Customer Reviews Timbuk2 Command Messenger - Large

Tote the basic necessities of commuting in Chicago's winters and summers. Just enough space without being loose and baggy. Greats number of and placement of pocke

This is a great work and travel bag, but older models had more compartments, especially zipper compartments and separators to help organize my stuff and keep it secure. Water bottle/ sunglasses side pocket is now only on one side. Very comfortable, but less expandable than older models. Great for everyday. Less flexible for traveling.

Very cool looking bag, have got lots of compliments about it. Quite light, If it was more compartments it would be much better. Over all a good messenger bag, for school, work, on the go and also for travel! Highly recommend!

I bike to work and this bag is an improvement over my 6 yr old Timbuk2 which I also liked. Its compartments work better somehow and that leads to a thinner more sophisticated design. It looks much better at business meetings with clients. The TSA friendly rating means it might pass the xray inspection or it might not. In LAX it did not and I nearly missed my flight. I was looking for a business class messenger bag and this fits the bill perfectly.

Got this bag to accommodate a 17" laptop. It definitely lives up to the timbuk2 reputation. The no Velcro stealth opening on the flap is genius. I like the latching mechanism. Having the Velcro available for travel is great. One complaint I have with the bag, no zipper on the inside flap pockets, can be placated by using the Velcro. And really its just a matter of adjusting to a different layout, because there are two great zipper access pockets: the secret flap compartment and a very generous Napoleon pocket. If this bag has one negative, it's the strap. It's hard to get it adjusted and the quick adjust cam buckle seems to be easily disengaged. I seem to go through spurts of unintentionally triggering it's release and wrestling with a strap that is sized for a giant. I'm f course, Murphy's law: this is most likely to happen at the worst possible time. Still there's not a lot of bags that can accommodate 17 inches, let alone doing to so comfortably. And A pro traveler could easily get several days in the main compartment. I can't wait for a weekend business trip to put this through the paces. It works great for my bus commute.

I use this mostly for commuting (via train & walking, & back & forth to meetings with clients). All the compartments keep me organized so I can find what I need without rooting around, and it fits everything I need - a farily large laptop, Ipad, notebook, samples, drawings rolled up & stuck under the flap). With the cross-body strap I can carry a LOT of stuff without strain on my shoulders (I'm no youngster). The only thing I would change is to add a small pocket outside the flap to stash my transpass and my IPhone for easy yet secure access.

This is my third Timbuk2 TSA approved bag. They keep getting better, and I love this one. My only complaint is that setting the bag down it will ONLY fall forward no matter how it's packed.

Used for daily commute It is a little wide for trains I like that it fits so much and has good pockets

Update. There is one additional problem I discovered. The cam buckle comes loose very easily and the bag falls to the entire strap length. I found that I had to keep readjusting the strap and securing the cam multiple times throughout the day. The cam on the classic messenger (at least the one I own) is much more secure. This may be a problem if it comes loose while riding.

Fantastic bag, lots of compartments, a place for everything. Only downside, on screen the bag looked like it was chocolate/brown in colour. When it arrived it was actually pretty much black.

I love this bag. Only negative comments, and I knew these when I bought it, was that the front buckles take longer to open/close than the plastic snaps, but they look better and will probably last forever. I also wish there were a few more pockets, especially one on the front flap for easy access to keys etc. without opening it up. Also, would be great it if it was waterproof, but I knew it was not and that's not a huge deal for me, I'm not actually a bike messenger. The computer and phone / tablet compares are super soft inside and it's great for air travel.

Bought the new one cause his old one was looking really sad. But once he transferred stuff to the new one, washed the old one and it came out looking great! Really great product.

I am pleased with the bag. I purchased the medium in the Carbon Full-Cycle Twill. The color and style of the bag are excellent. The initial fabric feel is quite stiff, but it softens up over time. I use the bag for commuting to and from work and I am happy that it has plenty of space for a tablet, laptop, papers and extras. The bag has a slim fit and is really comfortable. It could have a few more internal compartments like the classic messenger, which I was used to. The top handle and the felt lined pockets are a bonus. The biggest drawback to the bag is the loop / hook closures. They are awkward and it makes it difficult to un-hook when used. Thank goodness for the optional velcro closure, which I primarily use instead of the hooks. I only use the hooks when I don't have to access the inside of the bag frequently. During winter months is it virtually impossible to un-hook the bag with gloves on. Finally, my bag does not stand up on it's own. In the pictures it looks like it is supposed to. Maybe I am not carrying enough items to fill out the bottom, but it is a minor issue. Otherwise it is a fantastic bag.

So this is a great bag, but despite the sizing guide's assurance of ample space, my laptop (a 14" Thinkpad T61) BARELY fits in the small bag. When empty, the main compartment easily holds a 1000-page book. But once you fill in the small inner compartments, the main inner compartment gets pretty cramped. I recently took it on it's first trip, and I could barely fit a notebook and a book in the main compartment. I'm wishing I had ordered the medium-sized bag. Also, since it's designed to carry both a laptop and a tablet, a second spot to store the tablet's power supply would be handy. IF your laptop is larger than 13", get the medium-sized bag.

I finally purchased my first Timbuk2 bag after about a year of waiting and researching. I was looking for a replacement for an aging computer backpack and decided to switch back to a messenger style bag. The style and roominess of the main compartment are definitely the best features of this bag, and the quality is second to none. Plus, I've heard great things about the T2 warranty and customer service, so I'm hoping that this bag will last me for a long time. I am disappointed in the lack of compartments, and the heavy nylon/material that they use for the bag makes the compartments they have very rigid. Also, the device fit tool on the site is definitely very generous in it's "will it fit" conclusion for my 15.6" HP Laptop. It said it would fit in a medium bag, and while it does indeed "fit" it doesn't go in and out very easily because it's a very tight fit. This gives me concerns about the protection, as well as long term qualities of the bag.

Wanted to get a bag for my 12" macbook... But this ain't it. Don't get me wrong, it's definitely an awesome bag, for 13" macbook pro maybe. Features are cool and intuitive, and build quality is top notch. Materials used are excellent. I purchased mine (S) online without having seen any Timbuk2 product, so I didn't have any reference. I know there are dimensions stated in the description and the site has a handy fit guide, but it only says that it fits but not how much bigger it is for your device. Will still buy again, but will take note of measurements better next time.

I'm a web developer with fairly basic needs, but also likes to be prepared for travel and the occasional presentation where extra adapters and cords are always needed. It's very easy to get to the things you need in this bag especially laptop and other devices, which are just a zipper away (most other bags put the laptop compartment under the main flap). There seem to be plenty of compartments, but there's really only one place that makes sense to put cords, adapters, thumbdrives, etc., which is under the flap inside the main compartment in a zippered pouch. The pouch takes up the center portion of the inside, so when you've got lots of things you want secured behind a zipper, the pocket tends to bulk out and make it difficult to keep the bag's profile low. The pocket that holds the laptop is also limited in free space, so if you have a lot of paper work it's sometimes difficult to figure out where to put it (doesn't really fit safely in the main pocket of the bag because of the potentially bulging zippered pocket for odds & ends. When I put paper work in with the laptop, it feels as thought it's putting a lot of pressure on my devices.

Really like this bag. I have wanted it for a long time! But I wish I had gotten the medium... The size will motivate me to minimize! The organizational pockets have beaten moved from inside front to inside back - like the concept, but will have to get used to it. Love the bag. Would buy again, just one size larger!

I like this bag a lot. But my main complaints are about the lack of main compartment space or versatility. And the quality of the interior pocket flaps are like Bible thin. Timbuk2 wasn't always like this however. I have several of their older bags and the quality of the fabric inside and out were extremely heavy duty. That's the reason why I bought TimBuk2 bags because they were so durable. I'm sure one of the trade-offs using thinner fabric for interior pockets is probably the production cost and also it saves weight of the bag. I'd love for them to bring back this high quality fabric. Moreover, the interior pockets get in the way of the storage space of the main compartment. You're better off including folders and documents with the laptop inside the laptop sleeve. Otherwise I really like the bag overall. The strap is super comfortable compared to their previous version. It also stands up better.

The computer compartment is conveniently and easily accessible. We're such a slim design the whole bag is very roomy.

Primarily use this bag as my laptop work bag but also wanted a bag that traveled well. Definitely fits the bill. Just have one issue with the bag -- I wish the bottom was flat. You can't stand it up to get stuff out -- tips over.

This is a great bag! The PERFECT size!!! The only issue I have is that the bottom is slightly slanted so anytime I put the bag down, it flops on it's front, so I always need to tilt it so it doesn't flop over. It's annoying, but I still like the bag a lot. If they change the bottom next year, I would absolutely buy it!! Highly recommend!

Perfect size for my laptop. Stores everything I need to carry for a day's work.

Love the design. Very practical and more then enough space. My bulky 15 inch laptop just fits, but this can be blamed on the laptop, not the bag.

This is a great everyday, every use bag. You can easily take it from being in the office to going on a five day trip without any trouble. The bag is very comfortable and has room to spare. I love the Napoleon pockets and the computer sleeve. My only complain is not enough compartments. My suggestion would be to make available compartments in the main area that allow you to better organize things like keys, cables, adapters, etc.