Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - are timbuk2 bags really waterproof?

my girlfriend just got one in the mail, but it looks like rain could get in pretty easily at the edges if it were full of stuff. anybody experience this? it needs to carry things that can't get wet...

There's no way to seal them, so yes, if you have the bag full to bursting, its going to leak a bit.

In general they do very well with keeping things dry. I took one out for an hour and a half during a heavy downpour that soaked me to the bone (although almost no wind so at least the rain was straight down) and it kept my camera mostly dry (I think most of the water that did get in was from opening it up to get the camera out). So they do very well but if you're skipping through a typhoon, there's going to be some water in the bag.

waterproof, no, water resistant yes, and after a fair amount of usage they arent even very water resistant------my old timbuk started leaking water into it in the rain after about 5 months of doing 30 runs/day

water-resistant enough for the price. as much as people talk smack on timbuk2, they do make good bags for the price.
i'm still rocking my medium until my r.e.load comes.

Do they still do the heavier liner? If so, the heavy liner is pretty decent.

I've moved on to a Reload which hasn't been beaten as heavily, though (only a year old and no monsoons), so I don't feel confident in comparing them yet.

I had a 40 minute ride through a typhoon when my medium was brand new - I was soaked through within about 10 seconds of stepping out the door, but the bag was fine. At the end of the ride everything in the bag was dry but you could have problems with water getting in at the sides unles you're careful

the main problem i could see with stuff getting wet is the little amount of stuff you can actually fit in a timbuk2. my medium is always bursting at the seams when i'm actually carrying stuff, so yeah it'll get wet if you don't have the flap sinched down real tight.

i have this right now:
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=66&subcategory=1237&brand=&sku=9036&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=Shop%20by%20Subcat%3A%20Duffels%20and%20Backpacks

..the inner bag is huge, and it rolls down at the top so it's completely waterproof. i've ridden through a downpour with my laptop and didn't even worry about it. i think we'll probably return the timbuk2 and get another one of these...they're cheaper besides. the only thing i don't like is the lack of small compartments, but at least i know things will stay dry.

nah...you can get timbuk2s at that price. just look around. Ive found my Timbuk2 to be waterproof EXCEPT when i spilled water Inside the bag somehow... no clue how that happened, and i saw a small little water spot on the bottom corner of the bag (right where the seam is). so no, they arent perfect, but they are pretty damn close to it. great if you can find them for cheap (like around $50)

ive found mine to be good. i trust my nikon d70 (which was lost in a bar in nova scotia in a timbuk2 bag) and my powerbook (which currently wont turn on and is sitting in my timbuk2 bag now) to them and haven't been let down.

,scuba steve

they're not drybags, but they're not designed to be. if you don't overload them and use the flap buckles, you'll be okay. a good habit is to zip up your notebooks (&c) in the organizer pouch, so if water does enter the main compartment it won't soak all your pages as it sloshes around.

if you have camera equipment or other sensitive stuff, you can get these slick neoprene wraps from B&H that fold/velcro around your things, and more or less keep water out.

If you're really concerned about water getting into your messenger bag... go here (http://bagaboo.hu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=37)

Or try one of these (http://www.drypakcase.com/roll_top.php). Around $10, I think.

had mine over five years, never had water penetration, and i've worn it in all kinds of crappy weather

i've had one for two years. it's only let water in when it's been jam-packed, and then just a little.

if you need insurance, just stop somewhere where you see a garbage can. lift the bag out, reach down, and pull out an unused bag (that's where lots of places keep them - underneath the being-used bag), and dump your crap in there and put it in your bag.

also a good thing to do if you're caught without rainwear. garbage bags are instant ponchos!

mattio you steal garbage bags? you lowlife you! :roflmao:

i borrow them eddie. i always return them to a garbage can when i'm done with them!

keep a couple plastic grocery bags with you...

in the event you must carry precious cargo in a downpour use them.

most bags are pretty good when new but eventually water will find it's way in somewhere. my crumpler used to be waterproof but now leaks a little on the seams at the bottom when it gets absolutely drenched. before that i had a timbuk2 that i got used and it was never waterproof...