locked up while the other half is exposed.

Del Paso said:
But is it front or rear-opening (like most F-Stops)?
Click to expand...
It opens in the rear.
 
D

Del Paso

M3 Singlestroke
Aug 9, 2018
684
708
docsmith said:
I think you are thinking of the Bataflae, which can do either. The Kiboko, at least mine, it is butterfly only. I see nothing in the pictures of the V2 to make me think it is any different.

But, I love the butterfly design. Each to their own, but half my gear stays locked up while the other half is exposed.



It opens in the rear.
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot!
 
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