Messenger bags are really best purchased in person. Every manufacturer's idea of S/M/L/XL are a bit different. You can't really get a feel for craftsmanship from a photo. Some have water-tight storage areas, some don't. Some are cavernous holes for your stuff, some have compartments.

Keep in mind, cavernous holes are great for a working messenger who has to carry an array of package sizes. Not so great for a student with regular sized books, notebooks, and a laptop

Agreed. eBags has a free return policy, so if the small is too small, I'll send it back and get a medium.

I've never met a cavernous hole I didn't like.

I have a small Timbuk2 as well as a large and I love them both. The small is perfect for only carrying a small amount of stuff. My wife (a professional news photographer) often uses it to carry some of her gear.

Hahahaha!

Hahahaha!

Chrome bags are too ******** mainstream.
Timbuk2s are poseur.
Seagull bags are awesome.

Excellent analysis.

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Who cares this much? It's a BAG.

Unless you're a messenger, I don't see the benefit of a messenger bag over a good backpack. Somebody fill me in?

I used to carry stuff in a backpack and hated it. I find a messenger bag, even when it's packed with stuff, to be much more comfortable. Plus, there have been plenty of times when I've needed something in my bag that ended up being impossible to retrieve from a backpack without completely removing it. Even when I'm not riding, a messenger bag is just easier.

I'm with you, for a mess bag to be practical, you'd have to be in a situation where you're unpacking/repacking the bag several times a day, but there are tons of other threads you can read about the benefits of mess bag over backpack. The funniest reason I've read was something like this:

"You can't fit a 30-pack of Milwaukee's Best in a backpack, brah!"

Of course most of the reasons you'll read are completely bogus because many of the respondents have never had a decent backpack. They say they're hot, but never had a pack with a suspended back, say they dig into their shoulders, but never had a bag with good straps ... etc.

I carry a small point-and-shoot on my bike, but I'll also have a larger camera with me when I'm biking in NY. Getting things out of my backpack are a pain, since I have to take it off and hold it in front of me while I access the stuff I want. It'll be easier to just swing the messenger bag around--without taking it off--grabbing my camera, taking some pics, then putting the camera back.

Yeah I used to be one legit son of a *****, then I got my timbuk2 cause it was cheap (10 bucks for the medium classic) and now I'm just... well

You laugh now, but when a bro comes along, sees you with a Timbuk2 filled with these:



and beats you with a u-lock in the face for being a poseur "and stealing bikes, bro", we'll see who's laughing..

As someone who has used both, I can say this with utmost conviction: messenger bags will **** up your shoulder and back over the long haul. I use a Chrome Pawn now exclusively, which makes my Seagull sad and introspective. But my left shoulder thanks me everyday for it. On a sidenote, I have slight, left-leaning slouch now. I'm almost positive that's it from using mess bags for so long, and my old chiropractor said it's a legit reason to pin my slouch on. Not THE reason according to him, but definitely something that could have contributed, and probably did.

Funny you should mention this because recently I've been having lower back pain.
It might be my saddle-to bar drop, or my mess bag, or my u-lock on my belt, or maybe all of these factors together.
The other day I had a full pack AND a wheelset I had to haul around. I'm not a very tall or big person, around 5'6" and afterwards had the biggest sore in my back muscles.
Have you ever experienced lower-back pain as a symptom?

...

I've experienced all sorts of back pain, all with various different reasons behind them. A constant lock on the belt could be the culprit, but I wouldn't put the mess bag out of the question either. Most of my pain was in the shoulder, I was also using my mess bag as a walking around bag too, which was stupid. Bottom line, no matter how comfortable and ergonomic mess bags are, they were made to carry cargo while on a bike and everything else secondary. And considering how much time i spend off of my bike and how many other people I see with mess bags who aren't even cyclist, that's a whole lot of people who are going to be having back and shoulder problems in the future. OP, seriously, if you're going to be using this thing as walking around bag, not just for this trip but afterwards as well, do yourself a favor and just get camera sling pack. You can find decent ones for under 80$, which just about as much as you got your TB2 for i think.

Whats wrong with his right arm? Burns or a ton of hair?

May I add, theres a kid at my school who has a chrome bag for his backpack. He has a deep v and is "saving for an aerospoke"

Obligatory hipster tattoo.

i have a large blaq messenger bag and a small freight backpack. when i carry a dslr with me, its a pain to get it out of the back pack. alot easier with the blaq bag. quality of the blaq bag is also top notch.

There's no such thing anymore. People from all walks of life have "obligatory tattoos" now that there are television shows about it and you can buy Ed Hardy t-shirts at Marshalls.

Two things you should know:

1. Swinging a messenger bag around is easier than taking a backpack off, but not much. It gets increasingly difficult to remove items from a messenger bag depending on their size. You'll need a certain amount of slack in the strap to get the mouth of the bag open wide enough to remove large items while it's still wrapped around your body, and eventually it's just a PITA and you might find yourself taking it off anyway depending on the size of your camera. Don't expect that you'll be able to do this on the fly while you're riding down the road.

2. Walking with a loaded messenger bag is a study in discomfort. Quite possibly the most uncomfortable way to carry crap around while off the bike. But on the flip side, it's perfect while on the bike. I do recommend picking up a padded back-saver for your bag, especially if you're going to have cornered objects (cameras, boxes, books etc) in it. I keep a neoprene laptop sleeve inside my bag for just that purpose. But I would seriously recommend against carrying a mess bag if you're going to be doing any walking over like 5 minutes.

get a seagull black bag