Customer Reviews Timbuk2 Classic Messenger - Medium

Overall I really like this bag. I got the tan one with blue lining because I thought it was something that looked professional but casual. While riding my bike it's comfortable unless it's heavy then I find it rubs on my spine but I just adjust it to a little more on my side and it's good. Doesn't make my back Or shoulder too sweaty on hot days either. I find that walking with it is more uncomfortable than riding, probably because of my positioning on my bike. I like all the great compartments and adjustable straps for when I fill in up. I also got the timbuk2 accessory case To put on the strap and I find that convenient since there are no other outside compartments. Good to hold your phone or small last minute things. Anyway, good quality bag for bike riding!!

This bag reminds me of my messenger days even as I slog from meeting to meeting. When I sling it over my shoulder after a long, tedious, butt numbing convening, I can momentarily reminisce of the freedom of my youth when I used to ride through the city streets with an open channel radio holstered to my strap and a bag full of packages on my back. This bag reminds me of when I knew rain, snow, wind and frost as coworkers, and the bustle of downtown traffic was my office. While it is the perfect size for my Macbook Air, a notebook and a few pens, and the pocket sizes are just right, the time travel feature of my small Timbuk2 messenger bag does it for me.

Love this bag. I bought them for my kids when they were in college,but didn't consider buying one for myself until recently. Why did I wait so long? Only comment is I wish the shoulder strap was attached so that it rotated to the correct position whenever I picked it up (my last briefcase did this). Because it is in a fixed position, I have to mess with the strap every time I pick it up. Could also use a small pen slot.

I ordered this bag on sale because I liked everything but the pink piping, but turns out it's a lovely mauve color so I really like it! I have already gotten many compliments on the way it looks! I got this bag to be used for grad school and for a clinical internship at a health facility, so it was important to me to have something practical and professional that could hold enough stuff for my 13-hour days. All good there. The reason why 4 instead of 5 stars: my biggest complaint is that the strap fabric is very malleable, not stiff. This means that when wearing the bag across my back, the strap bunches up where it is supposed to move through for adjustment. This also means one-handed adjustment is not possible as I need to smooth the strap out so it can pass through. It's hard, then, to get it to sit comfortably on my shoulder, and the cross body anchor strap also bunches up the main strap fabric. My second, more minor con is that the water bottle holders inside the bag are quite small. It is very hard to get my standard sized life factory water bottle into one of the pockets. I'm hoping they may stretch with time.

I'm glad I went ahead and got this bag. Durability and size were its biggest advantages.

Now I have two, one small and one medium. They are perfect for cycling and when I am going out, photographing the whole Day.

I use the bag whilst cycling to carry my daily gear including a 17" laptop which fits. I like the bag so far however I wish that the small pockets inside the bag had some type of seal ie zip, velcro. The reason for this is because you can wear the bag in two configurations items do not stay secure in the unsealed pockets. The external pockets are good. The bag is very water resistant. I have found it to be comfortable to use whilst cycling when using the chest strap to secure it to my back. It easily drops to a shoulder bag once off the bike.

Great bag, I love the colours (canyon and leather) and the entire feel. Out lives up to the impeccable style and quality I've come to expect from Timbuk2.

Item is great and was a recommendation by a californian

I love my bag. The only thing is that the strap adjuster was not the one that was advertised and it feels cheap. It's fine for me since I keep it on my hip but for anyone constantly needing to adjust the strap, I would get something else.

It's a great bag, although I actually wish I had purchased the small, rather than the medium. I didn't need a bag as big as the medium but I still love it.

The strap could be a fraction longer - I'm quite short and have the strap at its longest. I also would really like an exterior pocket (for phone/ bus pass etc) so you don't have to open the whole bag to get to your high frequency item

I used the bag on a 3 week trip to tokyo, japan. It was spacious enough to carry around all day, it carried my nikon camera d3300 and 2 lenses. It also had plenty of space to carry around medium size purchases with no problem. If the weight became a little heavy for the shoulder the additional stabilizing chest strap helped a lot to alleviate the weight. I also took the bag on a trek up Mt. Fuji, it carried water bottles, snacks and clothe/gear. It rained the whole way up and the contents stayed nice and dry thanks to the liner. The only con i have is that after the trip the bag is pretty dirty and it's difficult to get clean. I wish they made it machine wash proof but it's spot cleaning which isn't bad if the whole bag weren't dirty.

I use it to bring food and other items to and from work. Also as a carry on for traveling and to use durring outings while on trips. I keep a ton of things in it. Alieve, tums, alkaseltzer, can opener, extra flashlight batteries, multipurpose tool, etc... It's well made, comfortable (I like the new shoulder pad), and styling. This is my third Timbuk2 bag and although the compartments have improved over the years, they could still use some work in my opinion. I understand that a large messenger bag for messengers needs a big compartment, but for a medium sized bag mostly used by commuters and students, more and bigger compartments would be nice. If you could incorporate something more like what Courier Ware bags have in the way of pockets (but with zippered interion pockets), that would be great. That and maybe make the straps more like Seagull bags or Chrome bags.

I sized this to fit my commute. I like the minimal size and weight. I typically carry and apple air, a few papers and an umbrella. It works well, but two small changes would make it excellent. a more robust carry handle would feel better in the hand, and removable bottom straps would be appreciated. To top if off, I wish there was an external zipper pocket at the bottom so that the umbrella could be placed outside of the main compartment at the base of the bag.

You need to provide a method to prevent the pens / pencils / and other items from falling out of the pockets when the bag is on it's side or accidentally turns over.

I love all the pockets. I especially like the new side interior pockets. I usually put items in them I want to get to in a hurry like my inhaler, snacks, or travel silverware. I like this small size because it is comfortable and not too heavy on my shoulder even when full (this includes my galaxy tablet, planner, books, pens and assorted bag flotsam). I carry this daily to work and on trips in the car. I plan to fly with it in the future. The new pad on the strap is absolutely fantastic!!! It is super soft and cushion-ey, I would guess it is memory foam because with use it has a nice curve to it. It also moves easily up and down the larger cross body strap. The quick move strap and buckle is something that I am getting used to on this bag. I do like it, though. When overfilled, the inner pocket tips inward and obscures bottom of the bag this is my biggest complaint (though this may by due to the bags small size?). There is NO NAPOLEON Pocket, why??? I miss this, not sure why there is not more uniformity throughout all the classic messenger bags??? This is unfortunate.

I have searched for a backpack that didn't look like I stole it from a teenager. That is harder than it seems. I wanted something that was simple, practical, had lots of pockets, and a place to hold my water bottle and coffee tumbler. This is it. It has enough room for my tablet, my books, and my lunch containers. (Granted my books are not the typical huge college texts.) I'm 5'6" and chose the small. I think it fits well and is not too big/small. I actually have come to use this everyday as a purse, leaving those actual $$ purses at home. Overall I'm very happy with my purchase, and come grad school, I might be back for a larger one.

I often carry the bag to size capacity with heavy items. The first Timbuktu bag I had came with a strap at the back of the bag that went around my body and attached to the over the shoulder strap. That was a valuable feature that is no longer available. Also, the adjustment buckle on the over the shoulder strap slips easily.

Every day is different, but my messenger bag is useful by allowing me to stuff it full and still get around without feeling like I am carrying too much. Since it is smaller, this helps to me to decide what do I really need for the day instead of overcompensating. I love the color and durability of it so far, and I am excited to be using it for years to come. If there are to be any changes to the bag, I would give the inner pockets more give to allow for items to have shape and not so tightly packed together.

I did not like the strap. The strap on my old bag was wider and a bit longer. I prefer the wider stap. Also maybe in the future you will have a place to buckle the compression straps below if you don't want to use them all the time. I don't want to unbuckle and go through Velcro every time I open the bag. I mention them because I have gotten them snagged on park benches and other things.

I've bought this bag to use with a bicycle, almost exactly what i expected. It's very well finished and realized with high quality materials. Using it I've found one defect to improve and the suggestion is to add a ventilation system on the back to avoid sweat. It's not convenient to buy your products in Italy because we pay many taxes so if you plan to open a store in Europe it would be great! Sorry for my english, thanks and regards, Luigi de Felice

I use this bag for weekend get-aways. I pack my clothes on one side, and I put my reading materials in the laptop pocket. It's ideal for a quick weekend jaunt. And it works great keeping my veggies organized when I go to the Farmer's Market. I love this bag!

Every day used

Solid bag. Very durable. I like the way the straps will compress the bag to fit whatever's inside so it is never bulky