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Recommend A Messenger Bag

+1 for Timbuk2. I've had mine since 2002, carried all kinds of things in it, rain and shine. I sill use it on the commute most of the week.
 
I've owned, and abused Timbuk2, Chrome, Rickshaw, and couple of other nameless brands.
I still have all of my Timbuk2's but they have been relegated to other less glorified duties. (like stashing my dirt bike gear that hasn't been used in 5 years)
My bag of choice is a Chrome Citizen.
Chrome
I've had this one for many many years, and it looks like it.
It stopped being orange 2 presidents ago. (ha the current president is more orange than my bag:rofl)
I tried replacing it with a custom Rickshaw bag, but that didn't work.
Rickshaw hand make their bags here in SF (or at least they did much like Timbuk2 did way back when) and they make really good bags for bicyclists, but the bag was so light that it flopped around on my back when on the freeway.
I still have it, and it looks brand new. :thumbdown
So back to my Chrome bag I went.
I can do without the seatbelt thing, but it does make for a good party favor when someone thinks it's funny to push the seatbelt button and you punch them in the nose. That get's everyone talking.
I keep thinking I should replace my Chrome bag because it's so ugly, but it's still fully functional so I can't seem to retire it.
 
I've owned two Timbuk2 messenger bags.

Bought the first one about 15-20 years ago; maybe a year or two after they started doing the made-to-order program. It was awesome and I used the crap out of it. The buckle worked well and the cross-strap did an excellent job of keeping the bag in place. Don't remember what happened to it; think my dog chewed a corner off it and I ended up throwing it away.

Bought a new bag three years ago. I'm not nearly as impressed with my current bag as I was with the first one. The strap on the new bag feels quite a bit thinner and is more flexible. The buckle on my first bag never came loose. The new bag? I manage to knock the buckle open about once a month, which is equally annoying every time it happens. Luckily, the buckle has never popped open while riding. Because the strap is thinner, I feel like it's a bit more difficult to pull the bag back into place once you've knocked the buckle open. The cross strap still works well. The Crater Laptop Sleeve, which wasn't an option on my first bag, provides almost no protection, FYI.

The new bag is still nice and I use it every day both on and off the bike, it's just not as nice as it used to be. Which is a bit of a shame given the premium price...
 
I can recommend the Tenba DNA series. I have a couple and they are great - photog oriented but very functional and durable for general use. water resistant enough for a good mist, and waterproof bottom, but in a real rain you'll want to use the cover. The padded photo gear thing comes out if needed leaving just the laptop/tablet pocket plus open space. I leave it in, with no dividers it's still a nice big padded container for my stuff. They have a second strap like other messengers that goes from the chest strap around the waist to the bag's corner, very secure on the bike and easy to manage. I don't like backpacks on the bike, I find them a pain to get on and off.
 
Chrome. I had a messenger bag that I used on a bicycle and moto for 5-6 years. Used it all through college pretty much everyday. Dragged through torrential downpours in Costa Rica for a couple months. Still perfectly fine except a plastic clasp finally broke a while back.

Messenger bag is cool, but rolls around on the back a bit when stuffed full. It has a stabilizer strap but that much weight on one shoulder is still cumbersome. I got a Chrome backpack (Barrage) a couple years ago to commute with on the moto. Perfect. Weight evenly distributed, cool chest strap buckle, and handy dandy cargo net with tightening straps on the back to hold extra stuff.

Both bags are waterproof with a thick polymer lining, basically a heavy duty dry bag inside of the heavy duty nylon shell. Lifetime guarantee. Good stuff.

And, it's designed in SF, made in Chico.:thumbup
 
I have not personally used them, but would seriously consider an Ortlieb bag if I went back to courier work. I don't know if Erik Zo is still making bags, but I do like them, and believe that they are still considered hip.
 
seralat said:
That said, I switched from messenger-style bags to my Kriega R30 backpack a while back and never regretted it. Messenger bags get tiring if you wear them for long periods of time. The lack of balance wears on your body, and as silly as it might seem, you feel it. Even for relatively short commuting distances, after many years with Messenger bags as my primary carry method, I felt pain in the strap side of my back after every ride.

That never happens with my Kriega. Additionally the Kriega strap method takes the weight off your collar bones, which is fantastic if you've ever broken or separated your collar bone on either the strap or non-strap sides.

Yah, the Kriega isn't particularly fashionable, though it is mostly black, but it is a great piece of kit, and so far totally waterproof in the main cargo compartment in even the heaviest downpours.
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+1 for the Kriega.
I get lots of fashion forward comments on the Kriega, when I wear it as a man-purse - from both sexes.
It is clearly recognized by riders, and can be a conversation starter.

/Soren
 
i've been using my free Buell Messenger bag for something like 10 years of posing at starbucks and some motorcycle riding as well.

it'll fit a small laptop, isn't waterproof but it say BUELL

nothing says OG MotoBadBoy like vintage freebies from a defunct manufacturer

seriously, i might buy another

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Buell-Messenger-Bag-/252709007097

shipping on that is a little silly but... cheaper than a name brand
 
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BeksNY said:
EDIT: If anyone rocks an Aerostich bag, please post up your experience. I've been curious about how they stack up to Timbuk2.
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I've had the same Hi-Viz Aerostich messenger bag that I've used daily on an urban commute for nearly 20 years. For me, it's all about what you plan to carry around and whether you freeway commute. I always seem to stuff my bag full, in part because I've never rocked a top case or tail bag. I love my 'stich. I'm finally about to replace b/c it's no longer waterproof and I finally managed to wear a small hole through it. I've crashed with it on more than a couple of time and it's been fine (crashability shouldn't be a factor for messenger bags, but there you have it). For a replacement, I'm going to buy the same giant 'stich or perhaps an even bigger Ortlieb. I'm undecided.

I have Aerostich Parcel bag -- their largest. It's 40-something liters. I love it's simplicity. It has one big compartment and two internal pockets. I don't like bags with lots of pockets; I know they're supposed to help you organize, but I just want a giant bag to stuff things in. And I can swing the bag around and find what I'm looking for immediately without having to fish around in twenty different pockets and sleeves. It's completely waterproof, even in extended downpours. But it doesn't tick some of your boxes. It's not stylish AT ALL. They now have waxed cotton ones, if you think that's somehow hipper-looking. Super functional? Yes. Stylish? No. I don't use the cross-strap, which I bought originally, and so the bag often shifts to my side and doesn't always rest on my back. That might be b/c of the size as well -- i don't know if the smaller ones do that. I don't mind, but those are minuses.

For me, it's main pluses are that it is giant and simple. I can fold my all of my gear into it (jacket, pants and sometimes boots) and carry it around with me, or I can fold an entire dress suit and shoes into it while commuting and get to work mostly without wrinkles. I don't have to carry a separate gym bag and can stick my gym stuff in there as well. I've tried more complicated messenger bags for hauling and don't like all the pockets and that I can't get as much stuff into them. I just want a big, cavernous waterproof bag. I can't believe the volume of random stuff I end up hauling to and from work .

If all you are carrying around is a laptop and some papers and maybe a water bottle and a non-moto jacket, the giant 'stich is too big. If you have a top case or some other large storage, there's no need. I don't know anything Aerostich's smaller sizes, but for carrying that normal sort of stuff, I'd look closely at a Chrome or a Timbuk2 as well as the 'stich. Personally, I've got a Kriega 20 that I use for carrying smaller loads. It's a great backpack, but I seem to fill it up pretty quickly. I end up using it for weekend rides (I can't carry anything in my 1 piece) but for urban commuting, I always seem to want the giant 'stich.
 
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I've been hauling Aero since '05, the next size down from the biggie Monster2 rides with.
I use it all the time, up to all day long, dirt/street, biggest loads- two gal milk + other stuff to fill. I run the strap long enough that the load sets on the seat most of the time. I don't have the extra strap, the only time it rolls around using body english, up on the pegs, and hiking.
I haven't done much rain, the simple flap might leak at the top covering the straps. Liner still looks to be waterproof.
Backpacks were a hassle to get into and out of with cold weather layers. One guy had his so strapped, it went on/off with the riding jacket, I'm not THAT flexible.
 
fubar929 said:
I've owned two Timbuk2 messenger bags.

Bought the first one about 15-20 years ago; maybe a year or two after they started doing the made-to-order program. It was awesome and I used the crap out of it. The buckle worked well and the cross-strap did an excellent job of keeping the bag in place. Don't remember what happened to it; think my dog chewed a corner off it and I ended up throwing it away.

Bought a new bag three years ago. I'm not nearly as impressed with my current bag as I was with the first one. The strap on the new bag feels quite a bit thinner and is more flexible. The buckle on my first bag never came loose. The new bag? I manage to knock the buckle open about once a month, which is equally annoying every time it happens. Luckily, the buckle has never popped open while riding. Because the strap is thinner, I feel like it's a bit more difficult to pull the bag back into place once you've knocked the buckle open. The cross strap still works well. The Crater Laptop Sleeve, which wasn't an option on my first bag, provides almost no protection, FYI.

The new bag is still nice and I use it every day both on and off the bike, it's just not as nice as it used to be. Which is a bit of a shame given the premium price...
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Same experience here, my 2005 vintage bag is going strong after years of abuse, but the bag I bought for my girlfriend in 2012 had the entire lining flake apart within a year. Also felt a lot “cheaper” almost thought I had bought a knockoff by mistake.

They also have the most asinine warranty program in the world. They wouldn’t even look at her bag without a $25 deposit. Since we lived in the mission she walked to the factory and basically stood there until they agreed to fix it. They even tried to make her go use a computer in the showroom pay the warranty deposit online before they would even look at it. Eventually they did take it and fix it for free, but to hell with that noise.
 
Mission Workshop (previous partner of Timbuk2 who wanted to do something different).

PAC Designs (crafter still makes one off bags) you can dig around the web for how to contact her.

You pay for what you get.
 
Johndicezx9 said:
Another vote for Timbuk 2, 12 years and still doing its job, even after repeated washings.
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+1 Timbuk. I have had two since the later 90's. Still have the first one, but my wife bought me another, because my original one was looking "well used". Those bags simply last forever. Waterproof and tough wearing.

A cross-strap is a requirement for moto-use.
 
REI carries Ortlieb. Gonna check it out this wkend. Use those dividends. A buddy said it’ll shave 10 yrs off my age. Lol.
 
Marcoose said:
This one is tricky:

1. It has to look hip. I already own dopey bags and tankbags;

2. It has to stay up on the shoulder/upper back. I already own a POS bag that slides down to the butt or that rolls onto the belly;

3. It has to fit a laptop and a few other work goodies;

4. It has to be motorcyclist-tested. Not, 'uh, I've heard...' :twofinger

Thanks.
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Harley makes a good one. I have it on my machine right now.

https://www.harley-davidson.com/store/hdmc-messenger-bag
 
The Chrome heavy tarp interior gives it some good weight. Also makes it hard on that one shoulder. Can confirm I am now a hunchback.
 
I'm completey sold on Chrome bags. Waterproof, tough, stable... I've used them for years. They were made for bicycle messengers, but work wonderfully for MC riders.
 
Kriega has a messenger bag. It has a drybag setup that uses up some space from the rolled up part but should make it waterproof. The newer revision has a fabric lip that prevents the outside side zipper from jamming. It doesn't slide around on me (I wear leather) and has an extra waist strap for insurance.

I have the R25 and R20 and tailbag US-20 too so obviously I'm biased.

Maybe you can find one on sale at Road Rider?

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFq7X5hQ8kI&t=292s[/YOUTUBE]]
 
Stitch and HD are very cool, especially among riders, but it wouldn't look hip with the hip crowd. Criteria #1.
 
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