I'm a big BIG fan of messenger bags. I think they are the archetypal manbag... if they're slung bandolier-style over your shoulder with the strap across your chest they almost always look cool. I very rarely hang a messenger bag off one shoulder as you run the risk of looking like a bag man (baaad) rather than a man with a bag (goooood). A small difference, but an important one in my mind.
For many years while living in London I regularly took myself all over the city carrying a book, a camera, a Minidisc player (this was a few years ago) and assorted stuff. I always used an Eastpak messenger bag (more on those in a forthcoming post) and became a fan of that style. Not to mention the fact that bike messengers use them and always, no matter how grimey they are, look cool.
So fast forward several years to zero-seven, when I found myself regularly going to and from my office with a laptop and assorted paraphenalia; wires, chargers, mobile modem, mouse, etc. I needed a bag in a hurry and bought a Crumpler Luncheon. Bad move. As it turns out, they're really not very well thought out. My two main gripes are that they only have three big pockets, with nowhere to put pens, wallet, mobile, etc without having to root around all the other stuff. Next gripe is that they have so much padding that even when nearly empty are really broad. So that got sold and I put a not insubstantial amount of money down on a Timbuk2 Laptop Messenger. Boy, what a good move I made.
I've wanted a Timbuk2 bag for a while now. They have quite a following and a really cool website. Despite their incredible quality and niche almost cult status, not many people have written about them, further enhancing their cachet in my mind.
The bag arrived at my door in New Zealand (ie. the end of the world) less than a week later, in a really cool Timbuk2 branded plastic envelope. Shame it didn't seem recyclable or even re-usable once opened. Inside, my new bag. Ah the joy.
What is amazing about it in particular, before I go into the detail, is that generally as with any addiction, I generally find fault after a few weeks with any new bag. But apart from the one big (actually quite small) fault I've got with the Timbuk2, five months later I still think it's not only the coolest, but most functional laptop bag you can buy. Before I go on, I should say that there is only one reason you might not want one, and that is that you may prefer a rucsack/backpack design. That's fine, you're not alone, but I'm sorry I just don't think they look anywhere near as good as messenger bags. Even if your shoulder does occasionally ache after a long walk. Oh I guess you might prefer a 'business' style laptop bag, but if you do you're probably not a bagaholic as they're all horrible.
Anyway, onto the bag itself. Although it looks like a fairly standard courier bag, the moment you pull it out of its envelope it feels totally different, thanks to the bombproof heavy fabric they use to make them.
Mine came with a funny yellow tag on the side, which I'm guessing could be to hang it on a Point of Display stand. But it looks kinda cool, particularly since it's the Timbuk2 brand yellow. So mine stayed on. You can also see the buckle which enables you to really easily lengthen and shorten the strap. Some messenger bags allow you to do this one handed, but the T2 version is still pretty slick, even if the plastic does feel a little cheap. (Sorry, my blog camera over-exposed the yellow tag, but believe me, it's a cool shade of yellow)
So in we go... Inside it's what you'd expect with a twist. A laptop sleeve with funky soft corduroy to protect your pride and joy (lingerie for laptops?), a big compartment for your papers and an incredible array of pockets. Brilliantly, the waterproof inner lining is light grey, making finding bits 'n'bobs in the bottom of the bag easy.
The organiser is awesome and a real strong point. Pens, business cards, mobile phone, keys on a very cool red lanyard and loads of other odds and sods that you'd usually have cluttering up your pockets. You could stuff your computer bits in here at a push, but they'd be a bit cluttered if you're like me and carry a LOT of stuff for your laptop. I use a Waterfield pouch for my accessories which I'll write about in another post. A really cool feature is that the whole organiser section is only sewn into the bag along the top and bottom, enabling you to slide stuff behind it into a sort of secret stash pocket. I keep a LaCie Rugged 80gb hard drive back there, out of sight.
And there are more pockets on the front under the flap. Two actually, one a kind of back pocket where I normally keep my wallet as it's easy to slip in and out, and a zipped pocket that I don't use much. You know how when you fly somewhere you always end up short of pockets for stuff? Like receipts or other clutter? The T2 is more than up to the task of providing a pocket for every need. Superb.
Although not a design feature in itself, I find it very useful that the flap is so expansive. When I'm working at a client's office (in the case of these photos, a newspaper picture desk) I open the bag and put everything not plugged into my laptop on the lid. If I have to leave in a hurry I don't need to take ages finding everything.
And it really looks cool when you're wearing it, but for that you'll have to wait for a photo I've not taken yet...
To round up, I suppose I should mention the useful features it has... but they're obvious from the T2 website. A grab handle is great and it comes with a stability strap too, useful if you're running for the bus or riding your bike. And that drawback I mentioned earlier ? I was really hoping, even presuming, that the shoulder strap would be seat-belt material. It's not, it's made of some cheaper-looking webbing. Although there seems nothing wrong with it and I can't tell if I only noticed because I assumed it would be seat-belt strap, but for some reason it seems to be the weak link in the bag - everything else is so incredibly high quality bombproof thick fabric, solid zips and heavy key clips.
Oh, nearly forgot, and it's got a nifty little tab to fit a small bike light to. All in all, extremely well thought out and a bag that is going to get a lot of use. Until I can justify buying a Chrome messenger that is....
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