The Hunt for a Quality Camera Backpack
I went to Camera Street (博愛路 [Bo Ai Road] and surrounding streets, near the main Post Office) in Taipei last week to look for a quality camera backpack. Because I was going to be doing a lot of walking in Taiwan, I figured that I would probably find use for a nice, sport-oriented backpack or sling bag. Like a good, resourceful consumer, I did my research beforehand, hitting up all the big brands on the internet, like Lowepro, Tamrac, Tenba, Domke, ThinkTank, Kata, etc. Once I narrowed down the choices, I hit the streets and this is what I found:
1. Kata — I was really keen on Kata ever since I saw their 3N1 series sling bags. They just have really sleek designs that actually have purpose to them. Plus, they seemed to be well constructed (Kata also produces body armour for the Isreali forces).
** 3N1-20 **
Comes in three sizes, S, M, L. Note to Goldilocks: The large is too big! The small is too small! The medium is just right.
The 3N1 is probably going to be a really popular bag in the near future. It just came out this summer, so prices are still up there (although I think that Kata prices are reasonably priced for what they offer, compared to Tamrac or Lowepro). Most of the shops I looked at only carried the small and large versions (3N1-10 and 3N1-30, respectively) but the last shop I went to, which was an official Kata dealer in Taiwan, carried one 3N1-20 bag. Like I mentioned, Kata bags are great. They’re well made from top to bottom and well thought out. This bag almost gave me too many possible configurations to play with, that I nearly confused myself. You can see an in-depth preview here. The one thing I wasn’t keen on was that it was impossible to put a camera with a 70-200 f/2.8 attached, which I really wanted out of a slingbag. Only the large version was able to fit that in, but the 3N1-30 just looks heavy. Granted the side access of this type of slingbag, whether it be this, Lowepro’s Slingshot series, or Tenba’s Shootout, just doesn’t allow fitment of long lenses unless it is the largest version, impractical for a city-going daypack. Plus, they’d just look strange on my relatively small 5′ 8″ frame.
I also, at the same place, stumbled upon the Kata T-212. It was a bit small for my needs, but well designed, and looked like tactical gear for the Navy SEALs. I later found out that there was a larger version, the T-214, that would probably suit what I carry around.
** T-214 **
T-214. Looks and sounds intense.
So then it was off to look at other options. I saw a pack from Jenova, which the sellers claimed was an Italian brand manufactured in China. However, I was pretty sure some random company from HK decided to buy the rights to the brand name because the construction was pretty mediocre. Overall, the organization and the ballistic nylon wasn’t too bad, but what really raised question marks was the construction of the plastic buckles. They just seemed to reek of cheapness. I looked online and could not seem to find a picture anywhere.
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