Kata R-103 GDC Rucksack
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Our Price: $499.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $235.00 (click here) Category: Digital Camera See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of Kata R-103 GDC Rucksack
Digital camera Review: Very satisfied with this DSLR bag
Summary: 5 Stars
The construction is rugged, stylish & well through off. I have my 40D with 70-200 f/4 IS lens + 17-85 & and many small items like filters, batteries, charger, Flash cards in my bag & yet it feels very light.
Little inconvenience: I felt the documents supplied with the bag added little to no value in understanding the straps & attachments, but Kata's customer service responded very promptly via email with better documents (but by then I figured it myself).
You can't go wrong with this.
Digital camera Review: Well Made but a Monster!~
Summary: 4 Stars
This clearly is one of the best made rucksacks/backpacks made. The only problem I have with it is that it is very large. It is not the rucksack go to the zoo type. It is I am going on a major trip and am taking all my stuff type. It will only get use from me when I travel by plane or go to Europe. However once I get where I am going it is going to stay in the hotel as it is too big to carry around all day. Regarding plane travel it will have to go in the overhead. It will not fit under the seat in front of you (unless you have no legs). Would I buy this again? No....I needed something smaller. Is it worth the money and of high quality? Yes ..without a doubt.Digital camera Review: Well built, but not roomy
Summary: 3 Stars
After much online evaluation of combination laptop/camera bags, I chose the KATA R-103. While the bag is very well built, as other reviewers have stated, I was disappointed with it's capacity. I had been using the Canon photo backpack, and wanted a bag that would tote all my photo gear and my laptop and other sundry items when flying. When this bag is filled with the photo gear, there is barely any room for other stuff. Also, there aren't many handy extra pockets for the stuff you need to access quickly when flying. Despite its larger size, it doesn't hold much more than the much smaller Canon photo backpack. Finally, I didn't really find the bag very comfortable to wear.
The other issue I had with my bag was that I purchased it from the Amazon warehouse (returned merchandise), and it smelled like a mildewed basement.
Anyway, I returned the bag, and have decided instead to use a standard laptop backpack, with a large main compartment, and I'm putting my photo gear in there with each lens in its own LowePro lens case, and the DSLR wrapped in one of the Domke equipment wraps. This solution will give me all the extra pockets for stuff like water bottle, flight documents, snacks, etc.
Digital camera Review: Worked like a charm!
Summary: 4 Stars
My wife and I went on vacation this month to Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. I would have had to drive 500 miles a day on average to do the vacation we wanted, so instead of driving, we took the AMTRAK Empire Builder from Chicago to Shelby, Montana and rented a car there. It was a really nice vacation, but we have a lot of baggage when we travel. Being a real geek, I have to have my camera and all it's accouterments, a laptop, an iPod, cell phone, car power converter and all the associated chargers. I had to keep my bags down to three that I could carry some distance, and my wife was limited to three as well.
Now that I have set up the scenario, I needed to change my camera bag to something that would hold all my camera and electronic stuff and also carry a carbon fiber tripod on the outside - I wasn't going anywhere without that! I have a sling-style bag from Lowepro that works well around town, but it would be of no use on this trip, so I started a search that ended with the Kata R-103. What a great bag! I even sprung for the InserTrolley so I could wheel it around when I got tired of carrying it, but that turned out to be of limited use. I did use it, but carried a smaller bag on my back at the time. I could have carried it the whole time because it is comfortable. Real comfortable after you get it broken in. Not only did I haul all my electronics about 7000 total miles in it, I even took several hikes with just the camera gear and tripod in Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper. While it is a little hard to get into and out of when I want to change lenses, it really did what I needed. Also, having the shoulder strap attachments for the camera was an extra bonus - that took all the weight off my neck and allowed my hands to be free much more often than if I would have had the camera on a regular strap because I would have been steadying and holding the camera often. With the Kata system, the camera almost becomes an extension of your body - you just have to be careful you don't turn quickly and knock someone out with the lens protruding from your chest, or the tripod protruding from your back!
All in all, I really like this bag and will probably replace my Lowepro with it even for day trips and around town. However, there are a few shortcomings you might want to consider. The outside pockets are few and small - I was able to keep my passport and iPod in one and a cell phone and a bunch of packets of LCD / Glasses cleaners in the other, but that was about it. Everything else I needed was inside and I had to take the bag off to get to it, especially with the tripod attached. Also, when opening the bag to get inside, I consistently opened the outside pockets as well. They were tight because of the small size, so I didn't lose anything, but I could have had I not noticed quickly. Allow a good amount of set-up time and watch the video on the Kata website so you don't have to fumble around with all the extra straps and stuff. It took me a little trial and error to get all my stuff stored properly and in a way that made sense (and balance!). The zippers were quite stiff at first, but they loosened up quickly with use.
I kind of wish I had bought the next size up, too, because I am about maxxed out in the R-103. I have a feeling I would be maxxed out in any bag, though!
Digital camera Review: Worth it
Summary: 5 Stars
This bag is built tough - you can tell by the materials and the quality of craftsmanship. It really protects your laptop and camera and is comfortable to wear. Moreover, it doesn't LOOK like a camera backpack, which is important especially when traveling. Well-designed and worth the relatively high cost, in my opinion - you can't invest in an SLR system and not protect it on the road, unless you sneeze cash.