Welcome to the end of the work week!  Today I’m writing and talking about another one of my favorite things, my Kata DR-467i Laptop and Camera Backpack.  I have owned this bag for three years, and it has survived all of my abuse.  This bag has literally been around the world with me on multiple international trips.  It has also survived daily trips to the office, and many road trips with the family.  The best part….all of my gear has been safe inside the bag!

For this “Favorite Things Friday” I encourage you to watch the video, it is the best way to hear my thoughts about this bag.  But if you’re a reader, just skip on down below the video.

[weaver_youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiQAssrHZHU sd=0 percent=100 ratio=.5625 center=1 rel=0 https=0 privacy=0 see_help_for_others]

Before I bought the Kata bag, I was blowing through standard laptop bags about once a year.  I was overloading them, banging them around too hard, or they were just pieces of junk.  Many times I was also carrying a second bag for my camera.  What a pain!  Since my work environment is pretty casual, I gave this backpack a try.  Casual or not, this is the bag I will be using for many years to come.

After three years of heavy use the only wear and tear I can see on the bag is a bit of sagging in the camera compartment area but it is not problematic.  The small foam pad for the bottom of the laptop compartment also wore out.  That was easy enough to replace with a nice thick piece of foam rubber.  Other than those two small things this bag has been wonderful!  All the zippers work flawlessly after thousands of pulls.  The straps, velcro and latches all work perfectly.

The Kata bag has three main compartments.  The laptop area, the camera area and a main storage area above the camera area.  The laptop area is nicely padded on all sides.  The molded rear of the bag provides an extra amount of protection for the laptop.  The camera compartment comes with movable dividers to customize this area for your specific needs.  The top compartment has some little pockets and dividers for storing small things and the bottom of that compartment can be removed to merge that area with the camera compartment.

There are three zippered pockets on the front of the bag.  Two small pockets for little things like camera accessories, cords and cables, a mouse, etc.  One larger pocket can handle a lens, larger accessories, or simply provide more storage.  There are also two water bottle pockets that zip up for storage in the side of the bag, a set of straps for holding a small tripod, and rain cover that comes with the DR-467i.

Kata has a new model of the 467 that varies a bit when compared to mine, but I have never owned a Kata product that I did not like.  The new version looks like it has taken the best elements of the 467i and streamlined them for easier access, better reliability and superior protection.  The DR-467i can still be found at various vendors online.  The new model is the Kata KT DL-DR-467.  (I think someone should help them simplify those names a bit.)  You can view the new bag by using my Amazon link on the right side of this page.

At $90 this backpack is at a competitive price point with other laptop backpacks.  It has the distinct advantage of housing an excellent storage and protection area for a DSLR camera and some lenses or other accessories.  The quality, protection, and slim design of the Kata DR-467 make it one of my favorite things.