Customer Reviews Timbuk2 Classic Messenger Bag - Large

I use this as my daily go bag. I keep things like Leatherman, LED flashlight, external cell battery, headphones, sunglasses always in it. The medium has plenty of room to add laptop, tablet camera and a sweater or light jacket. The new compression straps are cool, but where they attach to the bag in the back sometimes makes them catch on my belt.

I got this for my girlfriend to commute to work with on her bike. Everything is great EXCEPT the web colors I chose aren't as close in real life. The greens were closer in color on the web page when I was designing it. The panel green is a lot darker and the border green is a lot brighter than I was led to believe.

This is my fourth Timbuk2 messenger bag. I have one in each size. This one has a much thinner strap material than my other ones, which I have had for a couple of years. Looks like an attempt to cheapen and economize on the strap. I am disapppointed in the strap material and much prefer the heavier webbing in the older straps.

I use my Custom Classic Messenger when hopping on my bike to get around town. The fabrics I chose were the Blooming Stripes Violet and Kaleidoscope Fiesta. When I pulled it out of the packaging I did experience a few moments of disappointment; on the site, both of these fabrics are pictured with somewhat muted colors, which I actually liked because I wanted the bag to be both funky and understated. In reality, the fabrics were a good deal "stronger" than pictured--the dark gray of the Kaleidoscope Fiesta was closer to black, and the pale yellow ended up just being yellow. Both fabrics had a significant overall RED hue that is not apparent at all from the pictures in the bag builder tool. However, after carrying it and using it bit, I grew used to it and liked it; they're still attractive patterns. I am able to fit my large Dell XPS 15 into the divider in my Medium bag even though the laptop fit guide said it would not fit. It feels comfortable when I climb onto the bike and I find that I am able to easily adjust the length of the strap. However, the one other small complaint I have is that the CAM buckle used to secure a certain strap length setting, comes loose fairly easily. It hasn't loosened while riding yet, but it has randomly loosened while picking up the bag and while walking. This isn't a major problem but it sometimes is annoying, as it takes both hands to readjust it back to where it is comfortable for me. However, Timbuk2's Double-loop CAM system is still MUCH easier to adjust than any other messenger I've ever used. Overall it is a solid bag; there is something to be said for the fun experience of customizing a bag. Looking at my bright, personalized bag makes me smile in the morning. The mood lift I receive from this bag is definitely worth it.

I had borrowed a older version of the medium Timbuk2 messenger bag from a friend before making my purchase. I can say there have been lots of improvements made on the bag. My only complaint is I wish the cross-body strap was heavier webbing like the older models. It is the perfect bag to haul a ton of junk to work everyday.

I thought quite a while about whether to purchase my new bag from T2 to replace my old one. Ultimately I decided to go with the bag I knew that had the options I wanted, but my previous experience was that customer service pertaining to the "lifetime warranty" is bogus. My old bag had a cotton exterior and a sort of rubbery lining (which seems not to be available any longer). Over time it seemed that the cotton shrunk while the rubbery liner didn't (not surprisingly). The result was that the flap became permanently folded up and the liner eventually started wearing away and getting holes in it at the fold. I contacted T2 asking if they would repair it; I offered to pay for the repair but was told they don't have for-fee repair services. I sent photos and explained what happened, and instead of having them say, "This will be a quick fix, so send us the bag" they said that perhaps I caused the wear by carrying something sharp in the bag (which then mysteriously floated out to the outer flap, I guess), and that the "problem" I identified was not T2's fault and was not even a problem. OK, so a poor design leading to the liner crumbling is not their fault, and I may well have not told the truth about whatever sharp objects I was jabbing my bag with. The warranty, I found, was not a real warranty. The CS person tried some sort of cool, hip act with me, when in fact they couldn't have been less cool about handling a basic, small problem caused by T2's design.

I am wondering whether the custom fabrics will be as durable as the standard cordura since they are not fused to the lining. I like the open access and that it's big enough (medium)for work, lunch, water bottles(love the built in sleeves on the inside) books and projects. Love the side entry pocket for my phone. Like all the design upgrades since a previous bag from 5 years ago

I love this bag i ordered the small bag as a birthday gift from my husband. I wanted something smaller for work that was durable but looked stylish and had a bit of my personality. I have used it for work and now a weekend get away the small fits everything I need. iPad, glasses, wallet, camera, amd anything else I need for the day without being to bulky. I do wish the strap was a bit longer but it works. I am 5 foot 9 and I have the trap completely extended. I just ordered another one for my daughter for her Birthday she loved mine, so I had her design hers. She is a college student and plans on using it for everyday use for school and day trips. I plan on using mine on day trips on my motorcycle soon as well

I was very excited to get my custom bag. However, the one thing that immediately jumped out at me was how thin the strap was compared to a TB2 bag I'd purchased a couple of years ago. That was a smaller courier bag, but the strap material is twice as thick. For a larger bag like my new one I expected a heavier strap.

I am a bag addict and I have been searching for the perfect bag to use daily. I mostly stay home with my kids however I do have a job that takes me out of the house a couple nights a week. I finally broke down and bought the small custom messenger when they were on sale. I had previously owned 2 timbuk2 bags before, but each had something a little wrong. Thoughts on my new messenger. LOVE the colors I chose LOVE the new water bottle pockets, even if they are a little small LOVE how the sides sort of tuck in LOVE the slash pocket, I put papers in there LOVE the organizer pockets, well thought out LOVE the quality LOVE the water proof liner MISSING the old buckle that remembered your fit, although I do enjoy the fact that there is not so much extra strap hanging, I found it easier to get the old one on and off. I keep worrying this new strap device will come undone during use

I love Timbuk2 bags because I need a waterproof bag that will hold up for commutes, day-trips, grocery trips, everything trips. This bag does it all, and as soon as I recycled my old Timbuk2, I knew I would get another. If i could totally have it my way, though... for the custom bags, I would put the basic easy-grab handle on at no charge, like the off-the-shelf bags. I would also make the slash pocket able to fasten shut in the bag bucket for when you don't need/want to use it, or just to control how far it expands into the bag. I would make the water bottle holders -- which I love -- a little bigger so they could hold a coffee tumbler. I would also change the cam belt and strap back to the older models and materials. I kind of hate this new cam belt and strap -- way too slippery and sensitive and difficult to adjust unless I can rest my bag on a table or something while adjusting. Would also put the key clip holder thing back in the inside, where I think it used to be on the old bags. However...loving the Napolean side-entry add-on. Still love the bag quality. Still happy I own a Timbuk2 and would recommend to anyone...with the warning about the cam buckle.

I've used and loved Timbuk2 bags for 15 years or so now, and seen a lot of the changes in the classic messenger. Here are my thoughts about the brand new design: -Grab handle is awesome. -New cinch mechanism for the strap is easier than the cam buckle and takes up the slack (which was sometimes dangerous), but no longer "remembers" your perfect fit. -Everything is lighter weight, which is good, but doesn't hold shape as well and feels a little flimsier. After just a week, I've already got a hole starting in the front pocket where the key strap is. I don't think this is a problem for the main bag panels and strap, but only time will tell. -the black trim used everywhere on the bag is more noticeable than it was in the bag builder app, and looks a little less tidy, in my opinion. If you have more black and grey, this is obviously less of a problem. Overall, I love my new bag, but I do wish the black trim issue could be adjusted in the manufacturing process or people could choose between black and grey for that part.

I y=use this bag every single day. I hike daily and am carrying my camera gear with me. This works great. My only concern is to why the carrying handle was sewn to the side of the bag and not on the top like my other timbuk2 bags............

Let's me carry a change of clothes, shoes and as many burritos as I need.

Small, convenient, packs/holds a lot, my only complaint is the strips are super loud.

This review is for a custom version of the classic messenger bag with the added laptop sleeve and mesh elastic pockets on the inside: This bag is extremely well built with quality. The main strap is really amazing and is so easy to adjust and loosen that makes this bag pretty unique. I'm liking this bag more and more as I use it despite some of the cons below. You can fit a ton of stuff in this bag or keep it low profile because of the placement of the straps that run all the way to the back of it. I got the medium size bag even though it said my 15 inch MacBook Pro would not fit in the sleeve, but it fits just fine. This bag is actually quite big, so I can only imagine how big the large would have been. The sleeve for the laptop/ipad is really nice. A few cons that I have found: - The color of the bag was drastically different then what I saw online. I ordered 2 Cordura Carbon panels which have a vintage looking bright-ish green color online but the bag looked all black almost when I unboxed it. - The mesh, elastic pockets on the inside could work so well, but they are tiny. I can't even fit a water bottle from my bicycle in mine. It doesn't make sense why they would make it so small. - The video for the classic messenger bag shows a low profile strap on the back of the bag, but mine didn't have any strap.

I use a timbuk messenger bag every day when cycling to work for more than 8 years (in x-small, small, medium and click tote). I ordered a small one, which is a good size for me. But I am a little disappointed about the new style: the front buckles are too small (just bad for the look), the strap is too short and cheap looking thin, the cam buckle opens every time I hit it when turning the bag on my shoulder and needs to be adjusted once more, and the inside pockets: behind the zipper there is only one big pocket left (which is smaller than before) and the pockets outside the zipper are not padded like the old one for the phone and there is no little bag with an extra zipper like before. If I could choose I would not hesitate to take the old style back! The only improvement I find is the new strap pad. Beside this all it would be helpful to describe the fabrics a little more careful: I ordered my bag from Germany and took a lightway x-pac in orange, which looked really nice in the internet. But in reality it is a very very bright neon color...okay, no car will be able to ignore me and my bike in the future...I will not need any safety vests from now on, but I wouldn't have chosen it when the description and photos would have been more realistic.

I'm not really into handbags or bags as a fashion statement. For me, they're a practical necessity. I previously owned a bigger version of this bag but it got really grubby, the fasteners broke and it was a too big for my needs. This x-small bag is super. I'm impressed with how much I can fit in it - in fact it's like the bag world's version of the TARDIS. The petite size is a little more feminine and I particularly love the grab handle on top. I opted for the document divider and it keeps my bag nicely organized and I don't have to go digging around to find something. There is only one thing I would change, and that is to make the strap longer and so I knocked off one star for that.

I would have given 5 stars but I don't like the strap. If you hit the cam buckle on it ,it pops open. Which is a real pain in the butt! I hit it almost every time I open the bag to pull out my wallet. Please change that. I love the bag!

I picked this bag up to replace another messenger that I had for a while. I decided to go with the larger size because I was going on a trip to Japan and my professor told us all to pack a single carry on bag if possible. I was worried about packing so lightly, but I was able to fit a decent amount of clothes, a few toiletries, and all of the souvenirs that I picked up while I was there. Additionally, having everything in one bag made moving around much easier. While everyone was struggling with their luggage because they didn't listen to our professor, I was able to easily move through crowds and up and down stairs because I only had my bag. Travelling on trains and planes was much easier because I could store all of my luggage in the compartment above my seat. I was very glad I purchased this bag because it made my trip much easier. My only complaint is that I would have liked it more if the strap was longer. I am a tall person and the strap was a bit too short to get the bag to the most comfortable length. The bag is still comfortable at the longest length I could get it, just not as comfortable as it could be.

I use this product to hold my ultrabook and it fits perfectly. I like everything about it except the missing shoulder strap pad.

Professor going to class with laptop, cord, book, notes, water, pens, etc. finds this bag almost perfect. The handle location stinks. You can't pick it up evenly. Style be dammed, put it on the top where it belongs. Also I'm not surrounded by people that might steal from the bag, so clipping both clips shut to allow the bag to hold form isn't convenient. But I silenced the velcro so it's the only choice. And if there was a way the bag would stand upright that would be a huge benefit. Other than that, I'm proud to buy a product made in SF and the bag is a very high quality. I hope the company does great and will support you when the opportunity arrises.

I too am disappointed with the new style of this bag. BRING BACK THE OLD STYLE! This new style seems cheaper, the buckle used to adjust the strap seems cheap and doesn't hold shut and easily comes undone, the older one was heavy duty. I also think the grab strap is way too low on the back side instead of the top where it should be. I also miss the many pockets on the inside. The older model had a slightly padded soft pocket for a cell phone, this one is missing that, as well as the many other pockets the old one had. I also loved the ballistic nylon of the old style and not much a fan of this lighter weight nylon. Just doesn't have the good ol' solid and indestructible feel the old bag had. I just received my bag so can't tell on how long this will last but I definatley think it will break down a lot sooner than the older, more durable style. I love Timbuk2, especially the custom bags because they are made in the good ol' USA and shipping is faster than fast being custom made. Still a Timbuk2 fan but miss the old custom messengers.

I miss two front located compartments, one beneath the lid and one closed by a zipper in the lid. These kinds of compartements is magnificient in the "Arkitekt" messenger bag made by a famous Finnish company starting with M (name not allowed in this review.... The addition of two such compartements would greatly improve the timbuk2 bag. Arkitekt is still more practical and elegant, but not available in big size.

The fabric was described as waxy canvas, but it turned out to be a matte finish fabric that collects lint and pet hair. I guess you can ask for fabric samples to be sent to you before you order your custom bag. I would highly recommend this I was not allowed to return my bag so now I am stuck with a black fabric that is dull and every kind of lint, pet hair, etc. sticks to it and won't come off.