Here's a complete newbie question....

Why use a messenger bag?
I mean, opposed to conventional backpack, or smaller backpack type bags.
I can see the advantage of not having the bag attached to your bike (panniers, bar bags etc).

Are they REALLY comfortable?
Simply hold more stuff?
Don't move around while riding a bike? (seems like they would)
Simply history of bike messengers?
...the style that goes with it?

Do you use them simply to carry random stuff, or are you really messengers and need to carry larger sized paperwork, documents, and packages?

Just curious... I'm gonna need a bag of some sort for commuting, and was wondering why messenger bags are so popular in the bike crowd.

messenger bags...so hot right now.
plus you can put stuff in / take stuff out without taking it off every time.

They're easy to take on & off, and easy to swing around to the side/front to access the contents; they hold large & oddly-shaped items; they are more easily loaded & unloaded due to the large opening; they keep stuff out of the weather better than *most* conventional backpacks; they make the wearer feel just as happy inside as he/she is trendy on the outside.

I use one, and I like it 'cause I can fit lots of stuff inside it. I'm not a bike messenger. Truth be told, I just want to reap the benefits of looking like a member of a fringe group. I tried to fit in with the Latin Kings last week, but they scorned me, just like the Professional Association of Mimes did back in January. It was amazing how quickly they confiscated my striped t-shirt, my suspenders, and my beret, without speaking a word. Didn't let me out of the invisible box for like 2 hours!!111!11

More and more messengers (at least here in NYC) have been using the Ortlieb backpack type bags over the traditional De martini style bags that I used as a messenger back in the early 90s.

Personal preference for the messenger set. Definitely traditional messenger bag stylee for the peeps who want that messenger "look"

I think a backpack is probably better if you are not actually making deliveries on your bike and going into your bag all the time. Actually panniers are probably best. Note though that there is an inverse relationship between how much punk credibility a bike cargo setup has and how practical it is.

I bought mine (Chrome Metropolis) mainly for its ability to keep my stuff dry and to be able to hold a ton of stuff. I'm not a messenger, but I try to use my bike for a lot of my errands and going to school when I can. My largest backpack felt weird with a bunch of stuff in it, and it was a pain to get anything out of it when it was full. I find it to be more comfortable full or empty than a backpack. When the strap and stabilizer are both snugged up, it really feels secure and like an extension of your body.

There are downsides to it too, first being the cost. I've also learned you have to pack it a little different than a backpack due to the way it sits, but you get used to it. Mine is best worn as designed, by this I mean that it's not practical to take it off to carry it with your hand (there is no handle) or just over a shoulder.

Oh, and you will also get a lot of strange looks if you don't live in an area where messenger bags are common or bike commuting for that matter. I get a lot more strange looks and the feeling that I'm being watched and followed by store employees more than when I wear a backpack. If they want to hassle me about it, I'll shop elsewhere.

normal backpacks with the larger straps can dig into your neck and under your arms from the stretched-out position youre in while riding. i cut mine down since i dont feel like getting a messenger bag. when the messenger bag strap runs across your chest...it has no place to dig in and can be more comfortable. i still use my normal backpack and im happy with it.

edit: im not a messenger. i just carry my books to work then class and back. and even with a few books that thing gets full pretty fast.

The weight distribution is nice, not only for your back, but also for whatever is in your bag. When full the contents seem to be under less pressure in a messenger bag than in my backpack. The only evidence I have of this is that when I made a grocery run with my backpack, the gallon of milk ended up dripping out the bottom. I've never had a gallon of milk bust in my messenger bag. Milk is really gross to wash out of your saddle and drivetrain by the way.

anecdotally, the advantages I personally see.

I used to use a regular backpack, and my back often hurt after my commute.

I switched to a messenger bag, and never have had my back hurt since, and it just feels *so* much more comfortable.

The second advantage it its much easier for me to get stuff like my lock/lights/etc out of my back quickly, just swing it around in front of me, and swing it back.

Thirdly is its waterproof (although some backpacks are too, not the ones i had).

fourthly is, its more fashionable, and more a part of urban bike culture.

the main disadvantage is just not as many pockets and stuff as a backpack.

I am not a messenger, but use my bike as my only form of transportation, so groceries, laptop, everything goes in the bag everywhere.

my problem with normal backpacks is the more stuff you put in them the further the weight of the pack moves away from your body, so when i would turn to look over my shoulder the "huge" shift in weight on my back would through me off or knock my balance, messenger bags seem to keeps it a little closer to the body ane what not..

because I've had my Timbuk2 since 1990 and she's still my favorite bag even over the Chrome I got for x-mas from my kids.

i guess the addtion of a waster and chest strap on a backpack would fix that though

wrong thread i think, unless that acid is kicking in...

I switch back and forth between my backpacks and my messenger bags. The messenger bags carry awkward and large loads better because of that large main compartment and the ability to overstuff it by using the flap and straps to cinch it all down. They're also great for grocery shopping. A good backpack is more comfortable for small/medium loads. I mainly use the messenger bag except in the summer when I switch over to a Deuter Race-X which is just big enough to carry a change of clothes and some tools.

Yeah, I think weight distribution is the key factor for me. Since the bag tends to sit lower on my back than a backpack, I don't feel like it's going to fall off when I'm leaning forward.


+1. profound. I opt for the credibility, as I am an unabashed hipster.

Messenger bags are a lot more comfortable while riding and easier to pack a lot of crap in. I couldn't even imagine trying to get groceries home in a backpack.

I find a messenger bag more comfortable than a backpack, because the chest strap doesn't constrict your shoulders the way a backpack does.

Also, my messenger bag is huge, and can carry bulky and or/oddly shaped things that my panniers can't, like a concertina or fencing gear.

I still prefer not to have weight on my back, so I use panniers and other bike-attached bags most of the time. But when you need to carry a ton of a stuff, a messenger bag works pretty well.

because the simplest solution is often the best.

just ask someone to borrow you one for a while and you will see the difference...

i'm curious if the people pointing out the things their backpack didn't have (support, wetherproofing, weight distribution, shoulder digging, etc) spent as much on their backpack as their messenger bag. it is pretty easy to find a backpack that doesn't digg in, doesn't shift, and is waterproof.

I used to ride with a backpack and when I would get in the drops the bag would start sliding up my back into my neck, throwing me off balance. Messenger bags for the most part stay put when you cinch them down onto you properly. I can also take things out of my bag or stuff them back in without stopping the bike. They are easy to adjust on the bike as well.

Cons are I find they limit my view over my shoulder when they are stuffed, they make one shoulder more tired than the other, they make your back sweat like crazy, they are expensive and they make you look like one of those biker delivery guys.

*lend

Hiking and cycling are very different activities, and paying for the R&D a backpack company does to optimize their bag for hiking does not necessarily help you out for cycling... Backpacks are supposed to hang vertically, whereas on a bike with drop bars your torso is at an angle, throwing off the geometry and design of the backpack.

Personally my messenger bag and backpack are approximately the same size, weight, material and quality, with basically the same features. Both are great, but the messenger bag is perfect for cycling and the backpack is perfect for hiking.

i get a considerably less sweaty back than a backpack would give me. plus i just look way rad wearing one.

thanks ryanday