Customer Reviews

Timbuk2 Freestyle Laptop Messenger Bag,Black/Black/Black,XS

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This bag fits the iPad perfectly. It's as durable as any Timbuk2 bag and looks great. It's nice to be able to take this on my morning bike commute rather than my larger timbuk2 and it stays in place despite the smaller size.

This Timbuk2 messenger bag fits netbooks and has a built-in sleeve. If you plan to bring your netbook all the time, you can place it in the built-in sleeve without the need to buy a separate sleeve. The messenger bag is large enough for the power adapter and other small peripherals. It is an excellent work bag, as well as, an everyday bag for school. Overall, the bag looks and feels sturdy. Great design.

Before buying this bag I went to the official Timbuk2 website and got the internal laptop compartment sizes to make sure it would fit my new 11" MacBook Air. When it came in, I was surprised to find out that it would NOT fit my Air. It BARELY fits an iPad, and the Air is slightly wider.

DO NOT buy this bag if you are looking for a case for the 11" MacBook Air. It's extremely well made, and I'm looking at getting another Timbuk2 bag, but this will simply not fit an Air of any kind.

I was excited to find that Timbuk2, one of my favorite companies had answered the call for a bag to house a tablet. I was dismayed by some of the reviews I'd been reading and will admit I was a little skeptical when I purchased this. Some of the points that bothered others didn't seem like a big deal to me, but on the other hand I was spending a fair amount for this and needed it to work. I needed a smaller sized bag that I could use as a purse but would fit my iPad while in its case (by the way, best case ever: Pad and Quill's Contega). Having used my Timbuk2 Metro (boo to them for discontinuing it - the Click just isn't the same) constantly and been exceedingly impressed with the quality and attention to detail (I "discovered" an entirely new pocket a whole year after I purchased it and it was like Christmas I tell you!), I was definitely willing to give Timbuk2's iPad solution a shot. So this review is for any of you who may have read other reviews and want a little clarification on issues that others have brought up.

1. Does it fit the iPad? The padded pocket does fit a naked iPad as others have mentioned. It will not fit one in a case. This is great if you just need to pop it into your bag on the go. BUT (here's the part that that's been left out by others) the area between the back of the padded insert and the back of the bag fits a covered iPad perfectly. And really, who needs to put the iPad in the padded part when it already has a cover/protection on it?

2. The padded shoulder strap is too stiff, making carrying the bag comfortably nearly impossible. True again. This sucker is meant to be broken in. And in another 5 years when you are still using it and it is molded to your body, you and Timbuk2 will be happy not to have a phone conversation complaining that it broke. BUT (again this is usually left out by the naysayers) it's removable! Yep, the wonders of Velcro, my friends.

3. The strap is too short. A couple of factors play into this. One is that it is an exceedingly thick strap 2+ inches) which can make it seem shorter than it is. The other is of course that strap length is personal preference. I like my cross body bags to fall at my hip. This one is a smidge on the short side for my 5'9" frame, but it means that it just feels a little more secure and close to my body than I am used to. I'm fairly sure that I'll be able to adapt (just in case that didn't read as sarcasm, let me assure you it was - if I can't adapt to that, I've got bigger issues).

So why am I giving it only four stars? Well, just because I am putting this up to my vision of the perfect bag... Absolutely perfect. And since I have Timbuk2's Metro, they have spoiled me and there are three little amenities that I wish the Freestyle had. So tiny, but so handy: a pocket on the side of the outside of the bag - 'cause I've gotten used to putting my cell phone there and it's wicked handy for grabbing it on the go. And a mesh pocket on the side of the inside of the bag because it's perfect for holding upright things like a bottle of water. Oh, and a couple pen seperaters wouldn't go amiss either (I haven't completely made the transition into the paperless age quite yet).

Overall, I'm psyched. Amazing quality. Great design. Worth every penny.

I read every review I could about this bag before I bought it... and never really knew if once it arrived it would fit ALL of the accessories I have for my iPad.

Most noteably - it fits the iPad2 in a snug, soft, protective slot... BUT, there is room for the bluetooth keyboard (THIS is what I couldn't tell from the specs, the reviews, and the comments)...

Let me tell you what I have in my bag RIGHT NOW - I tried to pack it as if I was going to demo EVERY FEATURE this iPad2 has to offer:

1. the iPad 2.

2. the blue tooth keyboard

3. the ipad dock

4. my Classic ipod & two pairs of earbuds

5. the VGA adapter

6. the HDMI adapter

7. a 6' rolled up HDMI cable.

8. a 6' rolled up audio male-to-male cable

9. an ipad SD & USB adapter

10. a Seatle Sports waterproof cover (kind of like a BIG conductive and thick ziplock bag)

11. an extra screen protector and a microfiber cloth

12. a bulky set of keys

13. my blackberry (grr.... who needs that... just for work!)

14. money

15. my Umbra wallet/credit card bungie style thing

16. a bag of cough drops

17. 2 packs of gum

18. a 7" ipad stylus

19. a 3.5" Pocket knife (folded)

20. other misc. stuff like small usb drives, RSA token, blah blah blah...

The bag is full, but not overstuffed.

Normally, I wouldn't travel with the HDMI cable and audio cable, so without those two bulky items, the bag would be really compact.

One 6'+ tall person complained that the strap is too short..... I would echo that sentiment, and I'm only 5'3". What were they thinking?

Other than that - THIS IS THE GREATEST BAG FOR AN IPAD OWNER! Just so you know, I also bought the Small Timbuk2 D-Lux Messenger: Race Stripe Bag because I really didn't think that all of the above would fit in this XS bag. I was wrong. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to use that other bag for my work laptop - since I HAVE to lug that beast around... but both bags are well made, beautiful, and super strong. Strap is long enough on the Small D-Lux bag!

The bag is great for the IPad. It's pretty light itself. The Ipad fits in the little sleeve. You can fit other things in there (like a lunch). I put my cell phone, credit cards, license, etc in it...so there isn't a need for a purse. It's a little cheaper looking than I thought it would be... given the price. Also, the strap is pretty short. This is not a problem for me because I'm 5"1, but for those who are taller I would suggest trying it on before buying it.

I bought this because I wanted a smallish bag to carry that had some protection for my iPad. It works great for this purpose. The sleeve inside it is just the right size to fit my iPad inside it's slipcase. There's a great organizer pouch to the front of the main compartment that will store quite a bit of stuff in it. I regularly carry my iPod classic, iPod touch, cell phone, pocket sized camera, my wallet, keys, pens, a small notebook, and some charge/sync cables in the organizer. With this full and the iPad in it's sleeve, there is still a good amount of room between them. I can fit a JBL On Tour speaker, my glasses case, my chain bike lock, and some other junk in between the sleeve and the organizer. Also, a magazine slips between the sleeve and the back of the bag very nicely. There is a small open pocket in the front of the bag and also a zippered key pocket with a long key lanyard. The lanyard is plenty long enough for you to open your door without removing your keys. I didn't think this was a big deal at first, but I love it now. The only complaints I have are with the strap. It could be a bit longer, but I've only really wanted that very infrequently. The other thing is the strap pad. This was really stiff at first and uncomfortable. I took it off, smashed and bent it with my hands for a couple days, and it's alright now. Overall, this is a great bag!

I had high hopes for the freestyle. It's fit and finish is comparable to other timbuk2 products but I feel that it has a serious design flaw. Unlike their larger messenger bags where the top flap tends to overhang the bag opening, the freestyle flap seems to be too narrow. If it's stuffed full the flap will mostly cover the opening, but if it's empty or with only a netbook or iPad in it, there is a 1"x1" hole on each end of the opening with the flap closed. I happen to motorcycle commute year around (in the pacific northwest!) and this open access for rain into the bag and directly onto the laptop insert is bad news. An otherwise good bag marred by a design flaw. Now to figure out a way to add some sort of water proof cover to each end of the bag opening... Or maybe make a square bracket to keep the bag in its thickest stuffed position at all times... Unfortunate.

Love the bag but the strap is way too short so it's useless. I had a friend try it on, thinking I was too tall or too fat and it was just as short on her. Weird. Depressing cuz I can't find one anywhere that can be a bag I carry everywhere and this could have been the perfect bag with a longer strap. I even thought about adding to the strap so it would fit, but if you pay that much for it, you shouldn't then have to fix it. Sent it back.

I recently bought an iPad and wanted to have a bag that would protect my iPad from other things I regularly carry in my backpacks/purses such as keys, a planner, my wallet, cellphone, etc. I spent some time considering buying just an iPad sleeve or case, but decided against it because I didn't want to have to pull out the entire sleeve/case-iPad thing. Plus, none of my purses can carry something the size of an iPad (I'm not into the my-bag-dwarfs-me look), and I didn't want to carry my backpack everywhere (I am 5'3") because of my size and the fact that I usually don't carry much more than a few packets of paper along with the aforementioned items.

Anyways, this bag is great because not only does it have a dedicated, built-in sleeve for the iPad, it has multiple other pockets so that I can put my various items in separate areas of my bag for easy access instead of them all sitting at the bottom of my purse in a big tangled mess of "stuff". It also has a key clip at the end of a long red ribbon that is extremely useful to me because I never take my keys off of the clip. Hence, I never look for my keys.

All in all, this is a great bag for someone that doesn't want to carry a backpack-sized bag around, and it's a great bag for women that don't like the functionality of most purses. The only con for some people is that it is slightly larger than the average handbag. For the larger/taller individual who wants the style of a messenger bag, this is not the item for you. I am very short, so it looks like a small-ish messenger bag on me. Anyone larger than I will look like they are carrying a purse.