Comments about Kata Kata D-3N1-30; 3 in 1 Sling Backpack for D/SLR with Long Zoom Lens Attached & 5-6 Extra Lenses & Accessories:

I bought this backpack because I wanted something with a little more non-photo space than the Lowepro Fastpack 250 that I've been using for several years. I also thought it would save some weight by not having a laptop compartment, which I don't use when I go out into the woods.

I put my gear into the Kata D-3N1-30 and headed out into the woods for a day of shooting. The new backpack failed to be a useful pack in every way possible.

First, it actually has less non-photo storage than my old pack. That's not a design failure, of course, but it would be helpful if there were measurements in the description here to help a buyer know the actual size of the pack.

But here are the design problems I encountered with this pack:

1. No water bottle holder. Anyone going for a hike with photo equipment is going to need to take something to drink. Not providing a way to carry that bottle on the pack is a problem. There are two small zipped pockets at the top sides of this pack. They seemed to be large enough to hold bottles, so I used them to carry my drinks. But when my last bottle of Gatorade tumbled over a cliff while I was trying to get the pack on my back I decided that those pockets really will not work for that purpose.

2. The harness tries to do too many things and as a result does none of them well. The straps are not wide enough to be comfortable. They are attached too far apart at the top. A normal arrangement with the straps like most packs results in the straps wanting to slide off the shoulders. The crossed arrangement with one strap is uncomfortable for any distance and allows the pack to flop around too much when doing things like scrambling across rocks or up and down cliffs. The idea of crossing both straps across the chest…well, that's just not going to work, is extremely uncomfortable and nearly impossible to get in and out of.

3. The zippers don't work. I like the idea of being able to swing the pack around to the side and access my camera. That works just fine with my Lowepro pack. It doesn't work at all with the Kata because the zippers are nearly impossible to open. The padding around the gear isn't stiff enough, allowing the zippers to fold and jam…I could never get access to the camera without taking the pack off. Total design fail. Another problem caused by the weak padding is that once the camera was out of the pack the lenses on either side of the camera would move their padded partitions into the camera's space…so then it was nearly impossible to get the camera back into the pack. It required way more force than I like to exert on my camera to shove those lenses aside and push the camera back into its spot in the bag.

This bag looks great on paper, but does not even begin to perform in the field. Mine will never go into the woods on my back again. It will live in the studio and be used for storage of gear that I don't use often. I guess I'll go look again at the Lowepro Fastpack 350 and see if it might do what I want. I wish they made a 300 without the laptop pocket.

Comments about Kata Kata D-3N1-30; 3 in 1 Sling Backpack for D/SLR with Long Zoom Lens Attached & 5-6 Extra Lenses & Accessories:

This is a great bag/pack. Its big (ok that might be a downside, but if you have a lot of stuff, the bag is going to be big, right!) and can handle a full frame DSLR with 70-200 lens. I like all of the redundancy so that if a zipper fails, for example, there is a buckle backup. Or if you forget to zip one zipper all the way, the buckle and the other 1/2 of the zipper are still in-play. It is really padded and I feel very comfortable having the equipment inside. Great brand, great bag

Comments about Kata Kata D-3N1-30; 3 in 1 Sling Backpack for D/SLR with Long Zoom Lens Attached & 5-6 Extra Lenses & Accessories:

I like the fact that it doen't look like a camera bag.

Comments about Kata Kata D-3N1-30; 3 in 1 Sling Backpack for D/SLR with Long Zoom Lens Attached & 5-6 Extra Lenses & Accessories:

This is a well made back pack with plenty of room and compartments that can be adjusted for your needs. I really like the yellow interior. I was going back and forth between the medium and large size and got this because I wanted to make sure I had lots of room. I am a petite woman- 5'3" 115lb and find this too large for my frame. When I turn it to access my equipment, it is very bulky. I end up taking it off and looking for my stuff most of the time. If you're small, I'd consider the medium size- this has much more room than what I would typically need - one camera, three lenses, flash,and other misc. things and I'm guessing the medium would be a lot less bulky and still hold everything.

Comments about Kata Kata D-3N1-30; 3 in 1 Sling Backpack for D/SLR with Long Zoom Lens Attached & 5-6 Extra Lenses & Accessories:

This bag is well equiped for taking care of your gear and letting you access it when needed. It has many different carrying positions making it comfortable as a back-pak or sling. Geat for keeping your long lens attached and easily packed. Lots of compartments. A must for long-lens shooters.

Comments about Kata Kata D-3N1-30; 3 in 1 Sling Backpack for D/SLR with Long Zoom Lens Attached & 5-6 Extra Lenses & Accessories:

A fantastic bag, all around. In my opinion, Kata bags are one of the industry's best when it comes to building quality bags with strong construction for protecting your delicate equipment. I went for the bigger bag over the smaller 3N1-20 so I could store all of my gear in one place for quick access. (For generally hiking around, I would suggest looking into the smaller bag, as long as your longest lens isn't bigger then 300mm.)

I like the small compartment on top for extras like water, snacks, cell phone, wallet, filters...you get the idea. It's not really big enough to stuff anything heavier than a very light jacket into, so keep that in mind.

What sold me (let's face it, this is a somewhat pricey bag) was the versatility of the design. I really like sling bags for travel photography, but most slings are too small to carry anything but the most bare setup, and I don't like to settle. I can stuff this full and carry it in comfort, or strip some unnecessary equipment out and travel lighter. It has a wonderful, compact design--I don't fear bumping into people or doorjambs with this on, and it is airline-regulation compatible for a carry-on. It takes practice to get used to unslinging and pulling the camera, but practice makes easy an otherwise slightly awkward movement, and it beats having to put a bag down to get what you want.

Comments about Kata Kata D-3N1-30; 3 in 1 Sling Backpack for D/SLR with Long Zoom Lens Attached & 5-6 Extra Lenses & Accessories:

For the money this is a great pack, but not perfect. As others have posted some of the storage areas are hard to get to and it's not the most comfortable pack I have ever worn. For the size they should have made the shoulder straps a bit wider with more padding. I'm not looking forward to a 10 mile hike with 20 pounds of gear in it. Otherwise it appears to be well made and has lots of storage options. Overall a good value.

Comments about Kata Kata D-3N1-30; 3 in 1 Sling Backpack for D/SLR with Long Zoom Lens Attached & 5-6 Extra Lenses & Accessories:

Great bag for the right amount of equipment needed for most any situation. Durable and lightweight.

Comments about Kata Kata D-3N1-30; 3 in 1 Sling Backpack for D/SLR with Long Zoom Lens Attached & 5-6 Extra Lenses & Accessories:

I bought this bag because of the size and equipment it can hold. I like to have all photo gear in one place and I can do it with this bag. I use a Sony A300 and have a K-M D5 as a backup. I can have a 70-300 mm lens attached, and store it in the bag along with a2-3 additional lens' and flash.
The top pocket works well to put a light jacket or even my spare camera in. Nice thing is that you can adjust all of the dividers and have everything secure so not everything comes out when you go to grab your camera.
Small side pockets great for extra batteries, lens covers, telephone, etc.
Price was what originally attracted me as other bags similar size were close to twice the price. When I looked at the overall bag, I could fit more equipment for a great price.

Comments about Kata Kata D-3N1-30; 3 in 1 Sling Backpack for D/SLR with Long Zoom Lens Attached & 5-6 Extra Lenses & Accessories:

A great bag. No need to repeat what all the other reviewers said. I would like to add a tip for people who are concerned about the back flap not opening wide enough for full access to the compartment. This is because when you try to do this you end up with 3 zippers bunching together at the zipper stop which takes away a very important couple of inches at the seem of the opening. The stop is just a material loop sewn over the zipper at each end of the main compartment. This is there so that the zippers don't open when you are slinging the bag. What I did to alleviate this little problem was cut the material off of the side of the zipper that I don't sling. It easily cuts off cleanly and looks like it was never there. Now I can open the main compartment zippers all the around as far down as I want. The main compartment now, very easily opens fully allowing my complete access to all my lenses.

Comments about Kata Kata D-3N1-30; 3 in 1 Sling Backpack for D/SLR with Long Zoom Lens Attached & 5-6 Extra Lenses & Accessories:

I carry my Nikon D90 with 16-85mm and 70-300mm Nikon lens, Nikon SB600 flash and Canon Vixia HF200 Camcorder with quite a bit of room to spare. The main camera compartment really feels too big for the D90. I'm sure a D300 or full-frame camera would have no problem fitting with a fairly large lens. The design of the bag and zippers take a little getting used to but the bag works great for it's intended purpose - quick access to your camera with lens attached. I wear it mostly in sling mode so I can whip it under my arm from my back to front, unzip, grab and shoot. The bag actually provides a pretty good platform for resting your arms for steadier shots. The 3N1-20 probably would have been a better fit for my current equipment but the 3N1-30 will be still usable when I upgrade.

Comments about Kata Kata D-3N1-30; 3 in 1 Sling Backpack for D/SLR with Long Zoom Lens Attached & 5-6 Extra Lenses & Accessories:

overall a very good bag, versital and well built, but the zippers don't slide full length so getting at some of your equipment can be tricky at times

Comments about Kata Kata D-3N1-30; 3 in 1 Sling Backpack for D/SLR with Long Zoom Lens Attached & 5-6 Extra Lenses & Accessories:

For two weeks, I carried this bag, full of DSLR and video equipment, through Athens and Paris and was very happy with its performance and features.

Comments about Kata Kata D-3N1-30; 3 in 1 Sling Backpack for D/SLR with Long Zoom Lens Attached & 5-6 Extra Lenses & Accessories:

gear is strong and easy to use, it also have a nice looking.
great choice.

Comments about Kata Kata D-3N1-30; 3 in 1 Sling Backpack for D/SLR with Long Zoom Lens Attached & 5-6 Extra Lenses & Accessories:

I just got back from a weekend camping trip where i toted this bag full of my camera gear around. It is comfortable for the size and the load it can carry and has ample room and pockets but you must fill the main compartments with bodies and lenses that fit or else they rattle around. my 70-200mm F4L seemed tiny inside this bag so I had to restructure the compartment to hold it in place. It's simply cavernous. It can be a little tricky accessing every lens in the bag through either the side or back door but i found it to be workable. I ended up using the back door most often leaving it open to quickly change lenses. this can cause problems though when you want to pull filters, a flash or shutter cable out of the top pocket. you may end up spilling lenses out unless you close the back flap with either the buckles or close it fully with the zipper. again, still workable. seems well built and very comfortable despite the size. It would be nice if it had some straps to carry a small tripod and some plastic protectors for the bottom of the bag.

Comments about Kata Kata D-3N1-30; 3 in 1 Sling Backpack for D/SLR with Long Zoom Lens Attached & 5-6 Extra Lenses & Accessories:

This bag is just "great", but not only in size.

It is the solution for you if you are looking for a bag that holds a lot of equipment, included a telephoto lens like the 70-200mm.
Also the strap design makes it flexible for different needs, from quick access to your gear to carrying it over a longer period. Yes, fully loaded the bag is heavy, but this is the logical consequence from the weight of your gear, and the bag at least makes it as comfortable as possible to carry your gear around.

To get you an practical idea about the size: I have loaded the bag now with:
- Nikon D300 w/ MB-D10
- Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 (lens hood reversed)
- Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8 (lens hood reversed)
- Nikon 12-24mm f/4 (lens hood in side pocket)
- Nikon 85mm f/1.4 (lens hood attached)
- Nikon 50mm f/1.4 (lens hood attached)
Remark: I mentioned about the lens hoods as this is likely a "forgotten" problem.
All this is stored in the main compartment.
In the top compartment you have also still enough space for a TC, a SB-900 flash unit (don´t understate its size!), filters, spare batteries, charger etc.

With the delivered dividers you can easily arrange your main compartment. I took some of them to protect also the lenses in the bottom part of the main section against the bottom, so that when you put the bag on the ground the lenses are more protected.

Sometimes you will read some reviews about the "low quality" of the zippers. Yes, they don´t look as if they are built to exist until dooms day, but they are also not that weak that you have to be afraid that they will fall apart.

Most of the other valuable features are already reviewed and discussed, so I will skip that.

As my personal summary: The perfect solution for my needs! I can only highly recommend that bag!

Comments about Kata Kata D-3N1-30; 3 in 1 Sling Backpack for D/SLR with Long Zoom Lens Attached & 5-6 Extra Lenses & Accessories:

I just got this bag and it is wonderful way to carry my camera equipment and it provide easy access to my gear.

I highly recommend it.

Comments about Kata Kata D-3N1-30; 3 in 1 Sling Backpack for D/SLR with Long Zoom Lens Attached & 5-6 Extra Lenses & Accessories:

I bought this pack to go with my Nikon D700/24-70 rig, with room for more gear as I expand. This pack is perfect. I also have a Tamrac Cyberpack 6, which is a great pack, the same width and height as the Kata, but it protrudes so far from your back that it's hard to not knock into things as you turn. That will be my pack for when I have to bring EVERYTHING with me. By comparison, the Kata doesn't stick out so much, and seems to lay flatter against your back. This will be my every day carry-a-camera-safely-and-discreetly pack. The fact that the upper half of the pack is open storage rather than beset with dividers is also nice for carrying non photo-related stuff.

In terms of quality this pack is top-notch. I really like the yellow interior, as it definitely does make it easier to see what's in there. The materials, both interior and exterior, are very good, and seem like they would hold up very well to rugged use. It is also very comfortable to sling over your shoulder by one strap in backpack rather than slingpack mode, and seems to stay in place better than other packs as well. The only real complaint I have is that I wish the padding on the bottom of the pack and the divider between the photo gear compartment and the upper compartment was thicker/stiffer, but this more personal preference than anything else. It can be a little tricky arranging the dividers in the photo compartment due to the fact that the back flap doesn't open quite as far as you'd need it to to make it easy, but once you get things situated, it's no longer much of a concern. The lack of a laptop compartment was not a concern for me.

One feature that doesn't seem to get talked about, but should, is the way you can tuck unused straps into the back of the pack so they aren't in the way or getting caught on things as you walk by (like thieving hands).

The reason we chose this bag instead of a smaller version is the picture that is shown. We have that same setup - a Canon DSLR with a 70-200 ƒ/2.8L IS USM lens, and this is clearly the right size for that camera/lens. Even though it is mostly used for the slightly smaller Nikon setup that we have, the Canon will probably be in this pack from time to time, and we figured we'd just get the bag we know will fit the goods. This is by far the best pack or bag I've used for photo gear. You can be sure that any carry needs I have in the future will be met by Kata bags.

Comments about Kata Kata D-3N1-30; 3 in 1 Sling Backpack for D/SLR with Long Zoom Lens Attached & 5-6 Extra Lenses & Accessories:

I replaced a Tamrac bag with this one and haven't looked back. It is very easy to carry my D300 with multiple lenses, lunch and a jacket in case of rain, all in the same bag. Very flexible and comfortable. I originally brought this bag as a gift but ended up keeping it. I had to go out a buy another one for the gift.

Comments about Kata Kata D-3N1-30; 3 in 1 Sling Backpack for D/SLR with Long Zoom Lens Attached & 5-6 Extra Lenses & Accessories:

I am fairly happy with this backpack, as it can carry nearly my entire kit and works as a carry on bag for air travel. I have the insert-a-trolley, and that makes this a breeze for going through airports. It stores my d70 w/ 80-200 attached, along with 5 other lens, and flash in the main compartment. The upper compartment holds most of my accessories (filters, batteries, chargers, etc.), and has room for some clothing as well. The zipper layout on the main compartment is unique and very convenient for getting the camera out quickly. The only drawback to me is no built in way to attach tripod or mono pod, otherwise it is everything I need.