The Bag of Holding Messenger Bag

I'm currently a high school student. This means i must carry a whole lot of stuff at once. I don't really care too much for lockers, so i like to have everything that i need with me at all times. more convenient, and more manageable. I had a big ugly backpack to hold all my stuff for quite a while now, and it was really starting to annoy me. It looked huge, and it threw me off balance because of how far out behind me it stuck out. I decided it was time for an upgrade, and combed the internet for a bag that was worthy of my usage.

I was thinking about getting a messenger bag, because i had one in the past, and i really loved it. The only problem with the bag was that it didn't have a lot of room, and it had no laptop compartment. There were only two pockets, and I would end up just throwing all my stuff in them without organizing anything. It wasn't long before i found this beauty, and i decided to buy it pretty quickly. it looked like it would work for what i wanted, and it was only fifty bucks. i couldn't really go wrong either way.

The Bag of Holding arrived within five days, and i was sort of doubting if i made the right choice when i saw it in the packaging. it didn't look like the capacity would be sufficient. When i started to move all of my things from my old backpack into this bag, i was gradually more and more amazed with how huge this thing really was. Seriously. I could fit my five folders for school, a binder, my 14 inch laptop, my notebook, gym clothes, and two normal-sized books for english class. At that point, i was still only using about THREE FIFTHS of the capacity. I hadn't even begun to fill up three pockets.

Speaking of pockets, this bag has A LOT of them. there is one zippered pocket on the outer flap, which can hold a book or two, a cavernous zippered pocket on the inside for holding pretty much anything (inside this pocket is a higher, smaller one for holding smaller books, so you don't have to fish for them on the bottom), another very large zippered one that can hold pretty much anything, and a slightly smaller (about half the size of the big pocket) one with various pockets within; the perfect size for all of your gadgets and gizmos. On the other side of the bag, there is a large, magnetic-snap pocket that is quite large, and a huge laptop pocket. This can hold any laptop up to 17 inches. All of these pockets make it very easy to stay organized.

Now there are some differences that this bag bears from the one pictured, which i actually find very favorable. On the front of the bag, in the display picture, there are two visible buttons. on the actual bag, they are not visible. They are underneath the outer material, and are magnetic snaps. All of the buttons on this bag are magnetic snap buttons, which are very quick and easy to open and close and are extremely convenient. Also, on the top of the bag, there is a handle, which is really useful for when you don't want to have to throw on the strap. The bag is made of grey canvas material, and the straps are extra thick black canvas. The material of the whole bag is very resistant and doesn't tear easily.

In short, this bag pretty much serves any purpose. It holds an insane amount of whatever you want, and maintains a fairly low profile. Great for Students, and awesome for anyone who just needs a bag. for holding stuff.

I've had my bag for about three days. It seemed to be almost everything I hoped for - attractive, sturdy, and capable of fitting a large laptop, four law school casebooks (big thousand-page hardbacks), a small binder, and the minor sundries you'd figure would go with those things (pens, headphones, bandana, deck of many things) without difficulty.

Everything was going great until I tried to carry it through a wormhole. I understand that ThinkGeek cannot be held responsible for the loss of my laptop or textbooks, nor the fact that I'm currently lost in the Astral Plane. Still, a warning label would have been nice.

Additional Pros and description:
- It seems durable; with a little Scotchguard, as someone recommended, I think it will be pretty water-resistant.
- Most of the components are quite well-built.
- It really does hold a lot; I think it's in the 1,750 - 2,000 cubic inch category, around the size of most "large" professional messenger bags (though not the truly giant ones.)
- Compared to them it's inexpensive.
- The low-key grey canvas look seems quite handsome and professional to me, compared to the shiny and gaudy look of most good messenger bags.

Cons: These are all pretty minor; I mention them mainly for ThinkGeek's benefit in developing the BofH 2.0.

- The zippers on mine are fine, but I can see where the construction isn't ideal.
- There could stand to be a bit more tech in the straps. The main strap is actually quite comfortable considering, but a pad and D-rings would still be a good idea. It's great that it has a separate handle as well, but I'm not sure the handle will last as long as the rest of the bag. Not bad, but could be better.
- As others have noted, while the laptop compartment feels quite safe, having padding on all of the edges of it would be nice.
- The front pocket has a number of nice little pouches that are great for headphones and thumb drives and things, but it would be cool to have a couple that could fit pens or a typical geek cell phone.
- The magnetic clasps for the top flap do not work well when the bag is very full.

Like I said, these are all minor. I'm picky and so far I like this bag a whole lot.

I have been looking for a replacement for my messenger bag for a year or so now. The poor thing was over 5 years old and the strap had been sewn back on with pink thread. I just never found anything that could compare much less be considered superior. Until I found this. I must say, I had high expectations, I am very particular about my bags.

This bag has more large pockets than I expected. 6 total included a padded laptop pocket. All but two of them have heavy duty metal zippers and the small one, as well as the flap, and the flat pocket on the back are help shut by strong magnets.

There are a number of small pockets inside the bag for organizational purposes. One of them fits my ipod in it's case, but it sticks up a little high. The best find however was a large flat pocket inside the main compartment of the bag. This is perfect for my Kindle in its case. In my old bag my Kindle ended up swimming at the bottom with everything else, so this is fantastic.

The bottom of the bag is like, super reinforced. There is some kind of firm material sewn into the bottom of the bag, and the canvas on the outside of the bottom is reinforced with rows and rows of stitching in a rather heavy thread.

I couldn't be happier with this bag. Hopefully it will last a long time. I like the idea another poster had of using it for a diaper bag. I think it would be the perfect diaper bag, Daddy won't be embarrassed to be seen carrying it!