Customer Reviews Timbuk2 Especial Medio

This is a great bag! I use it daily for commuting. It's by far the best designed computer bag I've owned. I use it every day during the week, but I like it so much that I am starting to reach for it for weekend adventures as well! After years of messenger bags, I'm now fully committed to backpacks. They spread the weight better and are far more comfortable. I went through several competitors including Chrome, but none were the right mix of water proof, functional and comfortable. This bag has it all: comfortable straps and frame, rugged materials, a stash pocket, an organizer pocket, and a spot for sunglasses up top. The key lash is long enough to access your keys while holding the top handle. It also has side water bottle pockets and a great spot for a u lock. The bag has a narrow profile, keeping the weight of the load close to the body. I also really like that it sits below your shoulders. This is in contrast to many roll-tops where your rear field of view is blocked when looking over your shoulder. Both the sternum and waist strap are detachable. My preference is to only ride with the sternum. The laptop sleeve sits closest to your back. I also like that it doesn't scream bike bag. The style is muted (at least the black) - a bit stealth which I prefer. It's a great looking bag suitable for office environments. It has built in reflective panes that look like design details during the day, but lights up at night. It's also an easy bag to travel with. Fully loaded, I can get a days' worth of shoes, clothes, food, and the laptop packed in with no issues. It also rides very well when lightly packed. The compression straps, along with the side zippers help the bag expand to accept a helmet. The build quality and materials are also excellent. I have no doubt that this bag will stand up to abuse. Plus you have the Timbuk2 lifetime guarantee if anything does happen. Overall, I'm really happy with this backpack.

I use this pack daily to bike commute in rainy Vancouver, CAN. It is made with the same bomber construction and attention to detail as all the T2 bags I own. The multiple pockets and laptop sleeve make this pack very functional for day to day commuting but also for small hikes, travel and packing alot of gear to bike races. The large size profile is a benefit, it does have the drawback of obstructing your shoulder checks somewhat, just requiring a longer and deeper turn than I was used to with my previous narrow profile hiking pack. Overall I am very pleased with this pack and would recommend it to anyone. I look forward to riding with it for many years to come.

I use this to commute to work and it's been great. It can handle my laptop, papers, and clothes for the day and it expands to the size I need. Great bag.

I use this bag everyday and it's great. I commute to work 16 miles round trip in all weather and the bag holds up perfectly. Although it's white it's easy to clean any dirt, etc that gets on it. Weight distribution is spot on, I barely feel all the stuff I pack in there on my shoulders. Excellent buy, and highly recommended!

This thing is solid. Flexible for several uses. Laptop compartment can be used to keep a button down tidy (for work commute) like the Especial Raider, but you've got way more space, especially with the expansion zipper opened (I don't really need to expand for commute though if I'm not hauling a laptop + shoes + clothes + extras). Would be cool in a grey color, but the black is gonna last for years I would think. Material feels strong but not too bulky. It's got some style to it, but it's subtle, which I like.

It it Good but I found a loose thread. thats the only thing i regret.

This is one of the few bags I could find online that was predominately white, which was very important to me. I walk 3.6 miles to work one way carrying a decent amount of things including either a Mac Air or iPad, sometimes both. I am not afraid to pay for quality, but at the same time I am thrifty. I've not tried a Timbuk2 bag before but had poked around on the site on several occasions for the past few years. Daps to Timbuk2 for being the only mfg I could find of their caliber that offered a mostly-white option because for me personally that put it over the top to go with them. WOW was I amazed!! First of all I stumbled into the President's Day Sale I didn't know was on so saved $50 without even trying. The bag arrived in perfect condition and I absolutely LOVE it. My arms were going numb using the cheaper backpacks, and I needed a better bag ASAP yet still unwilling to compromise style. Timbuk2 delivered with a product that was not only what I knew I wanted, it was what I didn't know I wanted until I got it. FAN FOR LIFE!!

This backpack is a perfect synthesis of the best features of many commuter bag styled products. It incorporates the great functions of messenger bags with more versatility in storage and far superior load distribution. I have been a dedicated messenger bag user for most of my 30yrs of avid cycling that includes plenty of commuting. I never embraced TB2 commuter bags (high ride, heavy on one shoulder) in favor of early 90's brand Yah-Yah bags (out of Spokane, WA), or even recent Eddie Bauer branded ones no longer made. Both of those styles had the ideal (imo) commuter bag style with lower-on-the-back riding, waist-hip cinched horizontal bag-ride and the shoulder strap as a support. The TB2 style are all just too ergonomically unbalanced not ideal for heavy bag loads (high riding, all weight on one strap and upper back, stressing lower back). Well, the Especial Medio nails all the best qualities of load balance and distribution. You can adjust weight distribution by shoulder strap and waist belt variations, adjust ride to get it lower to get load of shoulders, and the back supports sit nice and lightly on you even when loaded. Bag has a great stiffness too it that maintains shape and stays aero loaded of even near empty (no flapping in the breeze). Storage and loading habits used when coming from messenger bags takes a little reorientation, but I adjusted happily in about a day. With the good bit of extra space over a normal sized messenger it made it easy. I can haul a LOT in this thing. For size reference since, both the guy and the woman in the ref. pics are essentially the same size ( !!! :) how bout a guy in the 6'0"-6'3" range since the woman is already 5"6" and the dude is 5'8" not a helpful contrast) it took some study to decide if at 6'0" this or the Tres would be a better choice for me. Well I'm very glad I passed on the Tres, it would've been huge (good if you need that). The Medio would serve most commuters very well I think, the lateral rear view is very good looking over the shoulder with this pack, no blind spots there. Durability is hard to gauge since I've been using this two weeks. But based on experience and builds of other commuter products this awesome piece of gear has a bomb-proof feel to the build. Tough as nails cordura with weatherproofing at every turn. It has outstanding zippers too. My educated guess and expectation is that it will last a long long time. I'm convinced I'll get 10+yrs out of it if not never blow it out. And when you throw in lifetime warranty and the fact that it will likely outlast three or more other bags, the price on this starts to seem so much easier to handle. I am a frugal shopper when it comes to bike gear and I put the good money into things that matter, where you need quality and not to needlessly waste money. It was a tough decision to dive in for this bag as it's a bit pricey, but i am ecstatic that I did. You get what you pay for here, and then some I think. Goodbye messenger bags for good. Thanks Timbuk2 for offering an alternative to them that for some of us fills the need in far better ways. You got my business over Velo Transit for all these reasons. I absolutely got what i paid for and a fair price. What a great product! I got the white one for the higher visibility on dark country roads, I love the color and name Stormtrooper I also took the plunge on a sale item on the same purchase (was my bday and TB2 offers 20% discount on bday :)) the Especial Raider which looks like the lighter weight summer alternative. I look forward to writing a review on that one down the road. Cheers! M

Love it. So happy with the build quality. I've stood in rain, sleet and snow. Dry inside. Zippers are smooth and sealed. Lots of easy to get to compartments. Gets dirty, wipes off. Comfy easy adjust straps. Best I've ever had.

I searched far and wide for the right combination of style, colour and practicality; particularly lugging around a 15" laptop. When I got this, my first thought was "stylish" and then "it's big". The bigness isn't a worry, it expands and contracts quite well, so if I'm just carrying a laptop it's pretty flat, but if I want to stuff it with clothes it'll fit them. It *is* a little taller than I'm used to, but I think the extra room will be handy. Lots of pockets to compartmentalise lots of things. In short, I'm loving it.

Even though it could have a little bit more pokets (e.g. for iPad apart of laptop), it's the best thing I've ever had. Timbuk2 <3

Awesome

I'm not a cyclist, but I still appreciate this bag. I was looking for a bag for my roller derby gear, so I needed one that had a flat bottom and was large enough for the two skates, my pads, tools, and smaller essentials. This bag fits everything. A lot of derby bags are roller bags, and I find them impractical and kind of ugly. This back pack is big enough for everything, waterproof, has a lot of functional pockets, is sleek in its styling, is not bulky (so I won't whack people on the bus), and it distributes weight well. The waterproof zippers are awesome. The small zippered pocket is great for my wallet and bus pass so I can just swing the bag off my left shoulder and get to those things quickly. It's expandable, so that is super useful. This'll definitely be my go to bag when I travel too.

I own a lot of bags. I'm always looking for the perfect fit, but they often end up being too small, too large, not rugged enough, too rugged, for my daily commute. The Medio Backpack is the first bag I've bought that gets everything right. Tons of pockets and organizers for all my daily needs. I can carry everything I'm going to need on my bike commute and have the bag still feel light and practical. It's also very comfortable and I barely notice it on my back when I'm riding. If you ride a bike to commute, you won't regret buying this bag.

So lets just say it upfront. It has zippers instead of a rolltop/flap. Its not as weather proof as some of the other bags in the line. Particularly if you aren't careful when you zip up the main compartment and the small upper pocket. You don't want to leave the zippers meeting in the middle up top. They need to meet off on one of the sides where rain is less likely to squeeze between the two zips/pool up and drip in. I rode through an absolute 30 minute downpour and had all the contents of my bag stay perfectly dry except for the small upper pocket (didn't push the zipper all the way into the protective tab/cover). Having said all that.. It looks way better than the other bags in the line. The pockets are in all the right useful places. Its a great size for the vast majority of riders out there. The padding is GREAT and its built like a tank. Zippers are never as good as a flap/roll and that's ok. Just know the compromise up front.

This is a fantastic bag. I didn't get a chance to look at it as I bought it online. It's a little larger than I needed, but with the straps tight it stays quite manageable. One thing is that it's taller than similarly sized bags. This increases the comfort when there is weight in the bag. I commute with my laptop each day and the bag is very comfortably positioned on my upper back. One minor complaint is that the laptop strap is way too long; I have a MacBook retina, and the strap has space for something 50% larger which makes it more annoying than useful. Like I said this is minor, definitely wouldn't stop me from getting the bag again. It's excellently made!

I commute to work & home (20 miles) round trip every day when possible. This backpack is so adjustable that it should fit just about everyone. It is very light and all pockets, storage and hideaways are perfect.

Have used many of TimBuk2's bags and this is by far the best for me. It's large and roomy inside. Lots of pockets and space for everthing especially since I live out of my bag! Great bag and quality to say the least! I bought the bag on one of those TimBuk2's one day sales. It was worth it! It also was the only reason I bought it as the regular price was way too expensive for me.

I have a Timbuk2 bag already but that one was not big enough for me and no side pockets. I love this bag!! It is perfect for me. I go to school everyday by bike and I needed a backpack that is big enough for me to put a lot of books in and still protect my items from water. The hidden pocket on the front is really convenient for me to put extra clothes in and the side pockets are awesome for water bottle and coffee mug! Overall, it fits everything I need. A great purchase.

I had been looking for quite a while for the perfect bike backpack when i found this bag. I practically live on my bike so i wanted something rugged, weather-proof and good looking with lots of storage space, and the Especial Medio is just about perfect. Everything is so extremely well thought out, from the layout of the pockets to the comfortable padding. Even though i watched the presentation video several times before purchasing the bag, I was just blown away by the quality and the functionality of it. A lot of companies makes great messenger bags (Chrome, Mission Workshop) but most of them are designed for working bike messengers, so things like internal organizing and good laptop compartments seem to be forgotten in favor of extreme expandability or weatherproofing. The Especial Medio is weatherproof enough (I found that a newspaper in the bottom of the main compartment got slightly moist after about 45 mins of biking in heavy downpour) and big enough (about 35 L) but also comes with a great laptop compartment, great organizing, and just overall amazing quality. So far only two things have annoyed me slightly: 1) My Abus Granit X-plus does not fit in the u-lock holster on the side of the bag (I think it was designed for Kryptonite mini-locks, and 2) the water bottle holder on the other side is just to shallow and loose to hold the water bottle securely. Anyway, I absolutely love this bag and i am extremely happy with my purchase.

I use the Especial Medio for my daily commute to work and for all of my biking/non-biking needs. It's like the pack was designed for me. It really is that perfect for my needs! I needed something that would fit my school stuff (I'm a teacher) and my tennis stuff as well (I'm also a tennis coach). After A LOT of shopping around, I ended up buying this pack. Best decision ever! It's rugged, practical and it can carry everything I need; a 100 oz. hydration pack, a full change of clothes, shoes, 2 tennis racquets, bike tools and all of my accessory items. When I bought the pack, I was a bit worried that it wouldn't fit everyting I had to carry. However, it's so well-designed that I have no problems fitting even more if I have to. It's also rugged and will take a beating! Great pack!

I live in a very rainy area and can't risk my electronics getting wet. I left my bag in the back of my truck during a downpour and the contents did not get wet. Not even on the most exposed pockets. It is a very expandable backpack, made to look stylish and thin. With an entire weeks worth of traveling goods stored inside you cannot tell. It took me a while to find the best use for each pocket and storage area, but the more I use it, the more it makes sense and my stuff can now easily be found. The best feature so far seems to be the dual padding on the back. I didn't realize how comfortable it is having padding that avoids the spine, especially when bike riding. One more thing, the waste strap seems like a cheap afterthought, but if you're not using it for support, it's perfect for just keeping the bag in place and is easy to remove or attach. I wish there were openable straps on the side so I can attach things like shoes or skates or a paddle easily, but can't have everything. This bag is near perfection. They've done a great job.

I've purchased quite a few high-end packs for commuting, traveling, and hiking over many years. In my opinion, this backpack is simply outstanding. Extremely well thought-out, and very comfortable both on and off my bike. Great materials and build quality. The buckles/etc are all very solid. The bright blue interior is great -- easy to find stuff but not so light that it shows every speck of dirt. The backpack is on the taller side, with a relatively thin profile... which works for the stuff I carry to work. I really like the top sunglass pocket and mesh pockets in the main compartment. My only suggestion would be to make the front pockets a little thicker, as they are mainly suited for thin/flat items, and somehow my wallet/keys/etc are pretty bulky. And, it would be great if the expansion pocket could expand even more (if that is technically feasible). But, those are tiny things. Overall, this is an outstanding backpack, one of the best I've ever owned.

I was skeptical about getting another pack as my closet is full of them, but after getting this bag I've given away several others to make room for it. I use this pack everyday commuting to work. I can fit shoes and gym clothes into the specific pockets of the bag besides a lunch and work documents/laptop. The bag can carry everything I need but still has a low profile look and sleek design. I'm also in love with the straps and back support, they allow airflow through so you won't get sweaty cycling to work. The back foam also has a cut out for your spine so you won't feel your laptop digging into you back while cycling. Its a perfect commuting bag, I use it everyday.

Use to commute to work, walking or by bike