messenger bag for riding?

[slower than...]

Another vote for the Timbuk2 bag. It is easier to put on and take off than a backpack. I don't wear it on the side though, as I just slide it around to my back, and then cinch on the third strap. And as stated already, with the third strap, no problems with it moving at all.

Another nice thing about the Timbuk2 is you can order it direct from the factory in the exact size, color combination, and features that you want. Mine arrived in less than a week. Check it out on their website.

 

[Yo!Joe!!!]

For clarification, this is a "murse":

...and this is a messenger bag:

The only thing that makes the second one similar to the first is the fact that they carry things. But if that's the case, I'm sure you could also call a backpack a purse.

Then what do you call a rucksack, you dirty hippie..? BTW: I hate your avatar..!

 

[bbqbot]

I used to sport a messenger bag, but bought myself a Chrome-brand Soyuz bag for my birthday. Pricey, but superior in so many ways.

Various pockets (side-zip for laptop), roll-top, weather (water?) proof, materials seem very sturdy. Loving it.

 

[1footdown]

years ago when I was in SF, I had a Timbuk2 with the 2nd strap (why are people calling it a 3rd strap?). The inside was far easier to access than a backpack, but I found that I was constantly ridin with that shoulder hitched up to support the weight.

Since then I have been riding with a backpack that has a chest strap AND a waist strap. This is pretty secure when riding.

I have recently graduated to putting my backpack into a hard luggage topcase. This is ideal if you can spring the dough for it! (still figuring how to pay for mine!)

 

[pshelton]

Well, if you do want a messenger bag, the only place to go is Rickshaw, either in the store in Dogpatch or online www.rickshawbags.com

Trust me. We have two of the bags in the family and they rock. And, made right here in SF, and almost no waste. Plus, I think Mark the boss used to run Timbuk2.

 

[BURNROPE]

I've been using a Timbuk2 bag for 15+ years, it works great. Just be sure to use the 2nd strap to secure it and it won't slide around. I also stash it M/T in my luggage for overseas trips and then I use it to bring back the useless crap that my wife buys.

 

[Alan_Hepburn]

I just throw everything in the trunk - or if I'm out alone I can stuff a bunch of stuff in the sidecar...

 

[Variable]

I've been riding with one since '88 (original "Zo" bag). Now using "SF Freight Baggage" bag.

If you decide to get one, get it with a chest strap (or whatever it's called), won't slide around.

 

[UKOD]

A well made "messenger" bag does not slide around at all. I started out with Timbuk2 back when they were made here (and you could get that white heavy-duty liner). But I've been rocking a PAC Designs bag for the last 7 years and IT IS THE BEST BAG I'VE EVER OWNED. I've taken it around the world, from deserts to rainforests and ridden with it in every type of condition. It has never, ever let me down.

 

[xgambit]

i have a chrome messenger bag and it doesnt slide around. ive carried big heavy items in there plenty of times.

i recently bought a molle webbed sling bag from china and it slid around a lot unitl i added a stabilizing under the armpit strap like posted above. now it doesnt slide around.

having both backpacks and sling bags, i prefer sling bags over the backpacks. and i have some pretty sweet backpacks.

also i have a top case, but sometimes, its nice to just hop off the bike and not have to deal with pulling anything out of the trunk.

 

[LongGoneJohn]

For clarification, this is a "murse":

...and this is a messenger bag:

The only thing that makes the second one similar to the first is the fact that they carry things. But if that's the case, I'm sure you could also call a backpack a purse.

Both of those are purses as far as I'm concerned.

It's got a single strap that you place over your shoulder and carry, like, well, a PURSE!

A backback is different, it's got two main straps that goes on your -- you guessed it -- BACK!

Chalk it up whichever way makes you feel better, but if you're carrying one of those you're a dude carrying a purse. I don't care if it was marketed to you, for you, by men, for men, etc. etc., it's a friggin purse.

 

[Traq]

Both of those are purses as far as I'm concerned.

It's got a single strap that you place over your shoulder and carry, like, well, a PURSE!

A backback is different, it's got two main straps that goes on your -- you guessed it -- BACK!

Chalk it up whichever way makes you feel better, but if you're carrying one of those you're a dude carrying a purse. I don't care if it was marketed to you, for you, by men, for men, etc. etc., it's a friggin purse.

Your trolling is weak. Explains why you run crying from the Sink all the time.

 

[sliverstorm]

I've found when I ride with things slung over a shoulder and under my opposite arm, they tend to fly up like some kind of perverted wing and push/knock my arm and elbow. If you do get a messenger, be sure to get one with a strap for securing.

Since then I have been riding with a backpack that has a chest strap AND a waist strap. This is pretty secure when riding.

A good backpack with chest strap and waist strap worked great for me. Tiring on the shoulders no matter what you do by the hundredth mile, but properly attached to your back you can move on the bike like it wasn't there, and the weight is high & centered.

(In regards to bikes, you want weight low, but in general weight strapped to your body is much easier to manage when it is high. Thankfully a backpack is usually a negligible amount of weight as far as a bike is concerned)

 

[Kornholio]

Then what do you call a rucksack, you dirty hippie..? BTW: I hate your avatar..!

I call that my bugout bag.

Both of those are purses as far as I'm concerned.

It's got a single strap that you place over your shoulder and carry, like, well, a PURSE!

A backback is different, it's got two main straps that goes on your -- you guessed it -- BACK!

Chalk it up whichever way makes you feel better, but if you're carrying one of those you're a dude carrying a purse. I don't care if it was marketed to you, for you, by men, for men, etc. etc., it's a friggin purse.

Um, a messenger back is not carried over your shoulder, it's strapped across your chest and back and carried over your back.

 

[sliverstorm]

Um, a messenger back is not carried over your shoulder, it's strapped across your chest and back and carried over your back.

The thing I don't quite understand is:

So you take a satchel, to improve accessibility of contents. Then you reposition it on the lower back. Then you make it big, and you add a strap around your chest to secure it in place, making a messenger bag.

Where is your ease of accessibility now!? It's strapped to you just as much as a backpack is

 

[Nemo Brinker]

I do a fair bit of short-hop urban commuting, and I have a cheapo messenger bag with a stabilizer strap that I used to carry, still do on rare occasions. They can be quite convenient, and mine had a wide stripe of reflective material making me more visible from behind.
One evening after work I was nailed by a left-turning car, flew a ways, and came down on my back, helmet, and messenger bag. The metal water bottle in the bag compressed between my back and the pavement, bruising the hell out of my back and left kidney, though luckily not breaking a rib. If you're gonna carry a messenger bag, keep the hard objects out of it. Otherwise I prefer saddlebags or a topcase for carrying stuff.

 

[seralat]

I've commuted year round with various bags on me and/or on the bike for 20+ years.

I've used messenger bags from Zo, Timbuk2 and RELoad. Of those, I liked the RELoad bag the best, totally waterproof and bulletproof. All of these bags had stabilizing straps, but only the RELoad's really worked for me in terms of keeping the bag totally stable at speed.

I've tried tank bags, but never found one that was as comfortable to lug around off the bike as on it.

When I used to ride bikes with saddle bags, stuffing a messenger bag in the hard bag was a great combo. But I don't like riding with side bags all that much while commuting, and I've just never liked top cases from a purely aesthetic point of view.

After injuring my left collarbone a few years back, I stopped being able to tolerate the pressure of the messenger bag strap over my shoulder. So I moved on to backpacks. I've tried your standard North Face type day bags, a Chrome Soyuz, and a Kriega R30.

The Kriega is now my bag of choice. It's easy to put on over full winter gear, totally waterproof, and transfers the weight to your chest, not your collar bones. While I usually mount panniers for longer trips, I've done 200 miles wearing the Kriega and been totally comfortable.

While YMMV, if I was making your choice, I'd go for a backpack.

 

[two wheel tramp]

For comfort you need to get a strap that also goes across your chest. This keeps the bag from sliding around. it clips on the the shoulder strap and the bottom of the bag. otherwise it's going to drive you batshit insane. i had a messenger bag and finally bought a timbuk2 lex backpack that fits a bag of groceries in it and has a nifty reflective strip.

 

[Gabe]

For shorter trips and lighter loads, I really prefer a messenger bag. I don't like backpacks because I'm short and my helmet bumps the backpack when I put my head back. But don't habitually carry more than 10 pounds in your messenger bag or you will start to hurt.

My favorite bag is the Timbuk2 bag I bought at Scuderia in 1997--it's amazing how well made it is.

What I like about messenger bags is they are an iconic San Francisco thing--you don't see them used a lot outside the Bay Area.

 

[itsmrjames]

Mission workshop messenger bag. Rocks. Has a second retention strap. The guys thy own it used to own Chrome bag company. They are local in sf, buy from them.