Customer Reviews Timbuk2 Command Messenger - Large

If this bag had the same heavy duty should strap and cross strap as my classic messenger, then this bag would be the ultimate hybrid between style and function for the active professional.

Overall the bag is nice but the angled bottom means it never sits up when you set it down. I have to lean it against something to keep it upright or else it topples over forward. It might seem like a small thing to note, but it is ANNOYING beyond belief. Especially if you have your bag filled with electronics, liquids, etc. A bag should stand up when put down.

I had the Commute Messenger Bag and loved the layout. The Command Messenger bag was the only size in this style that would hold my new Dell 7510. It is an okay bag but not much better than a burlap sack with a shoulder strap. very few internal compartments and only two external zippered compartments so I have everything piled in the bottom of the bag.

It is unfortunate that the bag does not stand upright on its own. It's design forces it to slant forward so that it falls onto the front of the bag when you try to stand it up. Nice bag, poor design.

I own a Control laptop briefcase-style messenger (two handles, top-entry, TSA) that served me well for about 7 years. Decided it was time for a change, but in the interim T2 has made the inexplicable decision to move away from that design and now offers only flapover-style laptop bags at this price point. I tried the Hudson briefcase but it has virtually no room for anything besides your laptop and a few papers, and costs $300 to boot. So I hemmed and hawed for a while, not wanting to move away from the T2 brand since I have always been happy with the build quality over several different purchases. Finally took the plunge on this bag and after a few weeks of using it as my daily driver and on a few business trips I have to say I am very disappointed. I've tried both the S and M sizes and this bag feels huge, bulky, and inconvenient when carrying no matter whether it's full or not. It feels exactly like carrying a piece of thick plywood with a sack stitched to the front. Well-made, and I really like the color scheme (Midway), but functionally it's inferior to my old bag in almost every way. If you already like the messenger-style flapover design then perhaps this is for you. Please, T2, not everyone wants to choose between looking like a bicycle courier or having to pay twice as much for an over-styled briefcase-type bag that holds half as much.

I needed a messenger bag that feels like a light and comfortable backpack that can hold my laptop and some everyday basics.. unfortunately this is too big and too wide, not kool looking for me.

Very sturdy, well made bag. Good for somebody willing to spend time and effort to utilize various compartments but I think I prefer something simpler.

I had the original command TSA bag before the 2015. While I like the front fasteners no longer having that dangling hook, I'm disappointed they didn't keep the small zipper paneled storage spaces for keys, business cards, and usb keys on the front. They took compartments away. While it's "nice" they moved the bottom storage for adapters and cords from the bottom to the side, I now have to cram my laptop adapter in the side and I can't fit my Euro travel adapter and mobile phone and other charger cords into the main body of the bag.

I use this daily for work, or I might drop it and go back to my previous bag (older timbuktu). There is not enough internal organisation pockets for me, particularly in the laptop section. Also, the zips are in weird positions with useless side entrances etc.

The quality is amazing- my only disappoint was that I ordered a classis black bag with bright red cobtrast details- and the bag I received is more of a plum colored contrast. I was so excited about the classic look when I ordered that the plum instead of red was a huge disappointment.

A week in, I am mostly satisfied with this bag. It's attractive, feels very well constructed and I get the impression that it will last for the long haul. Wearing it is quite comfortable, as they've put quite a bit of padding in the strap guard, which I feel greatly reduces fatigue and strain on the back. There is flexibility in how you operate the flap, with the option for velcro or the more secure front buckle closure. My computer fits easily into the TSA-friendly protected compartment. Laptop transport is my preferred use for this bag. There is enough main compartment space for my needs (which are minimal), though it's easy to overestimate the amount of space within the bag based on external observation. At first glance the bag seems bulky, rigid, and slightly handles as such (accessing the zip pocket for on-the-go storage while wearing the bag is not as effortless as I'd like due to the rigidity of the bag material). Swinging the bag around and quickly flipping it open to access a specific pocket is also hard for me, as I like the bag to ride high on my back and thus swinging it around to my chest doesn't give me easy clearance to the inside. That being said, this rigidity offers great protection for the contents in my bag. Overall I think this bag works best if you don't need to access the contents of the bag often while wearing it. An alternative is to lengthen the strap and have the bag hang closer to arms length; however, the bulky feel of the bag makes wearing it low on the back, uncomfortable. Thus far I've pointed out certain features which mostly operate as compromises (bigger, bulkier bag = durability and more space but also requires that you wear it high on your back for comfort; wearing high on back is comfortable, but makes bag less readily accessible). I will end with two small critiques and suggestion for change on the next iteration. 1. The two zipper tabs on the TSA-friendly compartment clink when you walk and thus let people know you're coming from a mile away. It is the swinging of the tabs that makes the noise, not the clinking of the tabs against each other. If you're not walking with headphones, you're gonna hear your bag at every step. 2. I feel the rigidity of my laptop through the back of the bag. I would be willing to sacrifice 1 cm of storage room in the main compartment for additional cushioning on the back of the bag, within the laptop compartment. I also think the bottom of the laptop compartment needs more cushioning or increased clearance from the bottom. Other laptop bags that I've used have allowed me to "plop" them down on the ground, but I actually hear my laptop hit the ground when I do that with this bag. Overall I would recommend this bag, with the caveats above.

Great bag, enough room for its purpose. Strap keep unlatching, does not hold tight enough

All the useful and unique features of my old Timbuk2 bag are missing. No soft pocket for my glasses, no deep pockets capable of holding cords or power bricks, no small zippered pockets. Just one big flat zippered pocket so everything is jumbled and the pocket bulges, making the rest of the space hard to use. The good part is that the Large size accommodates my 15" laptop.

For some reason, they omitted the key keeper red ribbon with clip on this model. Coming home from a week on the road/in the sky and being able to go to the key keeper is comforting and satisfying. This omission is a major mistake in my opinion. The Commute TSA-Friendly Messenger has similar features AND the key keeper. The metal closure clips look great, but I haven't used the bag enough to feel confident in their security and I still feel clumsy manipulating them.

The bag is of good quality material and is comfortable, but has some unnecessary cons. For one, I haven't been able to figure out how to use those metal hooks to close the bag without wrestling with them for 30 seconds. I've resigned myself to leaving them unhooked and using the velcro to close. Secondly, the bag doesn't sit up very well (the front is rounded), so I have a hard time slipping my laptop into the back compartment without the bag falling flat. Third, the bag has decent storage, but given its size and weight, you're not getting a whole lot of room.

I use it at work and fly every week. Love the look and finish. Two flaws. 1. The bag design is such that it will not stand up on its own. Ever. It falls forward. The bottom is cut in such a way that it's like a wedge. Emily or full. Doesn't matter. 2. The bottle pouch on the outside is in direct conflict with the 2 side pockets. So as long as you don't have a bottle or need access to said pockets, you are fine. Medium fits my standard "brick" HP work laptop. Nice! Tea option rocks. I'd say to fix it, but then I'd have to buy another one and I just bought it.

All Timbuk2 bags are great and of very good quality. Would buy their product ayntime... but! This one is too big: I bought for my laptop. I selected the right computer model to choose the perfect bag. But it is way too big. There is too much space and the bag is just simply too big for me. I even checked after if I had not made a mistake while buying it. Unfortunately, it was not the case. Since I shipped it to my parents in the USA to wait until they were coming back, it was too late for a return...

feels like it's made for laptops circa-2005; even medium feels way too big around a 13" macbook pro; and I think it would for a 15" as well. It's not just a question of LxW, but really height: seems like it could accommodate something that's 1.5" thick, whereas modern laptops are closer to 0.5".

I bought this bag primarily because it claimed it was TSA friendly. On my last trip, I found out this wasn't always the case. I used the bag as-described and in San Francisco of all places (TIMBUK 2's home), I had my bag sent back to the beginning of the TSA conveyor belt so they could place the laptop in a bin. By being 'TSA Friendly', I thought I could have avoided this. Nope. Also, after 1 gentle month of almost-daily use, 3 plane rides and riding in style on the passenger seat of my rental vehicle, I am already seeing some fraying along the laptop compartment zipper/seams. That's not to say there's nothing good about this bag. It's comfortable, looks great, carries the items inside quite well and provides ample compartments for your on the bag I chose - grey with red interior. A word of warning: Be careful about placing small items in the mesh side pocket - they can fall out easily if the bag is on it's side. Overall, I am somewhat-satisfied, but maybe the TSA didn't get the memo that my bag is them-friendly. I could also do without my bag showing signs of wear after only a month.

High quality fabric and finishes.Cool ! Totaly the same as shown online, no bad surprise. Fit the back comfy. easy to use. Cons : I took the small size on the basis of the online measures (which are ok) but the fabric is so strong that when you use the outside front zip poket it fills the inside space...and reduce the main pocket capacity.Not what I expected It lacks a space dedicated to hold a standard laptop power supplie. The lateral zip poket is far to small and the fronf zip pocket,humm... well see above ;) For all customers outside the USA : be carefull since border taxes may apply..without warning. I had to pay 50$ more at the delivery. Ask Timbuk2 customer service some Help since I dind't understand what happened...Still Waiting !

The bag is great, very durable and serves its purpose well. However, I was very disappointed when I received the bag as the color was not as it appeared in the pictures or as described. The "devil red" on the exterior of the bag was a maroon color, instead of the bright red in the photograph. I specifically chose this particular bag because of the color and was extremely disappointed, but decided to keep it. It serves it's purpose well, but when spending this amount of money on a bag I would expect to get the color shown in the picture.

I was interested in the redesign to eliminate the hanging straps and to add the pocket in the flap. Unfortunately, the new design (same size - Small) seems more cramped that last year's. Moving the pencil and other pockets to the innermost wall means there's no flat side inside the bag to quickly insert a folder or pad - that either jams into the curved front or hangs up on the bulges in the back. Also, the laptop + iPad seems to bulge into the main compartment more, so the main compartment seems less roomy. Removing the horizontal compartment at the bottom (for chargers, but I use it for a travel umbrella) seems to have thrown off the balance, making it very tippy. And the new closure system just doesn't work for me - the clasps are hard to unhook quickly, and the velcro only extends partway down the side limiting its viability as an alternative to the clasps. In short, I felt that I'd be missing the old bag flaws and all every day if I kept this new one so I'm returning it.

I love this bag, but I'd sure love it a lot more if it didn't fall on its face every single time I set it down. So when I'm standing in line waiting for my bus, I have to either carry it or let it lay down face down on the ground. Why couldn't they design it to stand up ??

I got my first Timbuk2 bag in 1989 in San Francisco and it's still in occasional use for family vacations. I did a lot of research and picked this bag for my daily back and forth with a laptop trips. So far, I'm happy with the choice but of course have a few suggestions (anyone listening?). First, the Medium is plenty big enough for tablet, laptop and several notebooks/moleskins, etc. if all you need is your laptop the the medium can accommodate your lunch. I also like the look - lots of messenger bags out there, this has a cleaner modern appearance. It does not stand up, so if that's important to you then look elsewhere. ggestions: an additional organizer inside the zippered compartment in the bag would have been nice for power cords, passport, infrequently used but important things to access without digging around. Also some built in padding at the bottom of the laptop compartment would provide extra shock protection for when you do set it down like a standup briefcase a little harder than intended.

I was very excited to get this bag. I've been searching for a well-designed practical work bag that was a) comfortable to wear b) had all the right pockets so I wouldn't constantly digging through my bag for phone/keys/wallet and c) something that was TSA friendly. So really, in it's design I thought this bag was perfect! The issue is that I don't think it's designed for a 5'3" tall woman. Even the small size seems too big for me. My laptop and commute paraphernalia could easily fit in a somewhat smaller bag. And all the colors are kind of stereotyipcally man-ish- black, green, gray, dark red and blue. It's still the best thing I could find, I just wish there were more options for size and color for the ladies.