Timbuk2 Messenger

Timbuk2 Messenger

The Timbuk2 laptop messenger is a high quality laptop messenger bag from the company that brought messenger bags into mass market appeal. The build quality is top notch, and the ability to customize the colors and fabrics is pretty appealing, but you will pay for both. It comes in three sizes to accommodate your laptop needs, with the largest size accommodating a 17″ MacBook Pro reasonably easily.

In general I think there are a lot of parallels with the Apple Design philosphy- with this bag you are really paying for style and quality, but style trumps functionality. The bags hold a lot, but they focus on large, open compartments to capture the classic courier bag feel. It has a smaller front compartment with some pen organizers, and a couple small pouches, as well as a larger pouch in the main area, but mostly everything jumbles together. This is less than practical if you want to keep the bag organized with a multitude of stuff, such as I carry. It is easy to get into the bag, as it really just has one big flap that connects with clips, but as a result it doesn’t form any real seal. I found this very concerning with a laptop, especially when I commuted by foot in Pacific Northwest weather.  Also, it would have been trivial to add a water bottle holder on the side, it practically begs for it, but alas, that wouldn’t capture the true courier feel so it is not present.

I could easily carry a second laptop in a laptop sleeve, and it would hold most everything I needed, but I sort of felt it was like my mother’s purse, with just a bunch of junk floating around needing to be dug out. I also resented that I had to pay extra for a strap pad, though it is pretty comfortable. If you customize a bag, it is pretty easy to end up with a $150 (or more) contraption. That said, the strap pouches for music players and cell phones, while also pricey, are pretty nice, and I have used them on multiple messengers and even a backpack that had a convenient place for them.

Pros

• Well made, of high quality material
• You can customize the bag and get just the look you want
• laptop padding is pretty effective
• Holds a ton of crap

Cons

• Pricey
• Doesn’t offer a lot of organizational space for the gadget heavy
• I worry about it keeping the elements out with its single flap design, even after using it for quite a while

Conclusion – Grade: B

If it was a bit cheaper I would rate it higher, and I dig the customization. You can get it a bit cheaper if you buy a premade one (especially if you buy it from a source other than Timbuk2 directly), but I think that really defeats the draw of Timbuk2 (get the bag exactly how you want it). I didn’t like how disorganized the bag was, but I did like the space it offered. I could carrying everything pretty comfortably, even if the constant sense of chaos within it bothered me. If you want a high quality bag, built how you want it, and don’t mind a bit of disorder, are willing to pay the price, and live in a place you aren’t worried about being out in the elements in, this is a good bag for you.

~ Joshbw