I've been using a Chrome Citizen bag for a few months and love it. I normally just carry a laptop and a shirt, underwear, and socks when I'm commuting on the bike. (I leave shoes and pants at work.) It's a perfect size for that. I also use it for all kinds of other off-bike purposes now, too.

I don't use the stabilizing strap at all. I tried it once, but I actually like being able to reach back and shift the bag around a bit from time to time. It barely moves at all on its own, so the stabilizer strap seems rather unnecessary most of the time.

The bag does get a little uncomfortable if you're carry a very large volume of stuff. When overloaded, the bag tends to become more spherical than flat, and ends up pressing against my back over a smaller area, creating more pressure. It also tries to move ("roll") around more, and the stabilizer strap becomes more useful. You might be able to stuff a piece of stiff cardboard or other material in there to keep an overloaded bag flat, but I haven't bothered to try. If I have to carry pants and shoes in addition to the stuff listed above, the bag is just slightly uncomfortable. The Metro bag would be a good idea if you're carrying more than the essentials.

I love the way the bag looks, and it's really comfortable when not overloaded. I tried using a backpack for a bit before I bought the Chrome bag, but I didn't like how the backpack kept the weight on my upper back. When wearing the Chrome, the weight is right in the center of my back.

The bag is very easy to swivel around and rummage through while standing. I do this all the time to get at my keys or light-rail tickets.

I hardly ever use the trademark Chrome seat-belt buckle. It seems just as easy to lift it over my head, and unbuckling has a couple of disadvantages. First, when unbuckled, it's hard to grip the bag. There's no other handle of any kind on it, so you only have two options: carry it by the strap, or just bear-hug it. If the strap is unbuckled, you can't really use it. You can grip the thick padded part of the shoulder strap, but that doesn't feel very secure when you're carrying something heavy and valuable. Second, when unbuckled, the lower end of the seat-belt buckle flails around pretty well, banging into everything and making a ruckus.

I haven't had a chance to test its water-handling capability (it doesn't rain for nine months here). Everyone says messenger bags only remain waterproof for 18 months or so. I'm not sure what about the bag changes over that time, though. If you're carrying important papers, you can always put them inside a plastic document folder or other container, adding an extra level of protection. Most other items -- laptops, clothes, etc. -- won't be damaged by a few drops of water anyway.

The pockets on the front of the bag are a bit small and hard to use for my taste. Ideally, I'd want to be able to shove my wallet, keys, work ID, gum, cell phone, chapstick, and all that kinda crap into a "man purse" compartment which is expandable, easy to get into, and has a zipper. The only zippered pocket on the Chrome bag is very low-volume and remains flat, making it hard to fish things out quickly. I am considering buying a, uh, "man purse," which I'll put into the main compartment, for this purpose.

- Warren