This is the new Uinta Adventure Pack from Gura Gear. I’m a big fan of their bags and have been using them for the last 4 years as my work has transitioned to more landscapes and outdoor adventure work. As that transition has occurred, the things I want in a bag have also changed. My main bags are still the Gura Gear Bataflae, the newer version of my old much-favoured Kiboko, but for smaller trips, like the cross-Canada trip I plan to make in the Jeep this fall, I’ll be taking the Uinta.
Please don’t read this as, or expect this to be, a review. Still on crutches after a recent surgery, it’ll be a while before I’m walking and photographing again, so I haven’t used it yet. But I can’t wait to. This is just a reaction to the bag that’s sitting here beside me, begging to be used. Like everything they make, this bag seems killer-durable and extremely well thought out for the photographer who wants to be a little more active. The harness is excellent – and that’s one of the things I most like about it. Heavy camera gear swaying side to side, throwing me off balance is even less cool now than it used to be.
The core of the bag, though you can use it empty, is the modular aspect of it. There are two available modules – a smaller one and a larger one. You can put them both in there, full of gear, of either one alone, leaving room for other things – snacks, sweaters, gorp/trailmix, that kind of thing. Access to the bag is either through the front or through the back and if you use the waist belt, you can pull the pack off your shoulders, swing it to the front and access gear through the back while the hip belt remains attached. It’s nice not to have to put it on the ground just to get at the gear. I like the modularity because I often pack a day-pack when I travel and know I don’t always want the full bulk of a camera bag and now I won’t have to bring both.
Other features include excellent, and weather-sealed, zippers, plenty of room for little bits and pieces in the front, a laptop sleeve, room for water bottles, and a front-mounted hydration sleeve that will also hold a jacket (top) or tripod (below). I’m betting it’ll also hold my snowshoes. The Uinta is extremely compressible, has a beefy handle up top, and if you’re using some of the smaller mirrorless gear, there’s room for all it, plus filters and assorted bits, and it can maintain a really trim profile. Plenty of room for the big gear, but sometimes you want to carry less and the compressibility is nice.
The Uinta isn’t cheap, but then neither is the gear you’re putting into it and you get what you pay for. The basic bag is $199, the modules are $159 if you buy them both together, and the tripod/hydration system is $39.95. But if you order the Uinta and use the code FREETHS, they’ll throw in the THS (Tripod/Hydration System) for free. More information here on Gura Gear’s website.
Photographs courtest Gura Gear.
Comments
David,
Been following your adventures for some time now. Almost always check out the gear you recommend. But I have a bag for you to check out. Go to mindshiftgear.com. Check out the Rotation 180. Absolutely LOVE this bag. Wore it all through my last trip to China. Really put it through some tough tests. I did a video review of the bag as well on my blog, http://www.thehomesicknomad.com
This is my second Gura Gear bag and I have had it (with the medium module) for almost a month now. It fits both my mirrorless bodies (Fuji X-T1/X-E1), 5 lenses, filters, cable trigger release and a host of other bits in just the module alone. This leaves a nice little space at the base of the bag for a jacket, umbrella, food, etc. I mount my tripod to the side of the bag, not using the harness which David points out as an extra. I can also carry plenty of water, my ipad and anything else that I want to put in the front pockets.
In terms of usability, this thing is brilliant. It’s very lightweight but still makes your gear feel light on your shoulders. It is hands down the most comfortable bag I’ve ever used. I’ve mainly used it hiking around the mountains/bush in the hinterland around Brisbane, Australia.
The only slight negative I can say is that if you’re using the medium module and you don’t have anything much in the bottom section, the module feels like it’s slipping down, out of the four mounting points. I think as long as you check it regularly though it won’t be a problem. In the month I’ve been using it this happened once and it was easy to fix up and took a matter of moments.
This is a great bag though and continues the excellent Gura Gear line of bags. I plan to do a full review shortly on my website but I’d highly recommend it to anyone on the look out for a versatile, cleverly thought out bag.
Great feedback, James, thank you!
No worries David! (And Kai!) You’re welcome!
Very helpful indeed. Thanks!
How do you like the modular inlays? I bought the F-Stop gear with modular inlays and I find them to be extremely hard to access. To a point where I prefer to pull out the entire inlay instead of opening it from the back, which totally defeats the whole purpose. Wondering if Gura Gear has solved this problem.
Honestly, Kai, I haven’t yet used them, so I all I can do is say they seem pretty cool. I can tell you this – it’s a tight fit with both of them in there and I don’t imagine I would personally ever use both at the same time. Either one on the bottom, with light stuff – jacket, mitts, lunch – on top. Time will tell, but for me that time won’t come until late summer when I’m walking about out and about again.
Well, I just took a leap of faith and ordered it for my upcoming Hawaii trip. I like that this one provides an option for front and rear access, plus a laptop sleeve. I will report back 🙂
This is probably the coolest bag I’ve seen yet. I’ll take two.
The waistband that can be used to swing the bag around would be a huge effort saver! But seriously, I’ll take two.
It looks very good but you’re right on price. I’ve had this bag in my shopping cart for the past three weeks and everything day when I go to pull the trigger – the $455USD price tag scares me in to delaying once again.
“everything day” ?? Here is an example where my fingers are not listening to my thoughts.