hello viper --

i have both a seagull and a reload. here are my thoughts:

i bought the reload a few years ago having never used another "bona fide" messenger bag. i thought it was the ultra jam and swore by it for almost 2 years. The construction is stellar -- the years of experience really show -- and the finishing is quite clean. i would probably have never thought to try anything else had i not decided to get a slightly smaller bag for day-to-day use.

i'd been eying bags that friends had from brands like baileyworks, under the weather, pac, chrome, seagull, etc, and made it a point to try them on and get a feel for the strap system. the one thing that i had always heard about the reload bags was that the straps are stiff as **** and that the break-in period is pretty long. i tended to agree with this, but didn't know if anything else would really be better.

it turns out that almost all of the straps that i tried were significantly easier to use than the reload. i didn't necessarily like them more (i hate the goddamn chrome straps), but tightening and loosening was typically easier. i really liked seagull's strap setup, found the construction to be solid (it's gotten even better since i got mine), and most importantly, found the straps to be very pliable and easy to use when brand new. it was a bit of a toss-up between seagull and pac for me. i ended up going with seagull over pac because of price, the more interesting aesthetic/design, and the fact that i like supporting friends and local businesses. i am definitely happy with my choice and will more than likely choose seagull if i need another bag at some point.

that all said, i think you'll probably be happy if you go with either. aside from the strap, i think that the reload work is extremely high quality and have purchased other items (top tube pads, etc) from them since. and honestly, the strap isn't abysmal, i just don't like it in comparison to other options.