I have a loaner Mess bag that I will be returning to it's owner next week. I used it for about 3 months and I figure it's about time to get my own damn bag. It's really much better than a backpack, but I've geeked out my bikes with racks/panniers so I'll be going that route for now. I'm going to get a mess bag when my new bike is done cause I want at least one bike I that isn't completely dopey for when I need to look rad. It might take a while, I don't have a ton of money for silly things like "looking rad".

for one, mess bags are totally waterproof, and that is so ****ing key for a guy like me who rides in all weather. i ****ed up my 35 year old copy of franny and zooey when it was in my non-waterproof backpack.

size -- i can transport my trainer on my back, enough said. also good for loading groceries, though. and a 30 rack of beer cans, still in the box.

they are also fairly comfortable. i am thinking about switching to a freight backpack, though, i'm not sure.

I love messenger bags for everything but cycling. For cycling, they are the worst because there is nothing to prevent them from swinging around and ending up on your belly instead of on your back. The only way I can manage to prevent this from happening is to tighten the strap as tight as possible after putting the messenger bag on my body. Of course, I have to make it so tight that I can't even take the bag off my body without loosening it. It's the worst.

Well, there's an original opinion...

Messenger bags work like that. Put on, tighten, ride. When you get it off you have to loosen it or release the buckle. That's why they have good buckle systems in the middle of your chest. Gotta use them. Gotta also use the chest strap to stop the bag swinging around.

Off the bike... on one shoulder...pfffft.

backpacks are the way of the future

theyre like mess bags except twice as comfy!

After I broke my shoulder (twice) backpacks HURT. Esp when it gets cold.

FIrst I prefer my panniers and rack trunk. On my race bike; should i need to carry stuff; first i use by back pack and then my messenger bag. Not sure why because I hate objects on my back while riding. That even includes my camelbak. I should really use my messenger bag. It hangs more securely at my side. Maybe that is a reason for riding my race bike less frequently than my tourers.

- bought my last mess bag at Target - $6.99, then discounted to $3.89... of course, it's a CHICOM-made knockoff fashioned out of cordura, but at least it doesn't have the rather garish and obnoxious color scheme of most of the over-priced mess bags on the market...

- i'd support more U.S. bag makers, but give me a break... a mess bag is no TravelPro...

Most of the overpriced mess bags come in any colour combination your heart desires. It's just that messenger types like to stand out and order loud colours.

I didn't update... but I bought a bag
Found a deal on a TimBuk2, and have been using it for a week or so. Pretty comfy. I prefer it over the bag I was using. It doesn slip to the side just a little more than I'd like, but not too bad. I little shove with the elbow straigtens it out. Yes, I use a cross strap, and tighten it down (not enough to choke or squeeze me though), and it is held in place close enough.
I think my stature is too small for a medium bag though. With the fairly small loads, the bag itself is longer than the strap. I guess being a skinny azz 125lb guy didn't help the fitment.

I've also ordered some material to customize it.
Oh yeah, it's dark grey, with a dark red middle panel... so it has color, but doesn't scream. Hopefully it will at night once I'm done with it.

I like the way messenger bags wrap around your waist. Yet, the side straps make the bag not flop about. Keeps your back dry compared to back packs.

Because of the simple reason that it is better suited for riding a bike. Once your backpack is full that thing feels so weird when you ride. with a mess bag things are distributed over a wider surface area and its weight isn't suspended in the air to be pulled down by gravity. of course the backpacks designed for riding (Chrome, WIG, Reload) are a diff story and i have no comment on those since i never rode with one.

plus you can carry an extra passenger with a messenger bag
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and you could do custom art work on a mess bag
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My son has both a Chrome Messenger Bag and a backpack.

He prefers the backpack for comfort.

I prefer my Kremlin and Metropolis Messenger Bags for comfort and load distribution.
It seems I can carry more, with more comfort and more freedom of movement.

In the summer, when I have less need to carry layers of clothing with me, I ride with a cotton $11 Newspaperboy bag and a bungee to stabilize it.
It rides like a Messenger bag but a little lower, and I prefer it to anything else...in the summer.
Cool and comfortable.

I find it interesting, though, that my son prefers a backpack and describes it as more comfortable.
I think body style and preference have more to do with it than the actual differences between a backpack and a Messenger Bag.

My work has started to make me carry a 18" widescreen laptop to and from work. I can't stand to carry it in my mess bag, it's way to uncomfortable. I've switched back to a backpack and am shopping for panniers big enough to carry it.

I deliver food and a lot of it is kind of messy (smoothies, soups, garlic sauces, etc..) and the rubber on the inside of my reload makes it easier to keep my bag clean. Also it is easier to fit lots and lots of food in. I'd have to make more runs if I wore a backpack. And not having to take my bag off everytime I need to get the food out makes my life a whole lot easier. Plus when not delivering the double outside pockets fit my external hard drive perfectly. It used to bounce around inside my bag when I biked with a bookbag. Hell, I have as much of a reason as any messenger to wear a messenger bag.

edit: also I haven't had any of the back pain that I used to get when I used to carry around a fully loaded back pack. Mess. bags just distribute the weight better.

As a rule, backpacks are comfier, even on the bike.

But they are clumsier to get into (2 straps vs swing around) and dig around in while walking etc. Mess bags also have a much larger opening at the top and the flap closure on top of that... they are way better for messenger-type use because it's easier to cram random stuff into them and then access said stuff in a random order while walking around. Because of the flap, mess bags also take oversized loads better.

Again, if your mess bag is more comfortable than your backpack then you probably have a ****ty backpack.

A back pack really just makes me feel like i'm in jr. high again.

.. but messenger bags are nice because they keep stuff more organized.

mine's real comfy

also, from my experiences with both, i find that a mess. bag with a stabilizer strap bounces less than even a good backpack with a waist and sternum strap.

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