Best DVX backpack-style bag that holds laptop?

Mister Big

Mister Big

Well-known member
I find when I'm in the field shooting, handholding the DVX and wearing a backpack with all the needed accessories works better for me when I'm following an interviewee as a "one man band".

Which backpacks have you used and liked? They have to be carry on friendly.

I really respect the Portabrace gear, but it tends to shout out to those who would rob you that you're walking around with a bunch of video gear.

So the three I'm looking at are:

Kata R103
Kata BP-502
Petrol PCBP-3 (can also get it with rain slick as a package)

Items that need to be held:

Laptop
Shotgun mic
Batteries (3 or 4) and charger
Polarizer filter
Wireless lav kit

I'm open to any other suggestions. Thanks for helping out.
 
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I've had the Kata HB-207 for a couple of months now and it has worked really well for me. Lots of room, and so far no hassles carrying it on even with the tripod strapped to it.
 
I too use a Swiss brand backpack. It's got the laptop holder part....and plenty of compartments to carry all of your different gear in. Some of them are even PADDED for added safety, good places to keep your lenses.

Sometimes I find myself digging through each pouch because i can never seem to remember exactly where i put something...there are so many to choose from.
One part of the bag is especially perfect for batteries. it is wide and roomy enough to hold almost anything

...best bang for your buck in my opinion. you can pick one up at Best Buy...they have 2 or 3 "models" to choose from.
 
Thanks for the advice, guys. I went with the Kata BP-502, which strangely was $259 at B&H, and when I added it to my cart went down to $200 and included a free set of trolley wheels to wheel it around.

I'll let you know how it is when I get it. Strange to order a bag not having seen and touched it first.
 
Slimothy said:
I've got an OGIO bag, it's pretty awesome, and will hold a labtop. I'm looking to sell it. It is this one:

http://www.ebags.com/ogio/ty_video_bag/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=57688

I'm selling it for $90 It's in pristine condition.

It is pretty expensive on that site though, usually runs from $120-150 based on the site.
Click to expand...

I have that bag -- it is almost obscene how much space is available. I just got my dvx, so I haven't really checked it for fit but when I stuck my dvx in there I thought it may not be deep enough - the top flap pushes against the handle. Do you find that to be a problem or do you have it positioned a special way?

As an aside - When I got my bag, one of the features touted on the tag was an "Integrated Lighting system" It took me a while to figure out that it amounted to a small battery powered keychain light that clips to the inside flap of the bag. Heh....
 
I've got the ogio and it's superb. The fit is tight but not overly so, it's nice knowing the bag is keeping the camera still instead of having it bouncing around constantly. There's also so much space on the other side! I carried absolutely everything I needed on my back and still had space to spare, plus it was comfortable to snowboard with.
 
I've got a Kata Panda 402. It's awesome...built to hold a laptop, airline carry-on legal, and it converts to rolling luggage.

KataPanda402.jpg
 
Slimothy said:
I've got an OGIO bag, it's pretty awesome, and will hold a labtop. I'm looking to sell it. It is this one:

http://www.ebags.com/ogio/ty_video_bag/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=57688

I'm selling it for $90 It's in pristine condition.

It is pretty expensive on that site though, usually runs from $120-150 based on the site.
Click to expand...
HEY! I'm interested in buying (if ya haven't sold it already)! Would we be able to arrange overnight shipping? Let me know what ya think.

...if you don't mind me asking: how come you're selling it?
 
I'm currently looking at potential backpacks, and the Kata R-103 is catching my eye. I'm looking for enough space to hold a DVX100B, tapes, a shotgun mic, cables, and possibly a laptop.

Can anyone recommend any other bags that might be relevant, that are similarly priced to the R-103 ($170 or less, please!)?

Thanks folks.
 
I just bought the OGIO Ty backpack as well today.. I figure if you guys like them - I will too. A company I do some promotional work for is a distributor for them in Canada.
 
I also just got the OGIO from ebay (Oozak - awesome seller - very quick). This bag seems pretty perfect. One thing I dont quite understand is how the heck you use the "mic spacers" .. there are 2 pieces of soft padding with velcro on only one side and i'm not quite sure how they work to cushion a mic. also they tout inside pockets made specifically for MiniDV tapes but i just see a bunch of resizeable spaces - is it just marketing or am I blind ? :)
thanks
 
Has anyone seen the cinebags backpack? looks nice on their site but no dimensions lister and no one here in SF has them in stock.
 
New York - I like the look of those Cinebags, but the dimensions can't tell you.
I know that the cinematographer's bag isn't as big as it appears. I bought one
and my Sony laptop would not fit well inside. Cinebag is sturdy, though. I
use the production bag for all of my audio gear.
 
My OGIO Ty just arrived tonight around 8 (Mr. Brown was running late today) and all I can say is "WOW!!!" It appears to be a perfect fit for the DVX100 so long as I fold the eye cup back. Or, I could restructure the interior sections I suppose.

FiddlerMD: The mic spacer is obvious to me: put the camera in lens down and the mic spacer is to pad the front of the camera mic. The 4 rows of pockets made of the fiber reinforced clear vinyl inside the "lid" of the camera section seem to be for tape.
 
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