tennisplyr3

I figured this would be the best place to ask about messenger bags.

My backpack of 12 years is beginning to break (zippers/ tearing fabric/ etc.), and I was going to send it in for repair, leaving me with no bag to take in to work.

I figured I might as well get a messenger bag because it would be most practical for carrying my stuff (laptop, notebooks, etc) to work. There's just so many bags out there that I don't know which ones are good/ bad. I'm planning on riding it in rain or shine. I'm ~150 lbs and about 5'7". I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions. My budget is preferably <$100 (the cheaper the better, but if it will last a very long time, I can go higher).

Thanks in advance...

Saberhead

timbuk2 i think run under 100$ and i know chrome bags have a sale bin where they have bags for under 100$. i used to have a chrome bag and it was great, i would suggest checking out their websites bargain bin.

passerby

the seagull black bag would be your best bet. super durable (will last you years), good looking, and has a very stable strap/buckle design. theyll run you about $110 depending on the size youre looking for.

btw, i think chrome bags suck, although many others will disagree with me.

erichsia

I suggest a bicycling specific backpack. I've noticed that after having to commute with a mess bag, my spine has paid the price for it. It wasn't as big of a deal when I was in school, but the last 2 years as an everyday commuter have really taken their toll on my back. Most of the major mess bag companies also make a backpack option as well.

As for Chrome bags, I think they're great. Overexposed, maybe. But top-notch quality.

carleton

A messenger bag is not the most practical for carrying a laptop, notebooks, etc...that you listed. A backpack is the most practical, easy to find, and least expensive. A decent messenger bag is around $100 or more. A backpack of similar quality is around $50.

Messenger bags are/were used by bike messengers because:
A) They had to carry unusually sized packages at times
B) They are in and out of the bag frequently. This is why they just slide it around the shoulder instead of taking it off.

Commuting to work or school you likely have the same load daily and you only go into the bag when before you start your ride and when you reach your destination.

Messenger bags are generally cavernous and your stuff gets majorly mixed up inside.

I have a *thing* for bags. I currently have (not counting what I've sold or given away) 5 backpacks and 3 messenger bags (Chrome, Custom Timbuk2, Nike). I almost never use the messenger bags. I sometimes use my huge Chrome bag as a weekend bag when I fly. The other 2 I've probably never used. Seriously.

igknighted

How is the waterproofing on these bags? It rains here every day (or seems to recently) and I carry my laptop with me often. My current bag (got it for free) gets stuff damp inside, and I really worry about the computer some days.

carleton

+1

Great materials & great strap design and padding. Chrome is the standard to which other bags are compared. The chrome bag that mentioned in the earlier post, I've had since 2004. I used it daily when I commuted in Baltimore (when I thought it was a great idea to use a messenger bag). I also used it when I lived in Bermuda and only had a motorcycle for basic transportation. It was my grocery bag and my laundry bag (held a week's worth of each). But, for commuting to work, I used a backpack.

carleton

Which bags?

As far as messenger bags go, Chrome is the best for waterproofing. They have a thick, rubber type lining. They also have a unique fold that keeps rain from falling into the top corner when you are riding. Clever. Timbuk2 and other basic bags don't have that.

I used a Chrome bag to haul gear (not commute to work) when Hurricane Florence hit Bermuda in 2006. I was shooting photos for Reuters. It kept everything nice and dry while I was on my motorcycle during the storm when hunting for photos.

This is the only photo that I took that I can find online:


https://www.millennium-ark.net/NEWS/0...TS.Gordon.html

sanderswm

The Chrome Soyuz looks pretty solid, near-waterproof main compartment with a separate and equally waterproof laptop compartment (at least according to Wired). https://www.wired.com/reviews/product...chromebackpack

Meepers

I have used Timbuk2, Chrome and R.E. Load in heavy rain. nothing got wet. The Timbuke2 is the oldest and most worn out. It is still waterproof, but the flap seems to be to "soft" anymore. meaning it flaps to one side leaving an opening for elements to get in. The Chrome and R.E. Load seem to be better designed with over sized flaps to prevent this from happening. I commute all summer long, rain or shine, by scooter. I mostly use the R.E. Load (bigger), but that and the Chrome have never let in any rain. here is a photo of my chrome bag sitting in the rain for two hours.

i was sitting at a table drinking beer in the rain at a festival. nothing got wet. not even when the Gods unleashed their wrath on my way home.

But if i were to commute daily with my lap top, i would use a back pack. with the chrome warsaw, or a Seagull bag with a laptop sleeve. I have seen some other chrome bagpacks in use on bikes with lap tops, and they seemed to work great.

W!LL

I have a chrome citizen and it works really well, but it can be too small sometimes
another option would be this backpack
https://www.wired.com/reviews/product...undup_commuter
looks super waterproof especially with the zipper placement

____asdfghjkl

https://www.messengers.org/resources/bags.html

you can browse.
you should get a backpack if you are going to carry a laptop
and get one with a chest harness.

tennisplyr3

Hmmm... Thanks for all of the input, everyone.

I guess what I'm looking for then is a backpack for commuting that is waterproof (like the inside of messenger bags). Does such a bag exist?

If it doesn't, would a wise thing to do be to just get any regular backpack and buy a waterproof laptop sleeve? Although, I really would prefer if the rest of my stuff doesn't get wet though...

adriano 

check out the mahoubar.

W!LL

the backpack i posted is such a thing
https://www.ortliebusa.com/CartGenie/prod-166.htm

antilogy

Has anyone ever put water-resistant spray for shoes on their bags? Curious if spraying a layer and having the water bead off would be better.

Meepers

my top two choices for water proof messenger backpacks.
https://www.chromebagsstore.com/warsaw.html
https://seagullbags.com/backpack/
and here are the rest of the chrome bags.
https://www.chromebagsstore.com/laptop-bags.html
https://www.chromebagsstore.com/messenger-packs.html
i've seen this one in action.https://www.chromebagsstore.com/soyuz.html it works great, but a little on the small side for me.
all water proof. some of the chrome bags have laptop sleeves. the seagull you'll have to get a flap pocket added and probbaly a padded sleeve for security.

chaintug

Backpack, FTW. Back problems suck.

adriano 

..

Swiftly

here is a side by side comparison that i found useful https://www.fixedgeargallery.com/reviews/messengerbags/

i have 2 from that review not the actual bags but ones that i bought that are reviewed there. they make a few mistakes and the pictures of them riding with the bags look funny but side by side is a good way to compare.

in the end you get what you pay for, so if you want a "standard" bag then a buck fifty for a chrome is pretty standard. if you want a cheaper one they have banjo brothers and timbuk2 reviewed. if you want handmade attention to detail and expect something made to your spec then you have to buy from the more expensive companys

c0urt

make your own, you will feel more attached to it, and if something happens, you can make another.

blickblocks

The problem is when you have 15 bags that you never use anymore because you make a new bag every time you get tired of the color scheme.

There's a fine line between practice and indulgence, I don't remember where it is.

adriano 

bag makers, have you seen that timbuk2 cooler bag? how would you do that yourself?

c0urt

yeah, could be done fairly easily. I need to see one up close to verify what i said, I hate making guesses. what it looks like there is an outer liner that is padded (or it is not only the flap is padded.), and a inner liner that is padded (but I think the top flap may not be padded) and zips into the bag has a lid. Would require a lot of investment the zippers

actually what makes sense now that i think about it, outer bag has water proof liner, the flap is lined with foam to soak in heat and block heat. keeps the bag rest of the flexible.
the inner bag has a base and top, it zips close, and lower part is lined with foam, the top flap of that bag is not. makes it a little more easy to zip both parts together.
They both zip together with two way zippers, they zip apart so you can keep your bag on and take your cooler off and clean it out, the inner part gets a strap. Makes life easier.

that's what i see in my head

blickblocks

1. find insulating materials

2. ?

3. profit