F-Stop bags uk supplier

alexisonfire · 2 Feb 2015 at 21:16

Hey guys, im struggling to find a UK supplier for F-Stop bags that have stock (and aren't ridiculously overpriced!), can anybody point me in the right direction? I fly in 2 weeks so can't risk ordering from abroad! Bits im after in particular are the Loka & pro large ICU but would consider the Loka UL or Tipola BC if the normal Loka was out of stock though!

Thanks

D.P. · 2 Feb 2015 at 23:52

Fstop don't have much of a European distributor AFAIK.
I would just order off the US website TBH. You will get fair prices that way.

I had issues getting my Fstop tilopa, they were always out of stock. Phoned them a few times and got some good conversations with various people. Basically demand far outstrips supply and each time they negotiate orders with the manufacturer they are doubling orders on what they expect to have but that still doesn't catch up.

Amp34 · 2 Feb 2015 at 23:58

The Paramo store in in Covent Garden is the only UK distributor I know of. Is there a major difference in price there compared to F-Stop in the US (especially after including VAT and shipping)?

http://www.paramo.co.uk/cmsdata/Downloads/pdf/f-stop-Price-list-Aw11-12-0120106RC.pdf Price List

Not too bad, price variations depend on the bag but once you add 20% it's similar to the US price. Didn't realise F-Stop themselves don't ship to the UK anymore though!

alexisonfire · 3 Feb 2015 at 00:16

Cheers guys, paramo as well as CVP are on my list to phone tomorrow, hopefully CVP have stock as the prices are very good.

D.P how are you finding the tilopa? Are the f-stop bags as good as reviews say? My other option at the moment is the Evoc cp35l.

D.P. · 3 Feb 2015 at 01:00

alexisonfire said:
Cheers guys, paramo as well as CVP are on my list to phone tomorrow, hopefully CVP have stock as the prices are very good.

D.P how are you finding the tilopa? Are the f-stop bags as good as reviews say? My other option at the moment is the Evoc cp35l.

I love the Tilopa, I have the BC version. The bag is exactly designed for people like me thou. I live to ski and spend as much time in the mountains as possible, hiking, climbing, alpine, skiing and ski touring. I wanted a bag that I could strap a pair of skis to with a nice axe crampons and glacier rope with space for a shovel and prove, ice screws, bivy bag and crevasse rescue kit etc. Then I want to shove a DSLR and lenses inside some where nice and safe.

For all of that is works extremely well. It balances the load nicely and has all the features of any pro mountianeering backpack. I'm a bit of a collector of op backpacks, I have like 7 or 8 at last count, all for slightly different types of mountain adventures, or duplicates because I saw a bag that looked perfect but ended up not quite right.

With the medium ICU I would be hard pushed for a winter overnight trip even staying in a hut. I also tend to be weary of loading the medium ICU up as well as taking a full days ski mountaineering gear due to load, I'm not a big guy and prefer speed. With a new baby I often find now I can't make big day hikes and instead have a couple of hours at a nature reserve and it is a bit overkill so I take some thing smaller. So I use it less often than I expected but that is through no real fault of the bag, it is top notch quality and amazingly designed with intricate attention to detail. They aren't cheap but I have paid similar prices for a standard mountaineering backpack. The thing is very tough so I am sure it will be with me for the next 10-20 years.

Best camera bags you can buy IMO.

PU7E · 3 Feb 2015 at 14:52

Avoid CVP like the plague, they'll take your money then string it out for ages.

I finally got my Loka and Large Pro ICU after a few months trying Paramo while making great outdoor gear have no idea what's going on with their F-Stop stock, what they have arriving or even when it will arrive, although when I spoke to them last year they were expecting more stock around the end of January so they might have it by now, although they did have quite a backorder list. I was in Paramo the other week though and know they had a black Tipola and a Loka UL in stock, but I'm not sure on what ICU's they had in.

I ordered mine direct from the F-Stop warehouse in Holland, took around a week to arrive and they still have the black Loka and Pro ICU in stock:

http://shop.fstopgear.com/eu/products/mountain/backpacks/loka.html#.VNDOd17kdH0

F-Stop US no longer ship to the UK, but they have a Euro section on their site now, it's a drop down in the top right hand corner, which you change from USA to Euro.

Good luck, the stock on these are very hit and miss, but it's a fantastic bag

Amp34 · 3 Feb 2015 at 15:48

Ooh, may see if they still have that Loka UL in stock. I always found the F-stop bags way too heavy so the lighter version may be just the tea.

PU7E · 3 Feb 2015 at 15:57

I do like the Loka UL my only dislike is the baby blue bindings, however much I try I just can't quite come to like them.

They do weight a fair amount but you can't argue that they're not well made.

alexisonfire · 3 Feb 2015 at 18:38

I ordered the Loka UL today (in stock) from Paramo, and back ordered the pro large ICU, which they are getting a delivery of this week. I spoke to CVP and they were VERY vague about when they were getting anything, so I soon dismissed them. Paid a little more with Paramo, but better than having nothing at all

GTRacer · 3 Feb 2015 at 21:49

Did you call them up? Their website doesn't have any of the Loka bags. Thinking of getting one myself.

alexisonfire · 3 Feb 2015 at 21:56

GTRacer said:
Did you call them up? Their website doesn't have any of the Loka bags. Thinking of getting one myself.

I did, make sure you phone the covent garden branch and not the HQ number. (its on google). As of today i think they said they had 2 left, ICU's being delivered this week.