Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Different kind of messenger bag questions

After reading various threads on the forum, I decided to buy a Bailey Works bag. I considered Chrome but wanted to see the bag before buying and there are no dealers that had the size I was looking for. Having only heard great things about the Bailey Works I checked it out in person and bought a large Super Pro.

I'm a college professor and intend to use it to carry books, research materials and a lap top. It will also be my "explore the city" bag when I travel.

I loaded it up with some books and pads (actually a fairly heavy load), etc and slung it up and quite frankly, after only a few minutes found it to be uncomfortable. BTW - I'm 5' 11" and about 210 lbs so I'm not a little guy. I work out occasionally so I am disappointed with myself that I didn't find this easier and more comfortable.

Questions:

1. Should the bag be high on the back or more towards the middle of the back?
2. How tight should the strap be? I pretty much made it as tight as I could.
3. Perhaps I overloaded it. At what weight should the discomfort begin?
--- Please don't tell me about the cases of beer and cinder blocks that you carry
effortlessly. I know and I feel bad enough. I've seen plenty of people much smaller than me
whizzing by on their bikes with full loads looking to be having no problems.
4. Is there an adjustment period after which I will get use to the weight?
5. It is certainly more convenient to get on and off than a backpack so I'm willing to keep
working at it. Any suggestions from those with experience?

Thank you for any insight and suggestions.

dunno if this will help, as IANAM (i am not a messenger) but i try to keep the center of mass of my bag centered between my shoulderblades, and the strap just tight enough to keep the bag there. (not always workable if i have large load, but it's usually just a laptop some books, water and some tools).

is the discomfort from the strap or the load itself? if it's from the strap, does the strap have a pad, and if so, does the pad go up and over your shoulder?

if it's not the strap, you might want to consider starting w/ a lighter load to let your body adapt a bit before attempting the 'human mule' bit.

OT but are you a UofD prof? I earned my BA from there. Pretty cool :)

you didn't mention if you even ride a bike or not, but you should know that messenger bags aren't usually that comfortable for carrying large loads except when you're riding a bike. on your feet they kinda suck with lots of crap in 'em.

Dolface - You're probably right about working up to human mule. Yes it has a padded strap so I should do my baby steps and not kill myself right away.

Boots - They don't tell you about the shortcomings of off the bike use on the web sites LOL. I'll just deal with it.

JonB - No I'm not at UD but you're right, it's a great school.

I'm with boots on the off the bike thing - they need to be in a different position. When I go grocery shopping, it's usually just across the street. I set it really loose, and that feels a lot better. If I shop somewhere that I ride to, then I'm usually a lot more carefull about where/how everything is positioned in the bag, and try to make sure that the towel I carry everywhere is between the stuff and my back. I've thought about putting foam between the liner and the outer shell after hearing some people suggest that lately, but I'm lazy.

But anyways, the main reason that you want it higher on your back and tight is for riding. If you just want to carry a lot of stuff and walk, losen it up. You should be able to switch between the two pretty easily with a Bailey.

i have a bailey medium and i keep my straps as tight as possible when i carry a heavy load... i think there is an adjustment period... if you just got it, break it in for awhile, i sort of recall the same thing for myself... with the straps tight it feels like a big fat toad glued to my back, very reassuring!

oh ya good point, the bag is 10x more comfortable when i'm hunched over and pedaling like a monkey... i rarely walk anywhere, but it's not as comfortable walking.. why walk.. bah

i ride with a fairly big bag as well and i find that it when you have more room in the bag there are more possiblities how the contents can be arranged. sometimes things need to be moved around so that the bag can fit your back better. as said hunched-over riding is better too. i also have a foam pad built into the bag itself and that does wonders for the comfort.

If B.W. makes their bags anything like Chrome then the strap won't come straight up and over the top of the bag, but be offset, this makes for great bike riding because when you tighten it snug to your back it hugs you. Wonderful feeling on the bike. Walking on the other hand - when you loosen the straps things don't really work. Forces are going against each other and the bag kind of tilts out at the top, etc.

So, it pretty much depends on what you're carrying. If youre walking and carrying a lot then let it hang, but if you don't have that much stuff then sinch it up like you're on a bike. My Chrome is perfectly comfortable when walking with it sinched.

you didn't mention if you even ride a bike or not, but you should know that messenger bags aren't usually that comfortable for carrying large loads except when you're riding a bike. on your feet they kinda suck with lots of crap in 'em.

Very true- I remember some Timbuk2 ad copy from a few years back, explaining their supuriority to backpacks: "Why wear a bag designed for hiking while riding your bike?" I would say the exact same thing about messenger bags: they don't feel too great standing up.

But let me tell you how many cases of beer I've hauled on my bike...

I think you might be carrying too much heavy stuff. books, laptop, reasearch materials are all really heavy. only things heavier are liquids, tools, and cinderblocks.

Try conducting a college prof type experiment and take the same load in a timbuk2 or even a backpack and see how it feels. bring friends so you can calculate your anova p values for significant-whatever.

I have a baileyworks & I think it's more comfortable than my timbuk2 (on & off the bike)

jeff

"I'm a college professor and intend to use it to carry books, research materials and a lap top. It will also be my "explore the city" bag when I travel."

It took me a while for my shoulder to get use to my chrome bag. After a week or so, I didn't feel any discomfort. But, thats only if I am on the bike. Walking around with a messenger bag with a heavy load still make my shoulder muscles hurt. I cinch the bag as tight as possible except if I have awkward hard objects in the bag that poke me in the back.

i switched to a backpack style bicycle bag recently and i would never go back to messenger style again. also, i can't understand why morebag companies don't have the padded back option, that's another reason i love my backpack.

SO...

are you riding a bike or not? Cause if the answer is no, you should really look into a nice backpack.

Mess bags aren't made for walking. And they really aren't comfortable with really heavy loads, even on the bike. They make due, but a 2 strap design (backpack, and i'veheard great things about the pac x strap, but haven't ever tried one) is far superior for heavy loads.