Unfortunately, the bag suffers from some design issues. Beginning with the point of contact. The bag's ( Gecko ) shoulder pad has small suction grips that prevent it from slipping. These also make it uncomfortable. Even when the bag is only half full, the "Gecko" pad cuts into your shoulder. If you fill the bag completely as per their product description (as shown in the images) it becomes very uncomfortable to carry the bag around. That totally defeats the point of advertising it as a "Camera Satchel". If you're not comfortable carrying your bag around with your equipment in it , you're probably not going to carry it around a lot.
Kata also put plastic hooks on the side of the bag to which the shoulder strap attaches to. Metal hooks are more durable. Saving a few dollars but putting the customers equipment at possible risk is not a smart decision.
On the outside, the bag has 2 external pockets, one which is small and can only be used for storing a set of keys ( it has a key chain clip ) and a packet of gum which may have been their design decision but is limiting for daily use. However, the second pocket is large enough to be useful and a pair of earphones, a cellphone, battery chargers and various cables (ipod, USB, firewire etc etc) can easily fit in there.
Some positive design aspects of the bag are
Inside, there is a dedicated laptop slot with adequate padding, A 17 inch notebook should fit in there and will be well protected. A 15 inch or 13 inch will fit easily with room to spare. On the right side of the laptop slot, there are 2 pen holders and a mobile phone slot.
There's a large middle pocket.This is where you store the camera insert. The camera insert is a large rectangular pouch. A camera with a 70-200mm lens attached, another lens, battery charger + flash will fit in the camera insert. Even with the camera insert inside, there's space for a 2.5 inch portable hard drive or a book in the middle pocket.
There's a third flat pocket for smaller items like notepads, MP3 players etc. At the back there's a document pocket which is useful for storing magazines and files. An expansion zipper runs across the bottom and sides of the bag. This is used to expand the width of the bag to allow it to hold extra gear. In real world use, it helps but not that much.
The bag seals up completely. Some other messenger bags have flaps which are open from the sides, so rain water can leak in and damage your equipment. The Kata CS-17 isn't like that. It has a 2 zipper system which will prevent water from leaking into the bag if you're ever caught in a downpour. Internally it is made out of Yelloop the bright yellow soft fabric that all Kata bags are made out of. The bright yellow fabric allows you to locate items more easily in dim lighting.
It has a comfortable and sturdy carrying handle. A lot of messenger bags are designed without handles. This can be inconvenient as you're forced to use the shoulder strap all the time. Kata smartly allows you to carry the bag as you see fit in briefcase mode or messenger mode. Near the handle, there's a quick access zipper opening on top which is convenient and allows you to insert and remove items out of the bag without having to open it up completely every time.
Included with the bag is Kata's double sided all weather protection cover which can be used to protect the bag in the event of rainfall or snow or used as a makeshift reflector.
This bag was designed to meet the needs of those who need a sling bag in which they can carry a large laptop and their basic camera kit. Unfortunately, due to a few design decisions, Kata has made a 4 / 5 star product into an average 3 star product. I'd recommend ordering it and seeing if it works for you, if it does, well and good. If not then return it.
Hope this helps!
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This bag replaced a bag that came with my laptop. I bought this so I can take my camera with me on my business trips.I can put a large 17" laptop, Nikon D80 w the 18-200mm lens and a flash. The only thing missing is a dedicated space for the laptop/business stuff like power pack, mouse, phone charger pad.
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