Bought my Pal HVX200 in July and while at the dealers also got recommended the KATA range of bags. I ended up buying the BP-502 backpack as it was illustrated carrying everything that I needed i.e. the HVX, Laptop, mic and hard disk. Being assured it was 'top of the range quality' I paid nearly £300 for it ($575)
Approx 6 weeks later and with the backpack having been used very little I went to india. It sits very awkwardly low down leaning backwards when there's any useful weight in it making it uncomfortable for prolonged use. Also I also noticed that the flaps meant to protect the zips in rain tended to curl upwards despite repeatedly pushing then down on the zips. The circular opening that when new was rigid has in the last 3 months become anything but. The fabric covering this area has also started to 'bobble' i assume that in places its coming away from the backing.
The biggest SHOCK is that the backpack harness is held together using VELCRO. Within 10 days of getting to India I had my first 'drop' the velcro gave way on one side sending the bag and its contents i.e. my HVX etc swinging off he other shoulder to the floor =8O I assumed at the time it was a one off but NO it started happening more and more frequently to the point it was happening once or twice a day. Redistributing the load etc did nothing.
On my return to the UK a few weeks ago I began using it with a bit less weight i.e. I left out the (single!) change of hot weather clothing i.e. light weight T-shirt shorts underwear etc. It improved things slightly but this weekend I noticed that the velcro on one side was totally smooth and would no longer hold any weight. It's now sat under the stairs being a £300 ($575) waste of space.
I'm flying to China in a few days
In my view the bag is appallingly badly designed and given the price makes it all the more shocking... whereas I'm not advising anybody not to buy KATA I would advise them to think long and hard about it first.
I'll pop into the dealers tomorrow and see what they have to say but i'm not holding my breath that they'll do anything without some mentioning of the SOGA.
Anybody else had any problems/issues with KATA?
cheers
Indy....
Approx 6 weeks later and with the backpack having been used very little I went to india. It sits very awkwardly low down leaning backwards when there's any useful weight in it making it uncomfortable for prolonged use. Also I also noticed that the flaps meant to protect the zips in rain tended to curl upwards despite repeatedly pushing then down on the zips. The circular opening that when new was rigid has in the last 3 months become anything but. The fabric covering this area has also started to 'bobble' i assume that in places its coming away from the backing.
The biggest SHOCK is that the backpack harness is held together using VELCRO. Within 10 days of getting to India I had my first 'drop' the velcro gave way on one side sending the bag and its contents i.e. my HVX etc swinging off he other shoulder to the floor =8O I assumed at the time it was a one off but NO it started happening more and more frequently to the point it was happening once or twice a day. Redistributing the load etc did nothing.
On my return to the UK a few weeks ago I began using it with a bit less weight i.e. I left out the (single!) change of hot weather clothing i.e. light weight T-shirt shorts underwear etc. It improved things slightly but this weekend I noticed that the velcro on one side was totally smooth and would no longer hold any weight. It's now sat under the stairs being a £300 ($575) waste of space.
I'm flying to China in a few days
In my view the bag is appallingly badly designed and given the price makes it all the more shocking... whereas I'm not advising anybody not to buy KATA I would advise them to think long and hard about it first.
I'll pop into the dealers tomorrow and see what they have to say but i'm not holding my breath that they'll do anything without some mentioning of the SOGA.
Anybody else had any problems/issues with KATA?
cheers
Indy....
