Customer Reviews Timbuk2 Classic Messenger Bag - Large

The shoulder strap is thinner than a previous version of this bag that I've had and loved. The strap easily tangles and is very disappointing.!

I am using this bag to transport office items to work, by car and bike. I love the bag, I own three. I have an original currier bag still going strong. I do not like the new shoulder strap.

Good,

I bought this for my wife and I wish I would have purchased one size smaller. It looks huge on her and is a bit unruly.

actually, '98 was my 1st year of bicycle messenger work, but that didn't rhyme, haha. and it should be testament to Timbuk2's quality, along with similar reviews, that I just replaced it 26 years later. and now as a cabinet and furniture maker for almost 20 years, i've given myself an eye for quality craft. i can say that everything *but* the tiny "water bottle pockets" is of the highest quality. but yeah, i assume that the 4" elastic trim, which doesn't stretch enough to fit a 32oz Nalgene bottle, must've been meant for 12oz plastic bottles or super slender travel containers. and while the silky polyester or polyethylene strap is very nice, i do miss the rigidity of the old strap for hooking over my passenger seat headrest; it had a life of its own, lol. all in all, this messenger bag is a masterpiece that will most likely last you a few decades of use.

The color is great and it's a sturdy bag. I was just a bit disappointed as some of the fine details were a little sloppy (trim on bag, stretchy loop that holds the strap was sewn together a bit wonky). We have 4 other Timbuk2 bags and they are outstanding. Just a bit disappointed as this one seemed like a rush job to get it mailed out.

It's clearly a great bag, but the colors I chose don't look anything like they do on my computer.

The quality and fit of the bag is great. My only complaints are that the price of the bag (I had to get a custom bag because they didn't have a large with colors) was very high vs the price of a non-custom bag, I am not a fan of having a redundant velcro and snap front closure, and the customer service claimed that a large was necessary for my 15.6" laptop but after getting the bag I am very skeptical as now my laptop has way too much room inside.

Bought for highschool. Disappointed in the add on for the water bottle as it doesn't fit our bottle and is not deep enough for a larger plastic bottle.

Needed a cool bag to carry my work laptop (16" Dell) home every day, and my iPad, and some art supplies. I was surprised how few nice bags go higher than 15.6" laptop space, and I sure didn't want to gamble on a bag that was a hair too small. I read lots of online "listicles" (Best Laptop Bags of 2023, etc.) before coming across TimBuk2. When I saw that I could customize my bag, I was pretty much sold. I love customizing my stuff. I got the size Large, the only one that should hold my laptop. The bag shipped in less than a business week, which is awesome for a custom job. Waiting on UPS was torture! Pros: >Lots of space. I could probably take this on a weekend trip and need no other luggage. >Straps and buckles seem really sturdy. Love the quick adjust guy in the front. >OMG is this thing comfortable on the body. I bet I could take this thing hiking, no problem. >Looks cool as heck. Already getting compliments. I want to take it everywhere. Cons: >Stitching seems a little chintzy in non-structural areas. Still tough where it counts. >Organization and pockets are meh. Bottle sleeves are too narrow. >Less "structured" than I had imagined. Just more floppy than I would have guessed. I don't have much experience with messenger bags. Shipped floppy as well, so UPS got all kinds of creases and whatnot in it from handling. >Laptop sleeve is very loose on the laptop. I wonder if I could have gone a size down. Will look into sewing the sides. Velcro strap holding the sleeve closed needs more Velcro contact. There's too much slack to sandwich it all together securely. Oh well. I can sew. Gonna be stitching some cool patches on it anyway. >Arrived dirty. All of my panels are the rain-resist. Right out of the packaging, there were several very faint black factory smudges on the white part that won't wipe off. I'm not going to try any cleaning products on it. It'll get dirtier anyway. Oh well. All in all, I'm very happy with what I got.

The inside dividers seem to keep the top flap from folding over as much but seems good.

Overall it's a great bag. I don't love the strap though, it's really uncomfortable and the buckle hits right on top of my shoulder. Now I need to buy an additional strap cushion to put over it. My last timbuk 2 bag had one so I figured this would too.

I use my bag daily for work. It has exceeded my expectations in both quality/durability and carry comfort. However, I wish it had a small exterior pouch for quick access to pens/phone/eyeglasses. Overall, it's an awesome bag and highly recommend Timbuk2.

Mostly wanted this for carrying my laptop back and forth to work as well as other supplies as needed to job sites. Love the extra padded sleeve and feel confident my laptop is secure, without it I wouldn't have. The cup holders could be a little larger or easier to put things into. Also disappointed the color on my custom one that looked like a grey-green was just grey. Would have picked a different color. Otherwise it's great.

I think this is a great bag. I noticed that the shoulder strap is less rigid than my first TB2 bag, though I am optimistic that it will hold up against all the wear it will go through. Great colors. I wish the water bottle pockets were bigger -- they are smaller than how they appear on the website. Overall, I am satisfied.

Wish it all the pockets my last bag had. No small pocket that closes and my last bag, same dimensions had 4 more pockets

This bag is fantastic. Lots of pockets for organizing (I love that the water bottle pocket is on the inside of the bag). It's comfortable to wear and is well made. HOWEVER There was one main reason I got this bag-the luggage handle strap on the back of the bag. But when I went to slide the handle of my carry-on through the strap, it didn't fit. I tried my full-sized suitcase and I thought I could shove it on that handle, but no such luck. This is something I hope Timbuk2 will reassess and adjust.

Overall great quality, and comfortable. The colors are not as bold as they appear online. My bad ended up a little more bland than I hoped. But quality wise they are amazing.

I have finally found a messenger bag/backpack I love. I am probably your average IT type person so I tend to pack a lot of gadgets, my laptop, and paperwork (yes you read that correctly) into my bag. It took me forever to find a back that was large enough for my work phone, ID, 2 laptops, iPad and headphones. My large configured messenger bag, looks great, has enough pockets for the little things (my glasses) and a couple of pockets for a water bottle but has enough "separators" that my laptops and iPad are not knocking against one another. The strap doesn't dig into my shoulder or neck and with the all the pockets and how things are separated it "spreads the load" so to speak. I can finally stop looking for the perfect bag, I believe I have found it.

I'm a bicycle commuter, and this is my third timbuk2 custom messenger, in bright pink with orange reflectors! This one feels pretty different to the one I got ten years ago. It seems like they have gone for a much lighter build, which is nice on a bike! details: * they make LEFTY bags, which makes me so happy! *slightly smaller than the old large size, and I miss the XL from way back * lighter materials and straps feel a little cheap, but the bag is much softer! * less internal organizers, pockets, zippers, and buckles * Bright pink fabric is gorgeous! * Colored textile reflectors look cool and will probably last a lot longer than that plastic film, which i was constantly gluing back together * they moved the buckles under the front flap for a much cleaner look that shows off the beautiful colors * the same buckles cleverly double as compression straps: lighter, cleaner and more elegant * you can no longer choose the liner color, but it's much softer and lighter fabric * optional water bottle pockets (but they're a bit small for the standard bike bottle) * the change I really don't like is that they replaced the 'set-it-and-forget-it' quick-release buckle with an adjuster on the strap, which you have to release and reset EVERY time you put it on. And my on-strap cellphone holder gets in the way, so it's VERY clunky I think that the ligher weight and softer, lighter fabric are generally better . The excessive inside pockets on the old model were kind of inelegant and not all that useful. I will need some extra pouches to organize things, but then i can also go super-light if I want-a good trade-off! If you want a burly bag, go for Chrome, but they're heavy, only have boring colorsand they don't make lefty bags, which is a deal-breaker for me. Hopefully I'll get used to that weird adjuster on the strap. Overall, the vivid colors, lefty configuration and cool-ass brightly colored reflectors make this bag a winner!

Daily driver. Mostly like it. The water bottle pockets are useless. I'd much prefer a nonelastic compartment. Pockets on the front should be lower, anything heavy in them makes it harder to use, since it will lean forward. I wish the top flap didn't go so far up on the back of the bag where it bends to the front, instead of ending at the top of the front portion.

It works and matches the bag

The construction and the materials of this bag are outstanding and have exceeded my expectations. The overall design of the bag is sound, however the zipper pouches on the inside and outside of the bag are opposite one and other and bulk out too easily. The other issue I have is the laptop sleeve is not anchored at the bottom of the bag allowing contents, like folders, stored behind it to slide under and get bent up. It is not my intent to give the impression that this bag is in any way less than excellent, but these two points for my uses as a briefcase/lunchbox/commuter bag/computer bag/everyday bag are mildly inconvenient.

I gave this as a gift for someone who needed a book bag and a gym bag combo it's smaller than I expected but in a way that's good cuz the bag does the job and fits in the locker at the gym. I wish the bottle holder was bigger to fit a large water bottle other than that it's a cool bag.

I have been buying/using Timbuk2 bags for 20+ years and absolutely love them. The only reason I didn't give the bag 5 stars is because I thought they used to come with the pad for the strap? Now it's sold separately. I could be wrong. The pad is a key part of what makes this bag ideal bike commuting