The Shimoda bags and carry-on roller are now available at retail, at least in the two big NYC stores Adorama and B&H. I ordered a carry-on roller, ICUs and accessory bags with my kickstarter contribution and the package arrived last week.
The carry-on is just a wee bit shorter than an f-stop Ajna in size.
It's very solid, has quality ripstop nylon, mid-size and huge YKK zippers, and two metal bands that run from top to bottom of the case to protect the contents.
It also has a very solid roller base. All in all this is a high quality product and I'm sure the bags will be at the same level.
If you own f-stop equipment Shimoda ICUs and accessory bags fit into an Ajna.
The Shimoda ICUs are the same width as an f-stop ICU, but they are about 1/2" shallower. So while Shimoda ICUs fit f-stop bags, unfortunately f-stop ICUs likely will not fit Shimoda bags. All in all, the the materials and construction quality of the carry-on roller is excellent and I expect it to last for a very long time. At last f-stop has some worthy competition.
The only cons that I could find were the Shimoda ICUs and the tags on the zippers. Those tags are leather and flat compared to the f-stop tags which are made from formed plastic which will be easier to grip when wearing gloves in bad weather. As for the ICUs the Shimoda product is thin and hard and IMHO would provide insufficient protection for my lenses and bodies. The f-stop ICUs are more expensive but definitely worth it.
. I first learned about his company from FM and they have some interesting ideas in these new bags. They also have a kickstarter
. Oh well....
