[BIG POPPA]

I have a Timbuk2 Bolo bag with all the upgrades you can't get anymore. It is about 10 years old and still kickin'.

 

[rawrster]

oh wow..are the timbuk2 that durable?

i was looking into messenger bags a couple months ago but found them too expensive at that time and went with a cheap $30 bag

 

[BIG POPPA]

Yes they are, and it cost me about 170 bucks back then. you could probably spend around 100 bucks now for something cool.

 

[DC5Zilla]

Diesel messenger bag here

 

[nikongod]

I carry a crumpler soup&salid

 

[majid]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VicAjax /img/forum/go_quote.gif i did get a nice deal on the Jost, actually, but who am i kidding... i would spend whatever it took if i found the perfect bag.

Circumstances vary, and there is no such thing as the perfect bag, at least not until the D&D Bag of Holding is finally invented...

I have over a dozen, depending on whether they are for weekday or weekend use, work, leisure or travel, whether I am taking a laptop or camera with me or not, and whether outside is under rainy conditions or not. Another hobby that can get expensively out of hand very quickly, I'm afraid.

You seem to be looking for something dressy enough for business but that doesn't reek of conformity as a Tumi would (although some Tumi lines like Townhouse are quite distinctive). If your budget supports it, I would have a look at Barney's and Bloomingdale's, they have a decent selection. In the premium lines, I tend to like Ferragamo, Montblanc and Dunhill. I recently scored a very nice business casual Montblanc messenger for $400 on special, with just enough room for a MacBook Air, a Leica and a hardback book.

For lower-priced brands that still have high quality of construction, try Waterfield Designs, Hlaska, Knomo, STM and Vaja (the latter has sumptuous Argentinian leather and full color customization, but the leather is a bit delicate for daily use).

I am conflicted on Crumpler. Excellent construction, but the internal organization and padding often takes too much space. I had a pair of Timbuk2 but got rid of them, as the straight messenger bag was terrible for organization, with stuff settling in awkward positions, and the laptop bag wore out in less than 2 years.

Quote:

those Hlaska bags look nice, i'll have to find a store and check em out.

All their stores are in the SF Bay Area, unfortunately.

 

[kshelton]

I am not sure if everyone is familiar with the store Ross. But they have a lot of name brand stuff for cheap. Anyway I have bought bags by Diesel, Lacoste, and other similar decent made bags for as little as 20$ at Ross. So if you are bargain shopping that is a good place to check, also TJ Maxx. I even saw a Timbuk2 one time but it was in an ugly color haha.

 

[jude]

Unlike Majid, I've had good luck with Timbuk2 bags, enough so that they're always one of the names at the top of my list if I'm thinking of a new bag.

At CES this year, I carried a 17" MacBook Pro around (along with adapters, headphones, a Canon S90, and a bunch of other things that made for a heavy bag) pretty much everywhere I went, and the Timbuk2 Breakout Messenger was extremely comfortable. I was afraid I was going to pay a heavy price in back and shoulder pain for not going with a backpack, but the Breakout Messenger (using its very cool sling strap) worked just as well for me as any of my backpacks, in terms of comfort (and earned points for greater gear accessibility, without having to take the bag off). (The Breakout Messenger also comes with a standard shoulder strap, but I never use it.)

When I travel, I even pack a netbook into the Breakout Messenger with the MacBook Pro (along with its power adapter), and that makes for a very heavy load (for a messenger bag). Still, I find the it comfortable, considering the weight.

The Breakout Messenger isn't perfect, however. The hand strap is not padded, so I use it only as a grab strap, and not for carrying. The main non-laptop compartment doesn't zip open far enough on one side for me, and I find this makes it a bit tougher to insert and extract folders and papers, especially when the bag is being worn. Also, there is no water bottle holder.

Currently, the Breakout Messenger is my main office-on-the-go bag.

I have other Timbuk2 bags, and appreciate them all, including a rather small messenger bag I use with my netbook when I don't need the bigger laptop.

 

[Squirsier]

This is what I use :

ME Mini Messenger - Black / Red | Mobile Edge

Fits my 12.1 inch laptop nicely and a lot of other stuff too

 

[DLeeWebb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by majid /img/forum/go_quote.gif For lower-priced brands that still have high quality of construction, try Waterfield Designs, Hlaska, Knomo, STM and Vaja (the latter has sumptuous Argentinian leather and full color customization, but the leather is a bit delicate for daily use).

I have purchased several products from Waterfield. I have always been extremely impressed by the quality of their products and their customer service. The "Muzetto" looks interesting and they have a variety of other styles...

http://www.sfbags.com/products/muzet...to/muzetto.htm

 

[jpelg]

The Logmography Sidekick Leather Bag always looked interesting to me:

A bit pricey, but seems fairly well thought out for a mini-notebook, P&S camera, etc.
Although I hate to wear/carry anything that screams that I have expensive photo gear inside.

 

[Palpatine]

I really like the distressed brown leather look... very Indianna Jones.

 

[odontastic]

I have a large Chrome messenger bag in red & gray and an even larger one in orange that was made for the Kozmo.com delivery service during the internet boom. Both are absolutely indestructible and waterproof.

Chrome, Buckle Messenger Bag, Metroplis | CHROME | Official Site

 

[jeffreyj900]

I am pretty close to pulling the trigger on this Knomo Messenger Bag. I really like the way it looks. I also want a leather bag.

 

[VicAjax]

some good suggestions here... thanks!

i've really got my eye one this one right now:

it's the Sackett Messenger by Moore & Giles