Kata Pro-Light Bug-203 PL Backpack

Comments about Kata Pro-Light Bug-203 PL Backpack:

Ordered this and the Owl (too boxy for my 5'4" body), and have been using for several months. Love the yellow interior and the smart compartmentalization. I can accommodate my entire kit plus basic flash kit in here. Have even used to drag along a 2nd camera body. It does get crazy heavy if full loaded with gear and lap top, so did buy the wheel kit. Saved me on subsequent travel trips. Zippers and pulls solid as well.

Comments about Kata Pro-Light Bug-203 PL Backpack:

Much easier to access the camera in this one compared to the 3-1 from Kata. But I realy can't fill it with more then one camera (5DII) and three lenses.

To small for "all" my gear and to big for just hiking - but love the carrying comfort!

Comments about Kata Pro-Light Bug-203 PL Backpack:

First, let's talk about the advantages to this bag:

It's extremely comfortable, your gear is easily accessible, and anything you put inside it will be well protected.

However, none of this really matters if the bag is falling apart. I purchased this bag for a three-day photo/video shoot where I would be traveling across the US with my Canon 5D Mark II and some minimal support gear. Prior to this trip, I engaged in several photo walks - none of which required me to pack out this bag completely -- but apparently, even extremely light can cause the seams to rip.

One of the internal compartments has a roughly 1" hole thanks to this seam rip, and one of the exterior seams looks like it's about to pop open too.

I'll be returning this bag, and doubt I'll purchase another Kata again.

Comments about Kata Pro-Light Bug-203 PL Backpack:

its a very handy backpack. it carries all 4 of my lenses and my 2 camera bodies. its pretty easy to fit everything because the section dividers are detachable and have velcro attatchments. it takes some adjusting but overall, i like this product very much and will be using it for a long time.

Comments about Kata Pro-Light Bug-203 PL Backpack:

I knew that the 203 will be a tight fit for my needs but I just don't want to carry a monster on my back. I also don't want to worry about carry-on size in airports and the 203 size is a very safe bet.

You will be impressed by the slim back-front silhouette of the back, and that's exactly what I wanted. Yet, is can hold body+SAL 24-70CZ 2.8, SAL 70-400G (large and heavy telephoto!), Tokina 11-26 2.8, Nex5 with two lenses, and many of the small items we all carry (chargers, batteries, filters, blowers, memory cards, etc). The 70-400 telephoto and the Carl Zeiss 2.8 are really large and heavy lenses; thus, the bag's capacity is impressive considering its size. There are some good zippered dividers inside the bag but only two external pockets; this is the sacrifice you will make for carrying a smaller bag. My iPad or my small laptop fit well in the laptop compartment.

The quality is outstanding and its looks great! It doesn't look like a camera bag and it doesn't have the blah design of many of the other brands. The price for this quality bag is very reasonable.

Harness system: the best advice I got from reading other reviews is that you have to break it in. Prior to my first trip I loaded the bag and walked around the house with it for more than 1hr at the time for quite a few times. This is very important as once you break it in this system is very comfortable for long hikes. You also quickly realize that if you will carry a heavy bag for long distances you will need to purchase the well-designed and detachable padded waist belt that comes with additional pockets for water bottles. This optional kit is called Pro-Light Bug-KIT PL (way overpriced). Break in the harness system and get the optional padded belt for proper weight distribution and you are ready for some serious hiking. If you just use the bag to transport gear but not for long hikes, the built in standard waist belt will suffice.

The interior is very well padded and has quite a few nice touches such as the two detachable Interior mesh pockets. Rain/sun cover and a detachable tripod carrier are included. While a nice idea, the camera strap that attaches to the bag is a useless gimmick in its current design.

Kata allows you to add bags to this one using their modular system called EPH. Thus, if you want to carry much more gear you can attach a waist bag to this bag or a torso bag.

Bottom line: If you have a body (FF or APS-C) with any brand 70-200 f2.8 (or even bigger like the 70-400 G) and want a bag that doesn't look big but can haul additional gear, this is the one for you.

Comments about Kata Pro-Light Bug-203 PL Backpack:

I use this backpack for daytrips. Theres room enough for your camera and accessoirs like lenses, filters and chargers. If you like, you take your laptop with you.

Comments about Kata Pro-Light Bug-203 PL Backpack:

I just got this bag and had not chance to use in a real trip yet. But I'm already loving it - roomy enough for my DSLR with 3 extra lenses, SB-600, filters and some other gear. Excellent materails and build quality. Quick access feature is the one wich made my choice over Bumblebee 220.
Still I have found several cons:
- waist strip is too lite; I have ordered Kata Bug Kit to replace it with a more comfortable one. I would see it included into the bag itself, as I had to pay for other useless things fom the Kata Bug Kit
- rain cover is a separate piece, unlike my previoud lowepro slingshot 202 which has it built in into a dedicated pocket
- lid store lacks extra pockets: if you put some filters there, they are not fixed safely in a rather large space
- unlike lowerpro, there are no small pockets for flash cards
If these points are not critical for you, this bag will be a very good choice.

Comments about Kata Pro-Light Bug-203 PL Backpack:

I bought this backpack to act as a carry on for airline flights and to carry my laptop and camera gear. I like it's compactness and comfort when loaded. I'm not too keen with it's very limited ability to carry much gear or ease of access. The tripod holder is only good for a very small tripod. And the neck strap unit is kind of a waste of time. The clips are hard to detach creating an awkward situation when you want take off the pack

Comments about Kata Pro-Light Bug-203 PL Backpack:

I use the product to store 1 pro film camera, 1 DX DSLR and my lomography. I store up to 2 flash units, 5 lenses and chargers.
It has great room, feel comfortable adn has everything needed. 2 things I would mention. At the top of the bag, it may feel a little weird using the zipper (do not know if it is because I overload the bag) but you can feel some tension.
The other point would be that I need better organized compartments for small items (filters, pen, etc...

Comments about Kata Pro-Light Bug-203 PL Backpack:

I'd been searching for a bag to take to Europe for a sports photography trip forever. I thought I'd found the right one the Bug 203. I was nervous not being able to try it out in person (my local camera store only carries a few Kata bags), but after reading glowing reviews, I ordered.

The bag arrived and I eagerly unboxed it. I tried it on my back to make sure it fit and was quite happy. I unzipped the main camera compartment to take a look inside. I then tried to zip it back up and the zipper stuck. I made sure things looked lined up well and tried to zip again. Still didn't work. Tugged with a wee bit of force (very wee) and the zipper pull broke. I'm sending it back and am back to square one on a bag hunt. This was my first and last Kata purchase.

Comments about Kata Pro-Light Bug-203 PL Backpack:

I've owned many photography bags and have traveled extensively with them all. This bag is the best "day bag" I have come across. If you're looking for a everyday bag to tote your essential camera equipment on a plane, taxi, or any unknown location, this is the bag for you. I travel across the world and this bad is hands down the best I've used. Great design and comfort.

Comments about Kata Pro-Light Bug-203 PL Backpack:

I have been photographing professionally for about 5 years, and through that time have used many MANY camera bags.

I have always wanted THE backpack that works well for roadtrips, domestic and international air travel. This is that bag. It has done better than I ever expected. It becomes more comfortable the longer you wear it and stores all of my gear in a neat and organized way.

I love this bag.....get one.

Comments about Kata Pro-Light Bug-203 PL Backpack:

Plan to use for travel via airplanes and for sporting events. Easy access to camera without exposing all your equipment. I feel my camera equipment and laptop are well protected. Very nice system. The pack is a little bit heavy and when you add you camera equipment and laptop you will notice the weight, however, the backpack is well balanced.

Comments about Kata Pro-Light Bug-203 PL Backpack:

For my needs this bag fit the bill perfectly. I carry a Canon 5D MKii with the 70-200 2.8 IS attached, 16-35 2.8, 24-70 2.8, 85 1.8, 100 2.8 macro, 430 EXii, 580 EXii, 40D gripped, MacBook Pro 15", misc cards, pocketwizards, card reader, and cables.

The yellow interior is nice for finding things, and the structured spine give a sense of protection. But most importantly, I can bring a full kit + laptop as a carry on in one bag. This was my main criteria for this bag and it fits the bill nicely.

There are a number of little extras that are nice like the camera strap that attaches to the shoulder harness for carrying a body while wearing the pack, then clips into a traditional strap, and a pretty comfortable one at that, the included rain cover, and bean bag for stabilizing a lens of body.

There is a mesh zippered pouch that, at first I thought was pretty hokey, but is great for storing smaller accessories and velcros in wherever you need it for additional configuration. Nice, but I still would have preferred a dedicated media pocket similar to Tamrac.

The harness is OK, but nothing I would want to carry fully loaded on an extended hike. For getting to the airport and to baggage claim it does what it was designed for.

Overall, a good design, good materials, very configurable, reasonable size, and a pretty good looking camera bag. If you need this for a photo walk, you should carry less gear, if you need this for wildlife or nature shots that require lots of hiking, I would try it (fully loaded) before you buy it, if you need it to get equipment to a shoot or for travel, I would strongly recommend it.

Comments about Kata Pro-Light Bug-203 PL Backpack:

Everything I need for a not-so-light pack. Plenty of pockets for a smaller, lighter bag. But enough room for two cameras (film and digital), three lenses, flash, meter, film, macbook pro and cables.