All in all, the combination of features and capacity was exactly what I was looking for, and I've very happy that it doesn't scream "camera bag!" (obviously, the tripod hanging off the bag can be a bit of a giveaway). In my experience, the zippers are not an issue yet, but I've been told that they will require a brief "break-in" period to really behave like broken-in zippers.
If I have any problems in the future, I'll update this review, but for now (and having only used it for less than a week, but having taken it on a few hikes already), this does exactly what I'd expect and does it as well as I need it to.
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Let me say right up front, I have a hard time giving any product 5 stars. So I started right off checking off the four stars. Then I started thinking about what was it that was preventing me from giving this bag five stars? I love this bag. It is just the right size for me, enabling me to carry everything I needed camera, lenses, accessories, tripod and iPad for a two-week trip to Alaska. I found it easy to organize and fit everything into this bag, and I felt like everything was well-protected. The bag feels sturdy and well-made. Everything was readily accessible. The bag was comfortable when worn as a backpack and easy to pick up and carry by the top-mounted handle. I loved the separate compartment which is perfectly sized and protected to accommodate a smallto medium-size laptop or tablet device.The only nits I can pick with this bag are: 1.) it seems like an awful lot of loose straps dangling off the bag, that it's not readily apparent how you can tuck them in so they are out of your way, yet available when you need them; and 2.) the zippers are pretty stiff until some careful break-in loosens them up.
The ONLY substantive knock is that the bag seems a little pricey, although when you think about the cost of the gear that it is protecting, it actually feels more like relatively inexpensive insurance.
Bottom line: this bag seems a little bit expensive, but worth it! Four stars, mighty close to five!
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I bought this backpack as a replacement for a Crumpler shoulder bag, which when full was getting too heavy for one shoulder. The Kata Bug is well built and well padded. It comfortably holds a Canon 5D Mark III (ungripped) with a 70-200mm F4 with hood attached, 24-70 F2.8, 85mm F1.2, 580EX flash with room for a couple more lenses. Pockets in the front flap are handy for accessories and memory cards. The quick access flap is great for when you just want to get the camera without everything else falling out or being exposed to the elements. The included elements cover really worksI got caught in a thunderstorm downpour and the backpack remained dry when covered. The Gecko harness is pretty comfortable; the soft rubber cushions well. Some people have commented on how this sticks to clothing, but I haven't found this to be an issue. My 13" MacBook fits comfortably in the laptop compartment. The waist strap is nothing special. For the price it would have been good for a padded waist belt to be included. Instead this is available as part of a separate kit for more $. I've mainly used this when cycling and it's remained comfortable even after a few hours. Plus it looks great too.Honest reviews on Kata KT PL-BG-203 Pro-Light Bug-203 Backpack
Kata makes great bags this isn't my first one and I came looking for more for a reason. I needed a larger backpack that would hold more gear. I came to Kata because I haven't found a backpack yet that is as well made and distributes the weight as well as Kata does.This bag is everything it advertises itself to be but read that very carefully ~ When they say they expect you to pack that long lens in the middle of the bag on your largest cam and pack your secondary cam capped they mean it!!!
The inside of the bag where you pack your gear is somewhat sloped? I guess is the word. At the bottom it's maybe 4.5"? deep at the top of the bag it's maybe 3"? (these aren't *exact* measurements). So be sure to pay attention to the way Kata packed the gear in the photos that definitely means something! I tried to pack my gear a little differently on my trip back and I'm not kidding it didn't fit! LOL
I was able to go through and carry on and fit it under the seat in front of me no problem at all. Comfort in carrying the bag FULLY LOADED with a 15" notebook (that has some goofy wrist ledge? that sticks out about an inch) as comfortable as that much weight can be no one does it better than Kata.
For the odd day or two I *forced* the bag to fit my gear the way I wanted it to fit in there and I wasn't having to carry everything else ~ the zippers zipped nicely and held well didn't seem to strain around those odd corners (and yes, packing the bag with one 'full size' camera with lens and another camera with lens and one flash the bag isn't "designed" to be packed that way).
So ~ I give the bag 5 stars because it is exactly what it says it is and will hold as much as it says it will. It is extremely well made and well worth the money spent.
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