Hiking Bag

I am currently looking to replace my old camera bag with one that will hold more of my gear. I spend a siginificant amount of time hiking to photo locations, etc and am considering a backpack style preferably under $200.

Does anyone have any must have's or don't buys they could share? I want to make sure I get high quality along with value while considering all the needs.

Thanks!

I LOVE my Tamrac Expedition 7. Very well made, and holds lots of stuff. I've got everything in my signature in it, and then some. I'm glad I got it, and I'm not looking back. I also got a few of their accessory pouches that strap on to the bag...one for CF cards, one for AA batteries, and one for my CompactDrive. And, the bag is airplane friendly (always a plus). It's very confortable to wear, even though it will probably get heavy from all the glass you will be putting in it. All the zippers have a water-resistance mechanism built into them, to protect against splashes and light rain fall. I haven't put a tri-pod on it yet, but the support for it looks good.

Hope this helps!

Thanks for the input... I will have to check that one out.

I just bought this Canon 200EG. I am surprised how spacious it is. I can put two Bigma's in it and still have extra space. Well, not that i need two Bigma's. No tax and free shipping for me too.

How does the quality of the bag compare to some of the other big names such as LowePro etc?

Unfortunately there are no good photography stores near me that have this equipment. No stores for that matter.

After this picture review,
http://www.shuttertalk​.com/articles/katar102​/index.php
and speaking to a few happy Kata owners with both 20D and 1-D series bodies, I bought the Kata 103 and have been more than amazed at solidity, strength to weight, protection, design and execution.
It does not have a hip belt, but I've carried up to 20 lbs. of gear and have not missed it.
Jack

Unfortunately i don't have any LowePro, Trekker, Tamrac to compare with. But if compare to my Nike, Jansport regular backpack, 200EG seems just as good/durable if not better. And it's cheaper than my Nike and Jansport backpacks for sure.

You can order it online at Amazon.com.

I have the Tamrac Expedition 5 and love it. It's very strong/durable. I'd recommend it.
I also have a Lowepro Nova 3 shoulder bag that is a bit smaller, and the quality is the same if not better.

J Rabin wrote:
After this picture review,
http://www.shuttertalk​.com/articles/katar102​/index.php
and speaking to a few happy Kata owners with both 20D and 1-D series bodies, I bought the Kata 103 and have been more than amazed at solidity, strength to weight, protection, design and execution.
It does not have a hip belt, but I've carried up to 20 lbs. of gear and have not missed it.
Jack

How much gear can you fit in the 103?

The two that i am looking at now are the Tamrac Expedition 5 and the Kata 103. I don't need a bag that will hold a laptop as my screen is too big to fit anyway. Both of these bags appear to have an excellent value / quality aspect. To be honest I think I might lean towards the Tamrac becuase it appears to have extra compartments for accessiores.

Any good sites that offer reviews for quality?

One item worth mentioning is how the bags differ in holding the camera. The Kata has the lens up in the air with the SLR body on the bottom. All other have the SLR body at the top with the lens hanging down. Is one better than the other. At first thought I would think the Kata design would be better.

I have the Lowepro Offtrail 2. Hoever, I think I am going to get the Kata after seeing the one my friend just bought. Wow, what a bag.

Which Kata bag did your friend purchase? I am still quite torn between the Tamrac Expedition 5 and the kata R-103.

www.shuttertalk.com/ar​ticles/katar102/index.​php
This shows how much will fit in a 102. The 103 also holds a laptop.
Deb