Under the Weather Messential Review
 

Let me say this is my first "Real" messenger bag...

I have been using an Echo "DJ" sling bag for 5 years.. and last year got a Timbuk2 laptop bag so I can take my macbook to and fro around town with out destroying it..

okay.. so that being said

This bag is amazing... The colors are perfect.. I loved being able to pick out every last detail.. including the color of the 'thread' amazing..it's dark gray body, black boot/lid. light blue pocket.. baby blue thread.. the "badevilcow" color combo incase you want one ;) ;) The customer service was top knotch.. the UTW team *smile* answered every single tiny question I had.. and helped me under stand the plus and negative of every option i got..
I got the backpad.. the double intenal liner.. the ballistic boot (they even used 1680d!) i got the pen pockets.. and the zip pocket.. and a blinky holder .. basically i got 'the works'

the shoulder pad is amazing.. i think i could fill this thing with bricks and not have any shoulder pain!!

Okay.. so the bag rides nice and high on my back.. and nice and tight..the straps work wonders.. it's great to beable to fit pretty much everything i need/want for a day or two in this puppy..

my first day out i put my chess board in the bag.. and rode to the library to play some chess with a friend.. i ended up checking out 5 books on chess.. good sized books.. and I rode across the city to my favorite coffeeshop with NO. back pain.. noithing dug into my back thanks to the amazing backpad.. and the bag never shifted once.. even while i hit high cadence.. i'm very happy so far

day two. i went to the store.. i got 6 boxes of cereal, a box of oatmeal and two organic root beers in the bag no problem.. i rode home.. and to both my surprise and sorta enjoyment i got stuck in a nice steady rain.. the bag kept everything totally dry.. not on drop of water inside.. i can't say the same out the other two bags i own..

So i'm a happy camper.. i think UTW are the best (of course i own one) the bag seems bombproof. and i really like the large front pocket. i thought i wanted a split like on the r.e.load.. but no. i love keeping mail/journals/bike pumps and stuff in the front pocket....also.. the LID DOES CLOSE PERFECT EVERYTIME. something i saw on fixedgear gallery and totally get now.. yeah it's awezome.. sorry my review is so jumpy. i suck at typing. .but.. i took some pictures so you can just feast your eyes... hope the pictures don't suck too bad.. i'll post a 'long term' review eventully.. any questions just ask

oh and for thoes of you who 'live the life' the bag came with two postcards with information on nybmf.org (new york bike messenger foundation) and one with info on www.bicyclemessenger.org which was really a smart and great thing to put in a 'messenger' bag ;)

cheers!
-badevilcow


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Holy moley what an odd review! I have had nothing but good luck transporting melons and sega genesis cartridges in either of my 2 UTW bags. One of them is the biggest model and I have successfully carried a warhammer 40,000 imperial guard 2,500 point army in it as well as a halloween costume and a Toronto Life magazine listing the hottest take out restaurants of the season. I got mine with no frills because I ride brakeless and eat grits for breakfast. Definitely a company worth supporting, and if I ever get another bag (I don't know why I'd need to- these ones will last forever) it will be from UTW.

heh awesome! they are amazing amazing bags

my review was not _that_ odd or bad. was it?? :p

I'd just like to take this opportunity to point out what an incredible nerd Shiznaz is.

That is all.

heh mellons and sega games! i love that.. what a great combo.. i think more awesome things are carried daily in messenger bags then any other 'kind' of 'bag'

All the makings of a fine evening!

Thanks, but obviously not really necessary. ;)

The other crap I carry in my bag could just as likely have me labelled as an art student, construction worker or tambourine man.

P.S. my imperial guard army are painted to look the the UN and kick so much ass most people won't even play with me anymore. So I either have to play my eldar or dark angel army instead. I have used my fantasy chaos army in a pinch as well (works better with the new rules). I bought 99% of this crap when I was alot younger and not in to bikes. I still paint them occasionally though and had a brief relapse into playing a year or two ago.

Jesus, dude...you just have to take everything one step too far, don't you?

(I only lash out at you because of incredible amounts of D&D and Magic: The Gathering in my past. You hate that which reminds you of yourself.)

<33

My millstone deck or my burn/frustration deck will destroy your deck's will to live.

magic the gathering is awesome.. i used to play all the time.. now i just have two nice decks

yeah so umm this just proves how awesome UTW is.. their bags just spark creative and dorky off ref. talks.. yes yes yes

Grrrrrl, uh-uh, no you didn't.

My white weenie deck will eat your deck's face at breakfast time, then give you a Cleveland Steamer before lunch, where it will eat your deck's genitals.

Also, yes, hoorays for UTW, I kind of want some o' them pants.

no no no.. my all black deck with demonic tutor's and sengir vampires and night mares will make you run and hide! or my white/blue classic stasis/twiddle deck will totally make you cry... ;)

my oath of druids deck will still rule you all... it takes about 8 hours to win though.

There is only one way to solve this.

Deck Drafting tournament, everyone brings 1 box of boosters. MUHAHAHAH

UTW is wicked, I bought one of their biggest bags for my cousin and he LOVES it. Amazing people, boutique product and wicked after purchase support what more can you ask?

yep! totally.. i even had some silly quesitons about best way to adjust the strap and i got a full email telling me everything i would ever need to know!!! if i lived near them i'd sooo send them a cake!

What's the strap adjustment on these bags like? Can you loosen/tighten them with one hand easily while riding?

I can't think of many pro-grade bags that aren't easy to adjust while riding.

It just hasn't been mentioned, that's all. And it's pretty important issue with mess bags -- of course. It doesn't seem to have any details on it on the UtW website either. Nice job on the review anyway, evilcow.

Looks like a zo-style metal buckle, that's easily one-handable.

They have 2 different styles. Both are easy to use but pretty different. I was thinking of how to explain them but my mind is seriously failing me right now...

thank you..

yeah it's pretty easy to adjust.. lets just say.. my first 'real' bike bag.. my first fixed gear bike.. and i dont' struggle at all.. just pull the loop up and the bag is tight.. real nice.. if there is a better system it must be perfect. .cause this strap/buckle slides like butter

+1 on the burn/frustration deck

in other news my goblin weenie deck would take you all, and my red/white will destroy everything ever, all at once.

wow.. i can't beleive you all played M:TG thats great... i miss sitting around the picnic table near the comic store playing M:TG for hours on end.. good times good times

OK, who changed my homepage to magicthegatheringforums.net?

milling's a thing of the past, homie. Actually I wouldn't know, I stopped buying after Alliances... but I haven't stopped playing!