Customer Reviews Timbuk2 Spire

Great bag. I am using it for the office and love it.

I've been using this bag for commuting to uni and the gym and its just the right size to carry all I need throughout the day. It has a lot of useful pockets and compartments and the padding for the laptop sleeve is great. My only issue so far, is that the bag picks up a lot of dust which can build up in creases on top of the front pocket which is a little annoying.

Plenty of room. Takes a while to get used to the front hook (clasp)

After using a large classic messenger bag for two years as an undergrad I was ready for a change. My neck, shoulders, and back were killing me on days that required heavy packing. I thought about switching to a backpack for better support and whatnot. After A LOT of research I decided on the spire over other packs like the uptown and rogue. It is stylish, practical, and the new gold rush color scheme won me over. I have gotten comments on it and stares all the time. I am 6'2" with broad shoulders, therefore my biggest gripe is with the straps. They do pinch at times, especially when carrying a large load. using the sternum strap lessens the effect a little, but be aware that pinching is there. And another con would have to be the organizer in the main compartment. it mostly just gets in the way when trying to load/unload the main compartment. A large velcro flap would have been great to cover the organizer when not in use. Besides those two minor problems the bag is great. I would pack the same amount into my messenger and the level of comfort in the spire is un beatable. The ripstop polyester looks good and is light weight, lets see how it will hold up over time. I am using the bag mainly for daily commuting and for school, but i can imagine it will do wonders on short trips and weekend getaways. Another home run for timbuk2

I heart this bag. I needed a backpack bag that I can take on quick business trips, and commute with in weather. My only nit with it: the exterior "TSA Friendly" laptop zipper is a bit hard to get to under the straps. It takes a bit of finagling at the security line to get it in and out.

I love this bag. I was hesitant to get a bag pack but it feels so light when I wear it and it is spacious so you can pack a lot. I am still finding pockets and gadgets on the bag. I told a co-worker about it and she bought a bag from Timbuk2.

The bag is great! It is great for school. The front pocket is large enough to hold all of my small essentials that I would like to get to without opening the main compartment. There is a small side "secret" pocket that is great for storing keys, bus passes, and wallets. The main compartment is very deep. This is both a pro and a con. For weekend traveling this is great because the bag can hold everything you need, but for school it is so deep that things are often hard to find. Overall its a great bag. It could use a little more organization in the main compartment.

This bag is really underrated. There are some things that I would change but really I love it.

Bought this for my wife for grad school. She says it's too tall for her 5'2" frame. I told her before it arrived that if she didn't like it, I'd happily take it off her hands, so it's mine now. It's a good size for supplementing the saddle bag on the commuting bike.

I bought this pack after traveling with the "uptown" pack for a month and realizing that the uptown had too many pockets and not enough "structure" to the shape. I wanted a backpack that can store a laptop, have room for a bag of food, and a sweatshirt, and have a couple of outside pockets to keep my littles secured and easily accessible. The top pocket with side zipper is works well to access phone, keys, pens, etc, while the bottom outside pocket holds a bit more. What I also like is the shape - bottom of the pack holds the weight and depth, getting slimmer towards the top. I like the top loading as well, although some might not like the carry-all aspect of it - and it has a zipper in the back of the pack to access your laptop, tablet, newspaper, w/o opening the top. All in all close to perfect backpack. If it was a little smaller in height/length, it'd be perfect for me, but I have no problem with the size. I love this pack.

I like this bag quite a bit but one thing I rely on Timbuk2 bags always having is a key leash and if there is one on this bag I can't locate it. That makes me sad. Otherwise a nice looking, comfortable bag that holds a decent amount of stuff and is perfectly made for a current-gen mac book pro 15

Got the bag today so far I like it for the most part. I kinds wish it had more pockets, but that's not a huge issue. The one thing I don't like are the straps, I thought the padding would be better. With all my stuff in my bag three textbooks, 3 notebooks, and a laptop + charger the padding the straps do have seems nonexistent. However that's something I can live with if it keeps my stuff dry.

I got this bag as a gift, and it was the best birthday gift in recent memory. I have been searching for a bag that I can be confident stowing my MacBook in during inclement New England weather. My commute includes a few walks indoors and out as well as trains and automobiles, and the Spire is perfect in each situation. It's comfortable to wear on the walks, holds a lot without looking like it, and laughs at rain, snow and whatever else happens. The number of pockets, the webbing and the molle straps mean you can customize this pack to be exactly what you need. I also like the velcro part so I can stick whatever patch I feel like on the back depending on my mood. Overall, the materials inSPIRE confidence (see what I did there?). I will say it gets a little dark inside, in terms of reaching in and seeing/finding the pockets, but I will call that a minor quibble. The bottle opener is cool, although I don't know when I will have occasion to use it. Basically: if you have a nice computer that you want to be able to bring out into the world and not worry about the weather, this is the one.

I purchased this bag because I liked the way it looked AND because it had a sleeve for both laptop and iPad. That is REALLY hard to find. That being said, I have come to not like this bag very much because of the closure mechanism on the top. The flap is fine but the metal "hook" that hooks on to the webbing on the front of the bag and keeps the flap closed is an absolute FAIL. It's really hard to get hooked on and even harder to unhook. It makes accessing the bag really frustrating. I just found out, after owning the bag for about six months, that they make a new version...with a sensible clasp on the closer and some other upgrades. Clearly I wasn't the only person that hated that silly metal hook. Spare yourself the frustration and buy the 2.0 version of the bag. It costs more but you will be much happier.

I bought this from the USA before Timbuk2 traded in Australia. I was so excited to get this bag and the build quality looked very high. However no way is this bag 30 litres, I struggled daily to fit my items in and it was frustrating at the last of space. Also the width was so slim I would struggle to get even a lunchbox in. I ended up throwing the bag away after spending a premium getting from the US due to the back padding wearing away and looking awful.

Like the bag. There doesn't seem to be a place to put keys where they don't get lost in a pocket where they can be tough to see or feel. Asked customer service- crickets.

I bought this backpack on final sale. After a few months, I have made peace with all the things I don't like about itonly to note it has been replaced with the Spire 2.0 which fixes all of them. If you are still in the market for this one, consider whether these drawbacks sound worth saving a few bills: - The zipper top on the back to remove a laptop without opening the front of the bag is difficult to access (requiring flipping the straps out of the way); once you do the long velcro strap that keeps the laptop secure is always in the way (The 2.0 moves this access point to the side of the bag so the straps are a non-issue) - In order for the straps to flip to allow access to the laptop compartment, they are attached to the main body of the bag by a narrow strip of nylon. This makes the straps uncomfortable (The 2.0 straps are fully attached to the bag) - The front pocket is roomy but features a very narrow zipper, limiting what fits in there; it lacks organization save for a mesh pocket that is floppy, ensuring you'll reach into the wrong area more often that not (in the 2.0 this compartment now has a full zip with organized pockets) - There pockets to fit credit cards, keys, etc. are awkwardly placed too high in the main bucket of the bag (in the 2.0 these are moved to the front compartment) - The metal hook clasp that secures the bag is pretty and certainly keeps things secure but it very difficult to open with one hand (the 2.0 uses a more standard clip) - The long strips of velcro used to allow the bag to be more or less stuffed with stuff result in frayed fabric from the velcro catching where you don't want it to (hard to tell if this is an issue on the 2.0 but the strips of velcro are much shorter) - The bag is too tall to sit comfortably on my lap while seated on the train, and the rigid backing that protects the laptop has no give (unsure if the 2.0 fixes this). A halfway decent bag overall. The 2.0 seems to be the one I actually wanted.

I bought this backpack on final sale. After a few months, I have made peace with all the things I don't like about it-only to note it has been replaced with the Spire 2.0 which fixes all of them. If you are still in the market for this one, consider whether these drawbacks sound worth saving a few bills: - The zipper top on the back to remove a laptop without opening the front of the bag is difficult to access (requiring flipping the straps out of the way); once you do the long velcro strap that keeps the laptop secure is always in the way (The 2.0 moves this access point to the side of the bag so the straps are a non-issue) - In order for the straps to flip to allow access to the laptop compartment, they are attached to the main body of the bag by a narrow strip of nylon. This makes the straps uncomfortable (The 2.0 straps are fully attached to the bag) - The front pocket is roomy but features a very narrow zipper, limiting what fits in there; it lacks organization save for a mesh pocket that is floppy, ensuring you'll reach into the wrong area more often that not (in the 2.0 this compartment now has a full zip with organized pockets) - There pockets to fit credit cards, keys, etc. are awkwardly placed too high in the main bucket of the bag (in the 2.0 these are moved to the front compartment) - The metal hook clasp that secures the bag is pretty and certainly keeps things secure but it very difficult to open with one hand (the 2.0 uses a more standard clip) - The long strips of velcro used to allow the bag to be more or less stuffed with stuff result in frayed fabric from the velcro catching where you don't want it to (hard to tell if this is an issue on the 2.0 but the strips of velcro are much shorter) - The bag is too tall to sit comfortably on my lap while seated on the train, and the rigid backing that protects the laptop has no give (unsure if the 2.0 fixes this). A halfway decent bag overall. The 2.0 seems to be the one I actually wanted.

This is a good bag at a good price. It is sturdy and well made. I don't love the latch on the top to close the bag and it doesn't have as many sub-pockets/compartments as I would like in a backpack but still a good bag

The Spire is a pretty spacious backpack and has worked well for my commute and also for short travel trips when I packed light. Loved the roll top for expandable capacity and it has a somewhat slim profile when worn, unlike some other backpacks out there. I've been able to walk through for tens of minutes in whatever rain San Francisco can offer in the winter months; everything is dry. Everything on the Spire is well-padded and it's a very comfortable bag. I've worn it continuously on a 100mi bike ride and that wasn't too bad (for a 100mi ride that is). There are a lot of extra attachment points on the bag and I've attached my U lock to the front, freeing some space in the main body for a big grocery run. I often get holes at the bottom of my bags from putting them on the ground on the daily, but the Spire has held up well in that regard no holes. However, after two years of daily use, the TPU outer is starting to peel in unsightly ways, which I didn't expect to happen so soon. The velcro (not shown in some of the photos on the site), has also started to detach from the bag. It's not a big deal, but the velcro isn't as useful as the metal fastener and also attracts quite a bit of lint. Overall, for the price, it's not bad, but I wish I got another year or so out of it and would have paid more for something more durable. Maybe this is just TPU.

The Spire is a pretty spacious backpack and has worked well for my commute and also for short travel trips when I packed light. Loved the roll top for expandable capacity and it has a somewhat slim profile when worn, unlike some other backpacks out there. I've been able to walk through for tens of minutes in whatever rain San Francisco can offer in the winter months; everything is dry. Everything on the Spire is well-padded and it's a very comfortable bag. I've worn it continuously on a 100mi bike ride and that wasn't too bad (for a 100mi ride that is). There are a lot of extra attachment points on the bag and I've attached my U lock to the front, freeing some space in the main body for a big grocery run. I often get holes at the bottom of my bags from putting them on the ground on the daily, but the Spire has held up well in that regard - no holes. However, after two years of daily use, the TPU outer is starting to peel in unsightly ways, which I didn't expect to happen so soon. The velcro (not shown in some of the photos on the site), has also started to detach from the bag. It's not a big deal, but the velcro isn't as useful as the metal fastener and also attracts quite a bit of lint. Overall, for the price, it's not bad, but I wish I got another year or so out of it and would have paid more for something more durable. Maybe this is just TPU.

Bag is well made, wasn't crazy about the bag in person. The fabric and zippers are definitely heavy duty, and warranted for life against defects. Just didn't think it was stylish or roomy enough and very long and narrow.

I love the color and it's very stylish. My major and only gripe is that I've barely had it and it seems to be falling apart.

I bought a Timbuk2 Spire because I wanted a waterproof backpack, and replaced a perfectly fine Ogio Squadron as my daily work bag. The only thing the Timbuk2 has going for it is the waterproof. My Ogio was bigger, more comfortable, had more pockets, and easier to access. I fight with this Spire everyday, its inconvenient to access the laptop sleeve from either the main opening or the zipper on the back, nothing stays where I put it (I might as well be carrying all my stuff in a sack), and the straps are narrow with minimal padding. My sternum strap also broke within the first week, but to Timbuk2's credit they replaced it for free via the warranty. I'm going to keep using the Spire to avoid the possibility of rain soaking my stuff (again), but overall I can't say that I'm satisfied with this backpack.

Nearly everything about this bag is a win - win for me except for two things that I nearly returned the bag for. 1) The bag cannot stand up by itself. Its quite irritating to HAVE TO lean the bag against something always and watch it slowly slide down and fall flat. The back of the bag has a full pad that extends beyond the bag itself and so will always tilt the bag. 2) The outside pocket does indeed have a lot of small compartments, but the pocket compartment as a whole is just too small to make those small compartments or zippers useful. Maybe i have big hands but when I put something in there, it just snags on the mesh or i have to force it down past the folds to go in and then the compartment feels tight and full. Despite these two items, everything else I love about this bag. I ultimately kept the bag as I really do like the style despite it all.