Comments about Kata Kata T-216 X-Large Torso Pack for D/SLR Cameras:

I love Kata products, I own several. All look as great as the day I bought them. They protect my gear and are easy to use.

Comments about Kata Kata T-216 X-Large Torso Pack for D/SLR Cameras:

Small strap as safty do not need camera strap

Comments about Kata Kata T-216 X-Large Torso Pack for D/SLR Cameras:

We are wedding and portrait photographers who will be traveling all over Japan for the next couple of months. So I wanted something that was comfortable over the long haul, easy to carry in crowded places and that wouldn't make getting on and off trains, planes and buses too much of a hassle. It also had to facilitate a quick and convenient draw, for less conspicuous street shooting

But we also needed something for gigs that would allow us to roam a location and leave our full-size backpack in the car, and thereby leave us a little less exhausted after a 10-hour wedding.

After months of looking, we decided to spend a little more on this bag, and, so far, it fits the bill pretty darn well.

We load it with a Nikon D700, a 24-70, a 70-200 and various accouterments depending on what we're shooting. When the 24-70 is attached and the hood is retracted, the camera and lens fit in perfectly. With the hood out, or with the 70-200 attached you can squeeze the top over the camera and get it to buckle. Not safe for long periods, but secure enough. With one of the lenses attached, the third compartment in the main storage area is free. It's easily big enough for a SB-800 and a couple of other small items.

The straps are comfortable, and while it might take a moment to get used to how they work and get them adjusted, they are very well thought out. Once you get it figured out, it's very easy to swing the bag around from the back position, draw, replace, secure and swing back. You can tell the bag is designed for this type of shooting.

I'm a large man, so I may be biased, but I think the bag feels compact to wear, and doesn't interfere too much in getting around the crowded environs of Tokyo.

The one downside is the trouble in getting a tripod attached. I currently have a compact tripod hanging from the bottom of the pack, and while serviceable, it isn't as good as a backpack with rigging that allows you attach the tripod in the upright position. But, I will take the quick-draw ease of this design over the ease of attaching a tripod.

Padding is not profuse, but the built quality is as high as any I've seen in any camera bag.

Comments about Kata Kata T-216 X-Large Torso Pack for D/SLR Cameras:

This pack is very useful out of doors, on the move, and it's equally useful in the studio to carry things around on the set. It can be adjusted to fit tightly to the abdomen, and it does not interfere with shooting.

Comments about Kata Kata T-216 X-Large Torso Pack for D/SLR Cameras:

I have a lowepro backpack that carries all my gear, but the thing was huge, heavy, and a pain to put on/take off. It really made me not want to change my lens because by the time I had the bag off I missed my shot. That's why I wanted to get a sholder/sling bag for easy access to my gear. I was originally going to buy a Tamrac Velocity 8x, but wasn't a fan of the padded strap (it just didnt look that thick). Moments before I made the order, I saw someone talk about a bag similar to the 8x ... this Kata T-216.

Alright, so first off all, this is a good quality bag. It is very protective and comfortable to wear. You can tell the designers spent a lot of time and effort in making this bag. They focused on the protective qualities and it's body core positioning. The problem is that they spent all this time developing a great bag that they overlooked so many of the basics. For example, the bag has this extremely small battery/card case that attaches inside the main pouch. You can probably get 1 battery and 1 card depending on your camera. Besides the main pouch, the bag has a side pouch for a lens. This pouch is not nearly has padded as the main pouch. It is large, so you would think to put your nice telephoto there, but with not so much padding you might want to rethink it. Additionally, there are two more pouches. One located in the front and one in the back. The one in the front is not very deep and is wide at all. You could maybe slip a few pens and a small pad of paper in it. Maybe your wallet if you dont mind placing your money/ID in a front pouch that is easier to pickpocket (not saying this bag is easy to pickpocket, just saying that the front pouch would be the easist of all the pouches). The pouch in the back of the bag is deep but very narrow. It is located between the main pouch and the person's back. So while this pouch is deeper, you could get a cell phone and papers and camera accessories in there .. you really wouldnt want to since it is right up against your back and having all those oddly shaped things in the pouch would be very uncomfortable to wear.

So with that said, there is really no place to put the small accessories. I dont want to put my valuables in the front pouch, but I cant really use the rear pouch because that would be uncomfortable. There is just no place for the small things. I just want a simple accessories organizer built into the bag (like any 3rd grader's school backpack would have by default). It's ironic because if you look at the Tamrac Velocity 8x, you will see that they describe this Tamrac US-patented Memory & Battery Management System, and I thought, who cares, big deal, what bag wouldnt have some organizer built in. Well as it turns out, this bag wouldnt.

The more I write this, I'm getting a little upset. I'm comparing these two bags more and more, now I really dont understand why the price is twice as much for this thing. I thought it would be for its build quality, but the more I look at the Tamrac Velocity 8x, it seems to look pretty sturdy as well.

Oh yeah, one other thing. Incase this matters to anyone, this bag (if worn on the back) will have the strap over the right shoulder. I would really like to wear this thing on the left shoulder instead (the velocity does the left shoulder. When I look on the kata website, I see all these pictures of the bag being worn on the front and only a few pictures with the bag on the back. It really seems like they built this bag to be worn on the front but can do the back if you want.

Ok so summary .. good build quality and is clearly designed for some rugged areas of use (included rain cover) .. I read that Kata also makes bags for military use, so that adds up.

But on the other hand, the bag lacks the basics that you would expect to find in any simple bag. With that said, unless you plan on doing more nature and camping, I would have to suggest that you look into the Tamrac Velocity X series instead. Overally, that bag is just better for city traveling.

Comments about Kata Kata T-216 X-Large Torso Pack for D/SLR Cameras:

I wanted a bag that I could carry a cannon 40d w/grip and a 70-200mm f2.8 lens attached and room for a flash gun and at least one other lens. I do not have the T-214 but according to the specs. this is the same physical size only 1" wider inside and the larger external pouch. There is no ONE bag that does everything you want. It would be nice if it had a few smaller pockets incorporated somewhere, like the cover flap, it does come with a small pouch that will hold either batteries or flash cards that velcro's onto the inside of the bag but it's sort of in the way no matter where you put it. It holds the above mentioned camera & lens with no problem. I have a 30mm prime, a flash gun, a 100mm macro lens in it as well. With the external pouch there is alot of room for stuff. I have worn it for several hours at a time and it does get a bit heavy, not near as bad as trying to carry a camera w/big lens with a neck strap though. It is not as comfortable as a backpack but you can get at the camera and with it up front don't have to worry about knocking something over behind you either, great for crowded areas. It makes a nice carry around bag.