Camera backpack that can be used as normal backpack

I've read the review of the Slappa Ballistix Aura here: Slappa Ballistix Aura Pro-Tour Backpack Review and I love the look of it - works as a backpack if you take the camera bit out, otherwise it can be used for my laptop AND camera bag.

But it's a little cheaper - can anyone suggest a cheaper alternative?

In an ideal world, it would be a backpack with a bottom/side accessible camera case on the bottom that could be unzipped and REMOVED to turn the whole thing into a smaller backpack without camera gear in it.

 

don't know what your price range was but you could have a look at the :

Lowepro Fastpack 250 Camera/Laptop Backpack - Shop Now- eBags.com

Sumdex DSLR Camera/Notebook Backpack- eBags.com

you could also look here : Pro Camera Bags, Digital Camera Bags, Camera Backpacks, Laptop Bags - Naneu

 

firstly... don't get a Kata 3n1 series... made like crap... feels like crap... and for that price, you can do much better...

there's tons of reviews, user reviews at a photography forum i frequent...

most camera back packs, you can remove the dividers and use it as a normal back pack... it may not be the best solution though...

camera backpack has anywhere from 5mm to 10mm of padding built in (in most cases) to the external shell and so even removing the internal padding, you're still stuck with a bulky bag...

secondly, the main emphasis on a camera bag is to protect the camera... i have the Lowepro Pro Roller X100 as my rolling bag and it's supposed to fit a 15" lappy in there... but here's the caveat... there's only a couple of layers of nylon to protect the laptop whereas there's actually a 5mm thick plastic frame AND padding to protect the laptop...

so if you're a photog... yea, it's a great option... if not... well, look a bit more imo.

btw, here's some of my reviews of some camera bags...