Why are messenger bags so popular for cyclists(assuming only a tiny percentage of cyclists are actually employed as bike messengers)? It seems like an ordinary student-sized backpack would sit more securely while on the bike, and do better at holding clunky items. It would also be more comfortable while walking around. I prefer not to festoon my bike with racks and panniers, for various reasons. So, why are messenger bags so popular?

First of all, messenger bags can be very comfortable. Most of them have a strap that stabilizes them and keeps them from shifting.

Also, with a messenger bag, you have access to the contents of the bag without having to remove it. When I use a backpack, and need to get something from it, I need one hand to hold the back pack and another hand to get whatever it was I needed from the bag. This leaves no hand to hold my bike.

Messenger bags are most useful in urban situations when you are getting on and off your bike a lot. Also they are great if your commute is multi modal and you need to load your bike on a bus or train.

But if you just have one long ride, then a backpack might suit you better unless you have a shoulder issue in one shoulder as I do.

Backpacks always slide forward on me, while messenger bags stay nicely placed.

A real messenger bag has a stabilizing strap that keeps it solidly in place. It's more than possible to get the "look" but not the function.

My timbuk2 bag is good. The quick adjust strap works well and has not failed me in the past 2 years i've had it. I can ride with no hands and get a water bottle out of my bag easy (only when i'm riding my single speed). However, there are probably better bags out there, but my timbuk2 is fine for now. Not something i want to replace anytime soon since these bags are expensive (but last forever).

However, heavier loads give me left shoulder pain.

Why are messenger bags so popular?

I have no direct experience with them my self, but here goes-

-They are waterproof
-They can contour to your body
-They can be as large or as small as the load warrants. Backpacks tend not to be as 'form-adaptive', they can compress the depth, but not necessarily the height or width.
-They are designed to be worn by people who have aggressive body posture while riding
-They are designed for easy load/unload of contents, and make maximum use of interior space. Most backpacks (not all, but especially US designs) have that teardrop shape that minimizes the space towards the top.

I've tried a few other bags besides the Timbuk2. I actually haven't found a more comfortable bag.

for 20 years, I've used a messenger bag when carrying gear on the bike. I've used lots of backpacks when I am in pedestrian mode. I cannot explain it.

I think it has something with center of gravity.

But try this on - a backpack has two straps and requires two hands to adjust it. Think about tightening or loosening the straps - you do them at the same time. A messenger bag, with its one strap, requires one hand to adjust the load; be that side to side or up and down.

But like I said, I cannot explain it.

Some people prefere backpacks.. other people prefer messenger bags...

For me i been using a messenger bag for quite some time. The messenger bag doesnt make my WHOLE back sweaty, just a little lower back part, and the strap across my chest. With the front strap, the bag does not shift much.

I've used backpacks as well, not to the extent i've used my messenger bag, But the backpacks leave my back sweaty. Alot of times the weight feels really high. And it also has that got out of school dork look.

the image of the messenger bag sure looks cooler due to the hip messengers, but they are used for a reason. Its more function over form than anything else i think.

Maybe ill use a backpack tommorow

Messengers are great for quick access and lighter loads. On my commute however I usually am carrying 5-15 pounds on my back, and my shoulders give me trouble with a messenger bag. I switched to a backpack for commuting, and a messenger for lighter daily excursions. It all depends on what you feel is most important.

I'm not a messenger either, but having tried both a backpack and a messenger bag for commuting and general utility riding, I much prefer the messenger bag, more comfortable whether I'm afoot or on the bike, and much more convenient. I even ditched my briefcase for work, and replaced it with a Chrome Mini-metro.

I use a 3 day assault pack with chest and hip straps. I don't want to deal with anything that shifts weight on me suddenly.

I love my messenger bag and use it every once in awhile. But it just couldn't hold anywhere near all the stuff that I carry in my backpack.

I like my "messenger backpack", a Crumpler Famous Wine Bar, for when I don't want to mess with panniers. Distributes the load well for when you're on a bike, big capacity, and has an optional waist strap that's really optional. (It comes off completely, not dangling at your sides and catching on stuff.) So that's a thing to consider if you want two straps to bear a heavier load more evenly (or for whatever reason). They only started making messenger backpacks in the last few years; before that I used Chrome messenger bags because they were one of the few reasonable, really waterproof options out there.

I think they are more comfortable cuz the load is not as high up on your back, the load is lower near your waist. for commuting and even long joyrides I use my rear rack trunk - but when i need to carry a bit more to work like food or clothing, then I use my courier bag.

There are some backpacks that resemble two strap messenger bags so the lines can get blurred a little. One big advantage as other people have said is that you can easily swing a messenger bag around to the front and get at the contents without taking it off.

A couple of other advantages you can find in some backpacks but are fairly universal in messenger bags, is weatherproofness and a huge flap which makes it easier to pack large and oddly shaped items.

Again, there are lots of different kinds of backpacks so this isn't a problem with all of them, but on a road bike the top can occasionally hit the back of my helmet if they ride too high.

With both backpacks and messenger bags, spending some extra money to get better quality will make you a lot happier in the end. For example, don't buy a messenger bag without a cross strap. So many people that have tried messenger bags and complained that they moved around on them didn't get ones with a cross strap.

Actually I never really came clean about what I really use to haul stuff. Since fanny packs are so outdated and I can get them at yard sales and thrift stores for $.25 a piece, I have a dozen of them strapped around my waist and chest, slung over shoulders in a layered and cool criss-cross bandolier fashion and strapped to my thighs. Weight is distributed evenly, nothing shifts to any real degree thereby upsetting my balance and they're easy to access. And when little kids chase after me to beat me up I can use them as bolas or just shed them one at a time until enough weight has been removed to give me a slight speed advantage and out ride the little cretins.

Besides... I like writing 'fanny-pack' for the benefit of our friends living in the UK.

^Ain't nothing wrong with using a fanny/waist/lumbar pack. Been thinking about picking one up for summer.

I use both for different purposes. I have two bags, both from R.E.Load, which is a local company that makes some very nice bags. My messenger bag is 5 years old and still in great shape. It's good for quick trips and light loads, or when I need easy access to my lock. That said, it hurts my shoulder when I use it for too long. It also slips, which drives me CRAZY. No matter how tight I make the strap, the bag will drift to the right side of my back when there's anything at all in the bag. I find that I have to shove the bag back up onto my back every few blocks. Annoying.

The backpack (called the Midpack) is amazing for commuting and one-stop shopping. It's 100% waterproof and made from cordura, just like the messenger bag, but it's much more comfortable. It doesn't slip at all, and thanks to RELoad's bike-centric design, I can adjust the straps with one hand. It also has side pockets that are perfect for a lock and a water bottle. It does make my back VERY sweaty, however, so for summer riding I'm looking forward to some new panniers for my daily commute.

More info about and pictures of my bags can be found here, on my blog.

well I like my messenger (small Timbuk2) because it's cooler than my backpacks and doesn't shift while riding due to the cross strap. i also don't tend to bring a lot of stuff so weight isn't a factor, and if it was a bungee net would take care of it.

i have a smallish vans[yes like the shoes] mess bag that is great when only half full. if im fully loaded it sucks, even with it proper secured with the stability strap.
normally i carry my toolkit, inflator, 2 tubes, a change of socks, a t-shirt, my wallet, my mobile, my keys, a couple clif bars and lunch. any more and the bag doesnt 'wear' right.
i'll be buying a medium sized knapsack soon.