Reviews |F-Stop Dyota 20 Review

F-Stop Dyota 20 Review

F-Stop Dyota 20
Review

Price when reviewed

£237.95

$299 / €299
Check current price

Our Verdict

The F-Stop Dyota 20 is a stylish and durable backpack, however, it feels rather stiff and the side zips limit access to kit stored at its base. Peak Design’s Everyday Backpacks perform much better in this respect. The price also seems on the high side, but there are a couple of nice additions like the accessory pouch and the ICU Gate.

For

  • Roll-top upper section allows some expansion
  • Rugged water-resistant fabric
  • Uncluttered exterior

Against

  • Looks a bit like a Deliveroo backpack
  • Side openings restrict access to the lowest section of the internal camera unit
  • Expensive compared to the F-Stop Kashmir UL 30L

What is the F-Stop Dyota 20?

The F-Stop Dyota 20 is a 20L backpack that comes with a removable internal camera unit (ICU) for protecting your camera gear, a medium-sized accessory pouch, two ICU Gates and two Gate-Keeper Straps.

An ICU Gate is basically a piece of mesh with a zip running down its centre and velcro along each of its edges. It can be fixed into one of the sections of the ICU to keep smaller items from falling out while the zip gives quick access.

F-Stop Dyota 20

The Gate-Keeper Straps are short straps with clips to attach them to dedicated loops on the base of the bag. A snap-fastening mid-way along each strap enables to clip around whatever you want to carry – usually a tripod.

If you want to carry something other than photographic gear in the Dyota 2, the ICU can be removed and the backpack used as a standard pack.

A zip on either side gives access to the interior while the top opening pulls together by magnetic attraction and is then rolled closed, with a strap and metal fastening keeping it secure. That roll-top offers some expansion and compression of soft items, making it ideal for squeezing in one last item.

F-Stop Dyota 20

There’s a long zip at the front of the Dyota and another on that back. The front zip gives access to a long flat pocket with a few organizer sections while the back zip opens the padded laptop compartment.

Specification

  • Product type: Backpack
  • Capacity: 20L
  • Fabric: Water-resistant fabric with welded seams
  • Dimensions (H x W x D): 46 x 31 x 17cm / 18.1 x 12.2 x 6.7-inches
  • Weight: 1.3Kg / 2.8lbs

Performance

F-Stop has given the Dyota 20 a rectangular shape which looks clean and ‘urban’ but the blue/green version that I was sent for testing looks quite similar to the packs carried by Deliveroo couriers. If that bothered you, it’s also available in grey or orange.

As with the F-Stop Kashmir UL 30L, the padding on the back section and the straps of the Dyota 20 seems quite thin, but it is very effective. The density of the padding means that the pack feels fairly comfortable. However, it’s quite a firm backpack whereas the Kashmire feels quite soft.

It’s nice to be able to access your gear from either side via the weatherproof zips, but you need to bear in mind the configuration of the ICU as not everything will be accessible from both side. These openings are also narrow at the top and bottom which makes it awkward to access kit stowed at the very bottom of the bag.

This problem on the Peak Design Everyday Backpack and Everyday Backpack Zip as their zips go along the edges of the pack, enabling the sides to open fully.

Conversely, the Dyota’s roll-top opening makes access so easy that I found myself stuffing more things in there instead of in the ICU.