Timbuk2 Shotwell

Purchased this bag for my work commutes in Beijing. I ordered the Shotwell and the Swig (size small), but this one won out because it fit my laptop much more snugly. Swig was too wide for my laptop; the length was perfect though. Also the Swig has that silly side zipper that seemed pretty useless. Why anyone would need to quickly whip-out a 17" notebook with the pack still on your shoulder is beyond me. The Shotwell I have is the Grey and Red. It's made of a rough Cordura-Like fabric (which I like better), not the shiny-slick nylon that is advertised on the website. Must be an older version but I just got it in the mail a few weeks ago. First of all, it's a great bag! Fit my laptop well, the pockets are pretty much all in the right places. It fits pretty well on my back. It 100% fits my needs for a commuting back. It travels fantastically on a 777 for 13 hours. I got my Laptop & Charger, iPad, iPod, iPhone, and (2) "iChargers"; my knitting bag, rain coat, umbrella and all travel documents and writing instruments in it without a hitch. Plus it fits perfect under your seat on the plane. It's narrow enough that i could squeeze my legs next to the back and stretch out in the standard coach seats. It really has great organization and size! Of course while in China I only carry a few of the above mentioned but for the initial hike, it was great. I also used it as a day-tripper to the Great Wall and the Laptop sleeve worked well for storing folding clean clothes. They really go a lot right with this bag. That all being said, there are two issues I would highly caution for anyone who's using this for serious commuting, especially when you're out in bad weather and/or have a long commute on your feet. I have a 5 minute walk to the Beijing subway, then a 35 minute ride and then walk another 15 to work every day. I got this bag because I've owned TB2 messenger bags but they are not good for long commutes, so the backpack won out. However there are some flaws that I must point out because it cost me one of my cherished personal items that I cannot get back easily now that I'm 10k miles from home (for the next few weeks). Timbuk2 claims there is a water-proof bottom for sudden drops in a puddle or what-have-you. Frankly, if you're going to use this to transport a laptop, I should certainly hope you're not going to drop it, since there is no padding in the bottom. So you're laptop better be made of military grade steel if you do happen to drop it in this bag. But I digress... This water-proof bottom may be true but I really wish the rest of the bag was fully water-proofed. I have been in two sudden down-pours in Beijing in the last 7 days and the upper part of the bag is the part where the water-proofing could have been useful, instead of just the bottom. The first down-pour I prepared myself by covering the top of my laptop with a plastic bag (just in case). That part was fine. However, the front two pockets and in inner organizer suffered and much of my possessions in these pockets got wet...especially the outside front pockets. The next day I took my iPod out of the front pocket to listen to it at work, but discovered the screen all wet and it would not function. Now I have nothing to listen to at work and a perfectly good iPod destroyed because the engineers at TB2 overlooked that rain usually falls in the top of the bag first, not from the bottom up. Perhaps I was just being naive to think putting my iPod in the front pocket (for easy access) would be okay from the rain, I don't know. They fully water-proof the Swig and all their messenger bags, so why overlook this one? Maybe that's why this bag is cheaper than the Swig...who knows. Thank goodness it wasn't my laptop, but now I'm afraid to take it out in the rain without sealing everything in plastic. I did get caught in another down-pour this morning...without warning and without plastic over my laptop. Thankfully it was okay, but the front and bottom cord pockets still show signs of moisture inside them. The umbrella helped this time too but it still was soaked on the outside when I got to work regardless. That's the biggest issue. The second and only other major issue I have with every Timbuk2 backpack is the design of the suspension system. Perhaps I've been spoiled in the past with backpacks that were designed by mountaineers but not for commuters, but at least they know something about how backpacks with heavy items should function. Most packs from "outdoors" companies realize that to easy the weight of the pack from your shoulders, you should install a waist belt along with a sternum strap. This way the weight of the pack goes to your hips and not your back and shoulders. Now most people probably think using the waist belt is "uncool" looking, but it's very functional. Again, why the engineers overlooked this is beyond me. Perhaps an ill-managed focus group came up with this omission? Or perhaps the waist strap isn't used by bike commuters? I'm not sure but it would really help make all their bags way-way better. Some other companies (like one from Seattle) offer to add-on a waist and sternum strap...at the very least they should offer that. Bottom line...I would recommend this to someone needs this bag for short commutes, but not someone who's going to be outside with it in any bad weather longer than 10 minutes. If it weren't for the water-proofing issue, I would 100% recommend this. So I hope TB2 takes this back to the lab or a slight update, because it really is a nice bag! I just wish I had my iPod back.

I'd also recommend: Tom Bihn, The North Face