I'm a bag fiend. For a long time I've been on a quest for a bag that is just the right size, weight, and shape while being a quality piece of workmanship. I carried exclusively crappy, Gap-type messenger bags in middle and high school and have been stuck in a rut with purses as an adult. After much trial and error, I now know that I hate anything that isn't cross-body and that cute girly purses don't mesh with my personality. I kept flashing back to my beaten-up canvas messenger from my school days and finally accepted that I needed another one in my life. But, you know, an adult version. And I chose well. My Timbuk2 is beautifully assembled with not a stitch out of place, and I'm a little bit in love.
MY NEEDS: I needed a bag that could tote my 13 inch Macbook Air in its BUILT neoprene sleeve (for writing days) and my shoes, scarf, gloves, hat, Turtle Fur, socks, water bottle, wallet, keys, lip balm, mints, journal, pens, and other little things for my 2.5 mile round-trip walk to and from my job (for working days). Above all, I needed a bag that would wear close to my body with good structure; I'd been carrying an old Kavu bag with two slippery nylon shoulder straps that would fall off my shoulder after ten steps and I was sick of it.
PROS:
*The quality of the material is outta sight. Heavy, thick, rigid, tough: whatever you want to call it, it's good stuff.
*The colors (peanut/black/brown herringbone) are gorgeous, neither feminine nor masculine, just comfortable and classy. The peanut color is a bit darker and richer in person, and the herringbone gives it some texture. I picked the right colors for sure.
*The small size ended up being perfect for my needs. I haven't taken the bag on hikes or day trips yet, but it's roomy enough that I have confidence. It sits pretty flat with just the laptop, water bottle, and small items, but it has a lot of outward capacity.
*I love the cam buckle, which lets you quickly unclip the strap to a longer length if you've got a bulky coat on and can't easily swing the bag over your head to remove it, then reclip it to its shorter length without having to mess around with lengthening/shortening every time. I'm not actually sure how much I will use this feature, but it's a good concept and it's nice to know that it's there.
*The napoleon pocket, which allows you access to a deep, wide zippered pocket without unbuckling/unvelcroing the main flap, is genius, and will be helpful when I'm pawing for my keys with an armload of stuff.
*The slash pocket at the back of the main compartment is great. I didn't know anything about it before buying and figured it would just be a slip of material dividing the main compartment into two sections, like most messengers have. I was wrong. The slash pocket is built out from the back wall of the bag and has a strip of very rigid material along the top to keep your laptop securely pressed into place (no pooching out in transit like floppier back pockets). I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the slash pocket, and moreso to find that my 13 inch Macbook Air inside its neoprene sleeve fits perfectly within that slash pocket with no squishing, stretching, or excessive force needed.
*The small reflector tabs on the buckle straps give me some peace of mind when I'm walking along busy roads. They're a little dorky looking, but safety first, right?
*The strap pad is comfortable and completely removable if you're not into it.
*The Timbuk2 sits well without it, but the included cross strap pulls the bag close, making it such a solid fit that I forget I'm even wearing a bag at all. It's a bit of a hassle to get it set up, but I'm sure it will get easier with practice. It's worth a minute or two of fiddling.
CONS (and my fixes if applicable):
*I wasn't crazy about the loop of strap left by the cam buckle setup, so I popped a black silicone hair tie over the loop to draw it closer to the cam buckle. The loop is still there, but it sticks out about half as far and is less likely to snag on things.
*The velcro for the main flap seems like high quality, which is a nice way of saying that it's very loud. I use this bag to get to my job in a spa and for writing in the library, two places where the RRRIP of velcro is an unwelcome sound. I knew this going in, so I purchased velcro silencing strips from the Timbuk2 website for $5.50 shipped; when they get to me it'll be a non-issue. I plan to use only the buckles for closure. I've seen a lot of people complain about how loud the velcro is but the solution is cheap and easy. Get velcro silencers!
*The ballistic nylon tends to grab at my fleece pullover and suck up all of its fibers into a delicious web. It's easy enough to rub the nylon with my hands and remove most of the pills of rejected fleece bits, but it's a little annoying.
*My biggest con is that having all of the pockets (seriously, 11 of 12 pockets) clustered in the front of the bag means that you'll only be able to use them for relatively flat items. I plan to keep my keys in the napoleon pocket and maybe a lip balm in one of the smaller pockets, but for all other small items I have cute toiletry bags and clasp purses for corralling purposes. They can go into the main pocket of the bag and I can avoid having change, tubes of lip balm, and other small items rattling around the big empty section. I imagine that masculine dudes could purchase manly toiletry bags and such for a similar purpose.
*That girly part of me that wants more compartments would love to see an open back slip pocket. But the tri-panel design is Timbuk2's trademark and would be compromised, design-wise and possible even structurally, by putting a pocket there. I don't even know what I'd use it for. I just want moar pocketz. A few inner side pockets for water bottles, etc. would be a welcome addition as well.
Ultimately the bag is everything I'd hoped for. Not a perfect item, but I don't require perfection. It makes my life easier and puts a smile on my face, so it gets a five-star rave review from me.
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 17.6 x 12.7 x 2.8 inches |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 2.05 Pounds |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 15.9 x 4.7 x 9.7 inches |
| Item Weight | 2.05 Pounds |
| Brand Name | Timbuk2 |
| Model Name | Classic Messenger Bag |
| Color | Mahogany Brown/Pacific |
| Material | Nylon |
| Suggested Users | unisex |
| Manufacturer | Timbuk2 |
| Part Number | 122-2-3077 |
| Style | Classic Messenger Bag |
| Included Components | Messenger Bag |
| Outer Material | Nylon |
| Size | Small |
