THE KARMA FROM KATA

Will I do not know if I mentioned it previously but I will do it again.

I am always struggling to get the tools I need to do things. I try not to buy them and end up being something cheaper and smaller. Then I end up with something I did not want but would actually help me be more productive. But then it turns out that the previous thing I bought while avoiding the one I really wanted is now actually no good.

I am, of course, speaking primarily of cameras, tablet PCs and anything else that goes along with these devices. In an, of course, also speaking about backpacks too.

When I was into photography, or my second run in with photography in my life, years back the cases I loved were Lowepro and for me there was nothing else.  Surprisingly today it is not Lowepro any more! Just in the case of styling alone many others look better in the type I am into. Manfrotto look nice and cone in different colours. Even Caselogic have some nice looking cases and there are a couple of others too I have looked at.

Since getting back into it this time around with the idea of being extremely productive there is one lot of cases I have both loved the look of as well as the feel and quality of them. Also the sheer versatility of them too is a big draw. In fact one I was looking at was the Lowepro 102 Sling but when I saw this other manufacturer I changed my mind. But due to the price I talked myself into buying a Lowepro 101 which was advertised as used on Amazon for half its retail price. It was good but I found it a bit small even though I was only using a bridge camera and not an SLR. But it was OK but was never going to get to put any shopping I picked up inside the thing.

But later I ended up deciding it would be best for me to buy a tablet PC and due to price, size and weight mostly I opted for a 7 inch one. Five hundred pounds for what is effectively a low powered PC I would never be happy with. Especially without a decent keyboard, lol! So I ended up with the brilliantly priced and powered Advent Tegra Note 7 and was impressed with it. In fact I an using it right now to toe out this post and not even using my Bluetooth keyboard, I would normally joke I am just to lazy but it is the Fibromyalgia, lol.

Unfortunate I was disappointed when one of the smallest tablets would not go into my Lowepro sling and the camera started to get left behind. Once again saving money where I an I bought a brown ten inch Targus carry case with shoulder strap because I could get both the keyboard and tablet inside it with batteries and other things. Again no camera though.

After a few weeks those moments of realisations just did not occur to me when done interesting animals came and went and not even a thought of what I had missed because my camera was not there with me as it was most of 2013!

Now the plan was that when the weather improved I would start going on my bike again and that both out looking for wildlife and in ships looking for exotic wildlife I would have a useful camera and the tablet with me all the time. This included being both on foot/bus or on my bike and indeed the rare occasions when I am in a car. Though I use the word rare and it had been the last couple of years but I believe that it will be a close call to call it the rarer means of transport by the end of 2014?!

So I realised that if I did not want any moments of having missed photographing things or typing out moments of our genius while I was out, instead of having them and forgetting them as was common throughout the previous two years, then I would need to buy a bigger and better backpack.

Previously I mentioned there was another manufacturer and I looked at it and become surprised as what I thought was around 50 pounds now seemed to be 75 pounds on Amazon and in PC World?! I was confused somewhat.

I then stated looking yet again at used ones and other models before deciding, no! Not doing this again and I knew this model would take what I needed with some to spare. The manufacturer is Kata and the backpack is the 3N1-20DL. Um if I remember the model number correctly.

What was different was that it had a nice grey color when normally I do not like grey. It had plenty of options, space, protection, reinforcements and a decent tripod holding mechanism. It had things I am not even sure what they do as yet.

Well after giving in I found it suddenly on Amazon for 48 pounds?! I was shocked at this and ordered it. I waited in for hours and then had to do shopping before coming home and eagerly waited for its arrival. I found myself getting surprisingly excited about what is in essence an overpriced backpack but wanted to run my hands over that event grey exterior. Looking at the stylish finish and brighter but still plain colour that will go unnoticed and check out the gadget pockets. I tried to imagine what it would look like one I had it and how cool that grey color would look?!

Around 8pm it arrived and I reached the to of my stairs with the box and opened it up. Once I had dug it out of its packaging and under my ceiling lights I then thought...

...'weird! Will you look at that?! It looks BLACK under my lights?!'

DAMN IT!!

I not only had no idea I had ordered a black one, and I haven not checked the advert as it will not magically change the colour, but I did not even KNOW that any Kata gear came in the colour black?! I do now!

That was really annoying but it is a nice bag. I would much preferred the grey one but I have no plans to send it back. It might be why it was cheaper as maybe the black ones do not sell? But I have to think of it as a tool for a purpose and not a fashion accessory.

Do not want to spend days messing around re-packaging it and sending it off and then during around waiting for the right colour to turn up!

You would think by now I would have learned to pay attention but I simply was not aware they came in black and had never seen one anywhere. Lol, I have no idea how I missed it and why some adverts on Amazon are not clearer?!

Will I have a bag now at least, lol.

It changes from a slingshot which can go on waiter shoulder to a full blown rucksack. That was a big attraction fur me due to the pain I get in my right shoulder, frozen shoulder, and my previous bag only rested in right shoulder. I have already set up this one for the left shoulder. Filled it with my things too, ooh except my audio recorder, the unreliable one, as this gets used tomorrow, lol!