Customer Reviews Timbuk2 Especial Medio

I have owned this bag for 3 months now. I commute 80% of the time to work in Seattle. I love the water resistant bag, lots of pockets, and sealed zippers. I have noticed the bottom of the bag could use more durability. I would also like the front pocket to be not so restricted and tight when the bag is fuller. The bag has been great to own and commute with, plenty of room for laptops and various objects. I would buy this bag again.

I have had this bag for two weeks, very functional and fit is great. The weight gets distributed evenly and your back doesn't feel the brunt of the load due to the chest strap and hip straps. The padding on the back is very nice and you will sweat but the padding helps. The only flaw is the front pocket is very tight when you have a full load.

I use the pack to hold my belongings during my 12 mile each way bike commute. The great parts about the bag are that it keeps stuff dry in heavy rains, holds everything I need for work including clothes, lunch, extra bike clothes, and sometimes my laptop. It also looks nice. I used to swear by messenger bags, but I found that the bag covering my bike during hot Virginia summer rides caused me to get hotter and sweatier than I wanted. This bag has a curve in the back that helps keep it off your back allows a small amount of ventilation. You still get a sweaty back on hot days, but I find myself more comfortable than when using a messenger bag. The fit of the bag is fairly nice. One complaint I have is that when I ride my bike with my hands on the tops, my helmet rubs against the top of the bag. I had to loosen the shoulder straps quite a bit to lower the bag to the point where it did not hit my helmet all the time. I have a very short torso so people longer on top shouldn't have this problem. I also find that the bag bobs up and down quite a bit when I am riding out of the saddle up hill. This does not happen when the bag is fuller and heavier. This is the first bag that has allowed me to comfortably carry my laptop while riding my bike. The weight gets nicely spread out over parts of your body and I find that I forget I have a computer on my back. Overall a great bag. I just hope the zippers last a long time. I'm used to buying new Timbuk2 bags not when they wear out but rather when I get bored and want a new bag. The zippers have me worried that the streak will be broken Would have given it 5 stars if nicer zippers and slightly smaller in height.

Overall a pretty decent bag. The only issue is that when it's not very heavy -- like when I leave my laptop at work -- it kind of rides up and the shoulder straps rub into my neck when riding and turning my head (which happens quite a bit in the city).

Overall I'm really happy with this setup, only two minor gripes: 1. Main compartment zippers should go length of pack for easier access and loading 2. Straps and zippers are kind of loud when walking, a lot of stuff swinging around!

The Velcro is really loud- I wish there were more zippers instead! All else is pretty good- seems like a sturdy product!!!

I used this to commute to work. Holds shoes, and my dress clothes without a problem and has space to spare. The laptop sleeve is a good size. Lots of helpful pockets and compartments, I especially like the expandable back pocket to put a jacket or helmet when not in use. Have not used in the rain yet, but seems to be water proof. Has enough room for my soap, deodorant, etc to shower at work. Very comfortable to use on my bicycle for a 7-ish mile commute. The only change I would make is a zipper instead of the velcro closure for the 1 outside pocket.

Best part of the bag is are the number of compartments and the exterior waterproof layer which I need when riding the motorbike and traveling. Space inside is cavernous and if I was traveling for a weekend this would be the perfect overnight or two night carry on. The only complaints are that the inner pockets are a thin nylon, and the bag is a little taller than it needs to be. Would like to see a more rugged material inside for storage.

I enjoy using it for the gym, placing my shorts in the front helmet pocket. Love the bag overall, it's got a great sleek look about it and straps tightly when you need it. Great option for the waist strap and chest straps being detachable! Love the bag :)

Seems build to last. Plenty of compartments outside to organize your stuffs.

This became my everyday backpack! I also have a classic messenger and other laptop backpack from timbuk2 and this is the best for me because it has a ton of space, good compartments, comfortable. IT HAS A BOTTLE OPENER!!!!

Great product. Love the design and the space it has for plenty of storage. I particularly love that the outside front pockets are well design to fill plenty of stuff like your helmet. I still need to spend more time wearing it around town to give a full critique, but so far the backpack is solid.

I really wanted to love this pack!! It was to replace my 30L REI Women's Traverse that I have had for 8 years and the zippers are starting to fail. Pros... I love the rugged material, it looks different than all the other backpacks I see around the office/life, and it has plenty of pockets. Cons...Bulky, pack is very stiff, wider than most backpacks, I feel like I am wearing a parachute pack, the Velcro gets caught on everything from the backpack straps themselves to my gym cloths, and it does not fit easily into a gym locker.

Use: I use this backpack almost everyday. I use it to haul groceries home, I use it for multi-day trips away from home, and I use it to keep electronics dry while biking around in a rainy city. Pros: Fits everything I need for 5 nights away from home. The helmet pocket swallows up my helmet. Main pocket is quite roomy. Sits high on my back (which I like) and I like that the padding on the back gives some separation between the bag and my back. The padding on the back is pretty comfortable. The sunglasses pocket is also quite roomy. You could fit a typical case in there pretty easily. Actually, I've fit two cases in there pretty easily. The back side pocket is a nice touch, but see note* in cons. The water bottle pocket capacity surprised me. It could fit a 32 oz. nalgene! The interior blue color is very nice. It provides a good contrast against your stuff inside, making things easier to see. I must say, I like having a bottle opener accessible just about everywhere I go. The backpack keeps everything inside of it quite dry during hard rains. Cons: The pocket for the bike lock needs to be perhaps about a half inch wider, to fit the larger (more common?) U-locks, or the velcro strap could detach in the middle so it could be wrapped around the lock and reattached. Mine fits, but it's very tight. (After about a week of use, its has stretched out some, and my lock fits better. I don't know if this is necessarily a good thing, that it had to stretch out some before it fit my lock better). The opening to the pocket on the front (with the organization pouches) is a bit tight. That could be a little wider, as well as pull out from the backpack more. An initial test of the reflective hits with regular flashlights was pretty unimpressive. But hopefully a test with car headlights will makeup for this. *From watching the video on the Timbuk2 site, I was expecting the back side pocket to be somewhat deeper.* I noticed that when riding my bike and I didn't have much in the backpack, the shoulder straps would dig a little into the back of my neck. The helmet pocket doesn't fit a helmet as well when there are things in the main compartment. Add a fastening (velcro or a buckle) strap for the water bottle pocket. I had a water bottle fall out of the pocket while riding my bike after the pocket had stretched out some from regular use. Add a zipper to one of the small pouches in the front pocket (i.e. to hold loose change). After about a year of use, some of the sewing in the front pocket has started to come undone.

Bag is great for its purpose - bicycle commute. Laptop slot is strong and convenient. I've worn through a couple heavy rain showers and contents inside completely dry. My only reservation is the secondary pouch, and at least one other, only close with Velcro. I use this pouch daily and expect it will wear quickly. I would prefer a zipper for these pouches.

Great backpack, would have been perfect if 1. Straps we're not as close together, they bother my neck 2. Top of the backpack is very wide- obstructs vision a bit when riding 3. Side pockets poorly designed. The water bottle does not fit all the way and falls out. There's room but too narrow and no longer made of mesh All and all, the backpack serves me well. It climbed all the way to the top of kilimanjaro with me last week. It was super practical. I even managed to use a 3l hydration bag in the laptop compartment.

Straps were a little too close at the top and hurt my trap muscles for the first few days.

I got this bag for my daily 15km commute and it's doing a great job! I used to have a messenger style bag with just 1 large compartment and having all those extra pockets is a real bliss to give every thing I carry it's own little spot. The only thing I would recommend is an improved strap system. Every other backpack I've owned had adjustable straps on top and bottom, that way you can adjust the fit better. Right now the strap tends to be a little bit scratchy in my neck, adjustable straps would probably solve that. I would totally recommend this bag, but it might not fit everyone perfectly. P.S. also a sad camper that I just ordered it 2 weeks early right before summer sales.

The strap at the top converges so it'll fit better the smaller the neck and shoulder you have - it's tight on me. The bags needs more places to connect caribiners and clips - both internal and external. Water bottle pockets very shallow - solve by using a shorter water bottle. A little upset they dropped the price 20% off the next day I ordered and they didn't automatically apply the difference or at least mentioned that it.

Everything I wanted. The only thing I would change is that when I'm not wearing the waist buckle, it digs into my back. It would be nice to be able to pack it out of the way sometimes. Otherwise, the best bag I've ever owned. I even had tabouli spill inside and none of my papers or tablet got oily. Easy cleanup.

This was a gift for my son who uses it for college It fits his helmet, workout gear, laptop and school stuff easily and so far has worked out great. Lots of pockets and compartments. Miss the dedicated padded sunglasses pocket his old e pack had, but this holds his bike helmet and is nicely padded. Not to heavy and comfortable. I thought there was a free gift available (a bike pack) and checked the box when ordering but it did not appear on my invoice or with my order so not sure what happened and never followed up after holidays. Order took longer than expected to arrive but came in a cute plastic bag.

I spent days comparison shopping many different weatherproof laptop backpacks. It came down to a Chrome Bravo and this Especial Medio. The Especial Medio took honors hands down for amount of space, and organizational compartments. So many compartments! I've used this pack for about 9 months, now, as my work bag. I carry a Chromebook, Kindle DX, power supply, small 3-outlet + 2 USB power strip, lithium battery, flashlight, first aid kit, light rain parka, rain hat, insulated bottle, some pens, notebooks, business cards. I used in on a flight recently, and it's a little tall to completely fit under the seat. It does keep out water really well from the main compartment, the flapped compartment, and the top zippered compartment. I walked 20 minutes in a downpour without an umbrella or rain gear: I had a nice rental camera in the bag which was bone dry. The weatherproof zippers are awesome. The padding is great: keeps air circulating, while the stiffness keeps the pack from flopping around. The straps adjust easily, and stay adjusted. The reflective hits are great, and stealthy. There are only two minor details. First, the two side mesh pockets don't have grippy material. I lost a nice stainless steel coffee mug because it slipped out while I was riding the subway, and the pack was on the floor. Second, and probably a bigger issue. The big pocket with the flap, i.e. the outside compartment with the interior pockets and pen slots, is pretty tight. The pen slots are too tight to hold a sharpie, or some of the newer gel pens with slightly fatter barrels than a cheap ballpoint. And the compartment does not expand: it lies tight against the main body of the bag. So, if you have the hidden pocket or the main compartment well-stuffed, it is difficult to put anything into this compartment. It's also not easy to get to the bottom. If only this compartment were given some gusseting. All in all, I given it 4 out of 5, because I used to own a 5 that I used till it disintegrated. They don't make that one, any more.

I've been commuting to work daily with this bag now for about 3 weeks. The main reason I got a new bag was because I was tired of wrapping my backpack in a trash bag every time it was raining (it works, but is a pain in the butt and looks funny). So the waterproofness of this bag was very important to me. I finally got a chance to test that out yesterday on my ride home. It was a steady rain, and was pounding down pretty hard for a few minutes. My commute is 8 miles (about 35 minutes) so I figured if the inside was still dry after that, then I found a winner. Sure enough, the inside was bone dry. Even the outer pockets that don't claim to be waterproof held the water out. The only reason I gave this bag 4 stars instead of 5 is that the main compartment, although big, is kind of skinny. It doesn't expand out very far. Especially if you have items in the outer pockets that push in on the inner compartment. My old bag was a Lowe Pro backpack meant for camera equipment (not really a bike bag), but it had a big main compartment that just seemed to fit things better. This isn't necessarily a bad thing about the bag, I just have to get used to packing things differently. I read through the reviews before buying and a few mentioned the lower strap that seemed cheap, or like an afterthought. I was a little concerned about this too, but after a few weeks with it have no problems with the chest/waist straps. They're comfortable and help distribute the weight pretty well. They also don't seem to be cheaply made.

Really a great bag, built with typical Timbuk2 quality. Wish the two main storage compartments had a little more room, as accessing the inner compartments and pockets can be a little cumbersome if the bag is slightly full. However, I manage to get everything I need in the bag just fine, though work clothes might be a little complressed / wrinkled.

For regular biking to work, I needed a bag that was tough, had enough pockets for all my small gear items, and easy to get to main compartment (prefer this to giant roll tops). Love the waterproof zipper and cordura - this is a quality bag.