Kata Ergo-Tech Series Prism U Personal Gear Backpack for Digital Camera and 12 Inch Laptop Computer

by Kata

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 12 x 6 x 18 inches ; 3.9 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000I42XWG
• Item model number: KT A43U
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 17, 2003

Product Description

Prism U Backpack for day to day use that can also carry Laptop + Digicam or SLR + MP3/MP4 + PDA + Phone and accessories. Front flap zipper access sports Flexi-Shield reinforcement. The main compartment is divided in two with a zippered division that can be undone to create one large space. In the upper section there are Elasto-Guard sleeves to secure and protect delicate equipment (if not in use these just fold away to allow for other gear) and an internal organizer panel for personal effects, that includes a small roaming media pocket. While in the lower section there is a flat flexible zip pocket. Large rear safe guard laptop compartment for up to 15" laptops. Two low profile high capacity side pockets will hold water bottles etc. and double layered second zip pockets are concealed under each. Two media pouches are integrated into the shoulder straps for quick access of phone or MP3 / MP4.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nothing else compares, December 1, 2008

By 

A bike and camera "Rich" (Salinas, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kata Ergo-Tech Series Prism U Personal Gear Backpack for Digital Camera and 12 Inch Laptop Computer (Electronics)

First off, you're probably wondering why I gave it 4 stars and said nothing else compares. I took off one star for a few problems that I've had, otherwise without those it would have been perfect and received a fifth star.

I bought this bag 2 years ago when I was getting ready to travel to London on a business trip and I was bringing my DSLR along too. I didn't want to carry a laptop bag along with a camera case so I was looking for a good solution. At the time, most information about this bag said it would fit a 15 inch laptop and I happened to have a 15 inch Apple Powerbook. When I got the bag I immediately tried it out and found that with some perseverance the zipper would actually close. When I'd load the laptop with the rest of the bag empty the closure was so snug I worried about it busting the zipper, but it never failed. However, if I tried to load the laptop with other stuff in the bag it wouldn't work. Here's the other bad news about the 15 inch Powerbook. A year later I upgraded to the newer 15 inch Apple Powerbook and the radius of the corners were sharper than the previous laptop and it wouldn't close no matter how much I tried.
Here's the other two things that kept it from being a 5 star bag: the sternum strap belt pulled off one side and is impossible to get back on. I accidentally thought I was pulling down on the strap to tighten the bag against my back and the strap pulled off. The last gripe was that one of the cool little outside pocket zippers came off the bag. The stitching came undone and the zipper pull came off. I had to eventually put the pull on backwards and hand sew the bottom so it wouldn't come off again.

Now that the griping is out of the way keep in mind that in spite of those flaws I LOVE this bag. I actually just bought a smaller laptop for personal use just so I'd get more use out of this bag. On my trip I was amazed by several things that this bag did exceedingly well.
1. It is small and inconspicuous, great on crowded trains and in museums
2. It fits a ton of stuff, and is easy to get to all of it
3. Its comfy to wear fully loaded walking hours upon hours
4. The material and padding gave me confidence in the safety of my equipment even in light rain
5. Its interior is adaptable, this was a huge plus
I'm sure I could say more, but this I've already said a mouthful. This bag is awesome if you want to carry your laptop, DSLR, ipod, battery charger, notepad, etc. for your daily treks. It's not for overnighting or hiking into the back country with your tripod and snowshoes. If you don't want to shout out to every passing pedestrian that you're carrying thousands of $$$ worth of equipment in a huge bag this is it.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Bag's Description Incorrect, July 1, 2008

By 

Buck Nut (Columbus, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kata Ergo-Tech Series Prism U Personal Gear Backpack for Digital Camera and 12 Inch Laptop Computer (Electronics)

The description of the bag (on amazon and kata-bags.com) state that the elasto-guard sleeves for the camera are in the top compartment, but mine are in the bottom compartment. I'm a little concerned that the weight of things in the top comparment could damage my dslr in the bottom compartment, especially since the LCD screen hugs the bottom of the top compartment. If you want to get an idea of what the camera compartment really looks like check out the Kata Sensitivity V backpack, as it has the camera compartment in the lower portion of the bag. Besides the surprise of the camera compartment not being where I thought it would be the bag is great. It's slightly bigger than I thought it would be. My Dell Latitude D420 fits great as does my Sony Alpha 350 with 18-70 lens attached and the extra 55-200 lens fits perfectly in the elasto-guard sleeve. There's room for a third lense as well. I'm just disappointed that the bag is not as setup as described.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Awesome bag, but doesn't fit 15 inch laptops, February 3, 2007

By 

Toups "Zach" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kata Ergo-Tech Series Prism U Personal Gear Backpack for Digital Camera and 12 Inch Laptop Computer (Electronics)

Many descriptions of this backpack state it fits 15 inch laptops -- this is NOT TRUE. Other than that, it's really pretty awesome. The yellow fabric inside sticks to Velcro hooks, and it includes a memory-stick case and a pen case with Velcro on them.

Awesome bag...I just wish I didn't have to carry my laptop in a separate case...especially after spending so much money on it!
-Zach