Kata Bumblebee-222 UL Backpack (Black)

Comments about Kata Bumblebee-222 UL Backpack (Black):

Both B&H and Kata were great about answering any questions I had about this bag.

First off it will hold every thing as advertised. It holds my 7D with 70-200mm IS II USM attached, 3 extra lenses ranging from 100mm Marco to my 24mm tilt shift, flash and extra gear with room to spare. Even with all of this gear the bag feels light and durable. You can tell the bag is constructed well.

The reason for 4 stars is the price. You can get the grey version $150 cheaper than this one. There is nothing functionally different between this one and the other. Reasons for the markup can be contributed to "Special Edition"; supply and demand all because its black.

All because of the honesty and timely responses, and the fact I really wanted this bag in black, I spent the extra money.

Overall you will not regret this purchase. Its a great bag indeed.

Thanks B&H

Comments about Kata Bumblebee-222 UL Backpack (Black):

Well i bought this bag at this summer because I purchesed a lots of staff and I needed a bigger bag for all of it. I had a smaller Kata (80 $) and I was soo happy with it. I tought that this it`s gonna be way much better than the old one. SNAAAP... It`s not. I`m a 6.4 tall guy i have a wide shoulder. The shoulder straps made me crazy they are so thin, i needed way much wider. I hurt myself with it. The shoulder straps sticked to my clothes and it wasn`t confortable at all. At the airport: well no chance. I had in my bag: Nikon D700, Nikon D80, 18-200mm, 24-70mm, 70-200mm,50mm, 2 Grips, SB-900 flash, Sony Vaio 17``, Apple Mac Pro 17``, 2X mouse, batteries, chargers, wires, and a tripod. Total weight: 38 pounds. The airport chick didn`t wanted to let me go to my seat with that big beast of bag. I told her that i will, i have to. I can`t let it go away from me!I had a shooting in nature after a rain (you know, nice colours, nice clouds, everything is shining. I couldn`t use the bag after the rain on a wet floor. I couldn`t opened up at my shoulder. The zipper is down, so i risk that all my staff is falling out. I`ve got wet, i felt myself again unconfortable because of the bag. Another thing. Ok all my staff is in my bag but nobody`s thinkin` abaut the wires? How do you want to keep them nicely organised? I put them in the upcase... it was like a place after a war. I couldn`t find anything in it. Finally I removed all the interior yellow staff, I opened up the mid separator. And now i`m using it without the frame. I waste [$] for a school rucksack. I could by the same big bag at least with 20$. The old Kata with 80$, well i still using it for my necesary staff.

Comments about Kata Bumblebee-222 UL Backpack (Black):

This is an extremely well designed product, perfect for professionals who carry large amounts of gear.

For the most part the bag is comfortable; the Gecko harness fit well, the mesh straps hit perfectly on my hips, they were padded nicely ect.

At 5'5" this bag overwhelms my frame. It's built to carry a lot of equipment, but I was a little shocked when I pulled it out of the box. Without any gear in it, the product extends about 12" away from one's back, is 20.5" long and 15.2" wide. Very turtle-esque (at least on me). (Note, these dimensions can be found in the specifications of the product, and it was my fault to underestimate the size and the way it would fit my frame.)

The rigid construction was one of the main reasons I purchased this bag, unfortunately it means that the bag does not reduce to anything smaller than the dimensions above, even if you're not carrying a full load. I can't imagine navigating through a crowd or an airport with this backpack.

I'd love to see a Kata designed specifically for female professional photographers, who need the gear but not the bulk. P.S. Anyway to design a quasi-sternum strap that distributes weight but doesn't go directly across the bust? (Ouch!)