Customer Reviews Timbuk2 Classic Messenger Bag - Large

I had a messenger bag for many years, it was terrific. I replaced it this year because it had finally begun to show age and tear in places (I do use it to haul a lot of heavy charts around, so no real complaints about the overall workmanship). The new bag is nicely designed, but for some reason they changed the strap material from a stiffer sort of webbing to the soft, flexible webbing that you find on seat belts. With the old bag, I would just throw it on and it would always find perfectly on my shoulder. Now I always have to take the time to flatten out the strap by untwisting it, and it still tends to get twisted. This means that it doesn't lay flat on my shoulder, and when carrying a lot of weight it will often fold longitudinally, making the strap effectively narrower and less comfortable. I understand that the must have had their reasons for changing this material, but it would be nice if there was the option to use the older strap material for this (I purchased a custom bag).

This is my fifth custom made Timbuk2 messenger bag that I have ordered for myself, family and friends. Sadly, the strap is smaller, thinner, and lesser quality. This strap will not hold a fully loaded bag for cycling. Very disappointed.

Good quality, the reflecting fabric No compartments for a pencil or a stylo

I'm a proud owner of two different TimBuk2 Bags as well as a tote bag I bought for my girlfriend a few years ago. They're all high quality and one lasted for almost ten years. For the first time, I wanted to take the plunge, spend a little more money by getting a hand-made custom messenger bag. But I'm disappointed. Maybe I should've saved money by getting one that's not hand-made and customized because the latest version of TimBuk2 Classic Messenger bag is significantly different than the previous versions. And not in a good way. The strap is thinner and narrower than the previous versions. The benefit to this is that it's slightly more comfortable on your shoulder as it doesn't dig into my shoulders. That said, I question its durability. Not sure how long this will last before it rips apart but only time will tell. I have the 2006 Classic Messenger and even that version had more compartments than this latest version. I believe the last year's version actually had three more compartments outside and plenty more on the inside. And the construction of these compartments on my 2006 bag were higher quality with thicker and sturdier materials whereas the new version simply do not have enough compartments and it seems like they were added as an after-thought. Speaking of compartments, I paid extra for the water bottle pockets. Save your money and skip this add-on. They're useless. They're too small for any water bottles. You might be able to squeeze in a small grocery bought water bottle but even then you have to fight the tight elastic around the pocket to get it in. It seems like most reviewers agree with this. I figured for a company this big, they'd field-test these add-ons to determine if they should make it into production. And the new version of their cordura fabric seems slightly thinner and for some reason, much more shiny. I'm sure this bag will last ten years without too many problems but I wonder why mess with a good thing? My 2006 messenger bag has held up very very well. People have bought these bags because of its bomb-proof construction and practicality but they tweaked too many things on this bag and as a loyal customer, I'm pretty disappointed. For the money I've paid, I've expected much much more. Compare this to a custom Chrome messenger bag, I think you'll find the Chrome bag to be much higher in quality. If the new version had more compartments (or same as the ones before) i might have gave it a better review but I'm totally underwhelmed and disappointed in the updates to the "classic" messenger from TimBuk2.

It wasn't as big as my previous purchase from timbuk2. I realised the closing of the bag isn't as secured as my earlier messenger bag. Also the straps are not as "durable" and thick as I liked. You guys changed or have I order a smaller or wrong design?

wow

I will bring my messenger bag to everywhere, it is really good to store what I want to bring, only one things is bad for me, there are not enough inside pocket for separate the things.

I bought my first timbuk2 5 years ago. Quality them was better. I'm a bit disappointed and won't buy one again.

It's a great bag. I did ask for a zipper inside and I was told that they don't put them inside. I wish they had internal zipper on the big openness of bag. Other than that , it's a great bag that I use daily for the rest of my life.

I was so excited about replacing my generic messenger bag that I use every day with this one. The bag is attractive, bright and sturdy. MAJOR drawback is that the strap is not long enough to comfortably wear bag across body. In addition, it's hard to open the Velcro closure with one hand, which is impractical and quite noisy. This bag is a costly disappointment.

I wanted a waterproof bag that zipped shut so I could bring it on an airplane and not worry that any objects would fall out. I assumed the Small Classic Messenger Bag that I custom created on-line would have a zipper on the main compartment but it doesn't. While the Velcro provided to keep the bag closed seems somewhat robust it's no substitute for a zipper. Also, one of the colors (Cordura Village) I chose did not match what was portrayed on-line. The on-line color was a more blue-toned purple and what I received a red-toned wine color. That being said, the bag is very well sewn and lightweight. I liked the option of customizing it to my needs and color choice, but I will not take it on my business trips because of the lack of a main zipper. I would recommend purchasing the Timbuk2 bags in the store where you can see what you're getting, but I would not recommend purchasing it on-line. My rating of "average" is due to the color & zipper issue and not to the durability of the material and general construction of the bag.

This bag is good i'm just not really blown away for the price. The best feature is the two water bottle holders inside on the ends. It's pretty durable too. What I especially don't like, is that the one side of the bag (the side that is under the flap) has an outer pocket with a zipper, an outer sideways pocket, an outer outer pocket, a larger inner pocket with a zipper, and then several "organizer" pockets on the outside of the zipper pocket, ALL ON THE SAME SIDE!!!! I absolutely HATE when bag manufactures do this. If you were to actually use all of the pockets (outers, inners, organizers, etc.), all your stuff would be bulging out in every direction and make everything tight and bulky! If you were to slip your hand in the inner pocket for example, you would feel all those items from the outer pockets and the organizer. So no one would ever fill all those pockets up, unless your are carrying flat items like paper only. I just hate that, what's the point of making all these separate compartments and then sticking them all together on ONE side separated by thin pieces of fabric. And then you have this huge area of free empty space with no separate pockets or organizers. Maybe it's just me, but i hate that. It's such a stupid decision in my opinion. I carry a "man purse" because i have lots of odds and ends like chargers, adapters, headphones, keys, wallet, nylon bags, flash drive, umbrella, first aid kit, cigarettes, chapstick, lotion, sanitizer, etc. All things that are not exactly flat. Why not separate all these pockets up evenly throughout the bag? The water bottle holders are the best part like said, because they are a good use of the space to accommodate items that are not flat, but bulky. This bag just didn't meet my needs, but maybe it will meet yours. I just don't think it's worth the money. And one more thing, the velcro is annoying. I would've preferred a magnetic strip, or button, or something like that, to make make it feel closed, but not have to rip velcro every time I open it.

I love these custom Timbuk2 bags. I have purchased at least seven before this one and the inferior quality of this one is noticeable. The strap is less than half the bulk and thickness of the previous version and the outer portions of the bag that used to be double-stitched are now single-stitched. True fans of these bags will be disappointed by these changes, as I am.

I was replacing a custom bag bought in 2007, and though I was aware of the many changes and was a bit apprehensive, I forged ahead because I wanted a smaller bag, and I wanted some of the lovely custom fabric. A week into owning it, I'm really bummed I didn't customize a bag before the 2014 model launched - I missed it by a week or two at best. I really miss the inner pockets that got "streamlined" out (likely a cost saving measure), miss the pen slots I had, and I really miss a small zippered pocket my model came with it. I used to have a place for *everything*, and now it's either loose or crammed into the few remaining inside pockets. I hate the key fob being on the outside pocket, as that's where I keep my phone. I probably won't use the outside slash pocket for much - you can't stuff much in the front of the bag without it bulging out. Also, the inside water bottle pockets are useless - they don't fit the Sigg or smaller camelbacks...so why bother?

I designed this product to help me carry my laptop and other materials from my office to meetings around NYC. I really like the shape and style of the bag, and it's clearly well made. However, I was disappointed in the way the color looks in real life as opposed to the appearance on the website. What I thought was pink looks more like red in person.

I'm a long time Timbuk2 user. I decided to retire my first bag (a Medium Classic Messenger purchased in 2003) with a new version of the same. I also got a small Classic Messenger. Both are disappointingly uncomfortable compared to my old one. RE: Medium Classic Messenger: Since my 2003 model, the latch for adjusting the strap length has been moved from being mounted on the side of the bag to being attached to the bag with a a much bulkier buckle like you see on the waist strap of a heavy duty hiking backpack. I've found that the latch comes involuntarily undone a lot more easily now, resulting in the bag suddenly loosening. The additional buckle, which I guess is for quick release adds some functionality but digs into my side if the bag is tightly strapped. I also think they totally over did it on the velco. It's getting snagged on stuff much more. However, I do like the new placements of the cinches which allow you to pack more tightly than previously. RE: Small Classic Messenger has a much flimsier . Great size, but some disappointing features. The main strap is not the stiff strap that comes with the larger models. While this might save on weight or add comfort for some the main thing I notice is that it gets twisted around all the time. This impedes a quick grab and go because i often have to stop and untwist the strap. The latch for adjusting the strap length is also quite prone to coming undone. Maybe it's because there is now a strap on it that gets caught on stuff. However, the latch doesn't seem to close very tightly and the strap length seems to get longer over time, requiring repeated adjustment. They are still super comfortable bags, but I'm not thrilled with sone of the changes.

I like the look of the bag but I liked my old bag better. It had more compartments and cup holders on the outside of the bag. With everything inside the bag it makes it difficult to separate items out without them all just ending up on the bottom of the bag. Also the handle that was sewn on the outside of the bag was put too low and when i pick up the bag from this handle the bag does not hang vertical.

The disign did dissapoint me a little, IT was shown on the pictures plain Black and White, and the discribtion said Metallica, but There is some kind of yello and dirty white in IT. Not exactly, what i expectet. But better straps now!

I was very disappointed with the "easy-access" description on your website of this bag. I purchased it, spending about $150 to get a really quality bag for my daily commute to work. The "easy-access" zipper however is still underneath the flap and not easy to manage. I was hoping for an actual zipper which was outside of the bag, similar to my friends, which I understand after contacting customer service no longer exists. This bag looks great and fits my style, but after seeing and using the product, I was VERY disappointed with not possibility of receiving money off the bag or changing my purchase. An unfortunate experience with what otherwise I had assumed was a great company.

I still have to get a large enough bag. :(

I love the small messenger bag and have had one for everyday use for years. I was excited to create my own! However I am very dissapointed in the strap and the buckles, they are not the thick quality that are on my previous bags? Otherwise I love it, bring back the quality!

The size I got seems to be too small for my standard size laptop. I paid extra for the handle, but it seems useless and in the wrong place when the bag is packed full. I paid extra for the interior divider, but a file folder barely fits. All-in-all,it is a very costly bag for what you get. I am disappointed.

my 1st timbuk bag was a gift, and it had 2 large inside pockets. so i assumed my new bag would have these pockets also. the bag itself is still good, but quite sad i can barely squeeze my cell phone in a pocket.

Despite taking repeated measurements of my old faithful Timbuk2 bag (used every day for fifteen years) and trying to match to the dimensions on current sizes, I missed, and I now have a brand new bag that is too small to use the way I need to and too expensive to replace since it isn't returnable.

I love this bag! I got the medium size with the laptop sleeve and it's perfect to carry all my stuff.