Customer Reviews Timbuk2 Classic Messenger - Medium

Replacing my 10 year old former bag used daily

Before I ordered this bag, I wrote to ask the length of the strap. When I received the bag, the strap was significantly shorter (8") than what I was told, and therefore too short for me. I was pleased with the bag itself, but haven't really had a chance to use it, since I've sent it back for modifications (at my expense, as was shipping). I'm hopeful that the bag will work for me when I get it back. I had one of their bags before and used it happily for years. I just wish that I'd been given accurate information about the strap in the first place.

the quanlity and design are not as good as the previous product that I bought a few years ago

product design is ok can have better design. color is nice. materials are fine. price a bit higher than all over designmaterials and function. Over all is ok.

I've been using an XS Timbuk2 bag for daily carry to-from work for about ten years. I love it! But I am trying to be a little healthier and bought this Small Timbuk2 bag so I could start bringing food, instead of restaurants daily. Who loves Meal Prep!(?) The new bag has the extra room for a frozen choice of healthy cuisine and all my usual (man purse) stuff. It still seems to be made out of the same durable materials with all the pockets for important stuff and that extra stuff I wonder why I carry (or where it came from) but, But, they've revamped a couple noticeable things. Some things are a little smaller and hang looser. The shoulder strap is thinner, not a deal breaker. The buckles are too small. I love the big tactile feel of the thick strap and pinching the fat buckles on the XS. I had to use two hands to manipulate and then pinch the little buckles. I quit after a week and just trust the Velcro. And they hang loose down under to snag and whip. I thought it thoughtful, like maybe I could carry a rolled jacket, but the little straps just swing and snag. At the one-month point, I started shopping around. Now, at the two-month mark you ask my opinion. Bring back the bulky tactile straps and buckles! Please.

I had a small messenger bag and used it every day for more than 10 years. I would have kept using it, but the liner was shedding bits of black plastic that clung to everything. I got the medium Eco Lightbeam to replace it, as I was commuting to university classes and thought the extra space would be nice. When it came, I was happy to see the same super-tough exterior. Also, the main strap is nicely designed and well-padded. And the extra room really is great. However I miss my old bag for two reasons: First, the Eco Lightbeam has no padding to hold the bag in shape, so I'm always having to reach down into it to push the sides out and adjust it when put away my ipad and notebooks. Second, the second strap is lightweight and clips to the main strap (rather than to either side of the bag near the bottom so while it's functional once on, I don't use it because it's too awkward to get everything into the right position. Still a great bag. I just miss the heavier, more solid feel of my old small bag.

I had me previous messenger bag for 20 + years and loved it. The new one is mostly very good-solid, durable. However the carry handle on top is terrible-almost useless. It is a small piece of canvas that is not even placed to allow you to pick up the bag evenly. The bag shifts and tilts. Despite liking other aspects of the bag, in hindsight I am not sure that I would have purchased it.

I absolutely love the way this bag looks! It's so beautiful that I didn't want to return it, but decided that I should look for something that works better for the reason I purchased it. In all fairness, I don't consider myself a cyclist. I found the brand because I was looking for something well made and I bought it to carry my 15 inch laptop. I don't feel there is enough padding around the laptop section of the bag. That led me to buy a sleeve for the laptop, which then made the laptop no longer fit in the designated section. It did fit in the main compartment which you can choose to expand or pull in based on your contents. This bag was so uncomfortable on my shoulder with the weight of my laptop that I thought about having the option to attach it to a suitcase handle in the event I were traveling, but the handle on the back is too narrow to even attempt to fit it around a suitcase handle. Now, the cross strap that helps to secure the bag close to the body did work some...just not enough for me personally. I would love to see another version that addresses these concerns. I did see the Commute Messenger Bag that has a nice section to fit around a suitcase, but it doesn't come in the beautiful color I love. I would recommend this Classic Messenger Bag to someone who wants a very nice bag, but doesn't necessarily need a laptop bag. Who knows, a cyclist who is bending over on a bike might find it more comfortable, but my review is based on me standing and walking upright. So far, the customer service reps have been wonderful and hopefully the return goes smoothly. The process seems simple.

It's my daily using bag when I have less things to carry. The size is great but the shoulder strap material should be firmer to stop it from twisting and undoing the buckle which is small and not robust.

It's a great bag but it is a bit large for me. I was expecting it be a slim and wide just wide enough to snugly fit a 13" laptop. But that's just a personal preference, it's a great high quality bag

A friend recommended this messenger due to its great padding and structure. I got the Medium and I've had it for about 3 months and it's great for the most part. The material is amazing! Definitely the best bag I've had when it comes to the materials. I got caught in heavy rain and nothing inside got wet. While I really wanted to love it, some things just don't work for me. First, this bag is heavy. Even with just a novel and 2 notebook, my shoulders were hurting. It also doesn't hold much. I once added a thin sweater and it got quite bulky. The other thing I should have listen to in the comments was that it's designed to be worn on the left shoulder. I'm a righty, but always wear bags on my right and I thought I would be fine with it, but maybe this messenger bag was just not made for my shoulder.

Timbuk 2 is fantastic, I've had a few of them. This is my second Classic Messenger. I love the size and features. The first bag had the lining fail, probably 3 years in. Thought it was maybe a fluke, so bought the same bag again. At about year 3 the same thing happened, lining started failing in the exact same way. I don't remember if I reached out to Timbuk 2 the first time, but now I see all these reviews saying these last for years and years, which has not been my experience. Still a great bag, just not for 10 years in my experience. Maybe 2 or 3.

Love the bag but won't buy it just yet because the colors are so boring and drab. Hopefully they will come up with better color options as the year goes by. And NO I am not paying for a customized bag.

I'm a busy mom of 4 who can't find a purse that works for me. I have a Timbuk2 messenger bag as a diaper bag and I love it so much I decided to get an extra small messenger to use as a purse. It's great! Just what I wanted..except the strap is about 6" too short to wear comfortably as a crossbody purse. That's why only 3 stars. It's a fabulous bag, but the strap could be longer.

Good bag overall, it's not the same as it use to be. My last bag I had for 7 years and had seen better days so I bought a new classic messengers bag. Same size as the original but holds far less, the old bag could swallow anything but the design of the new one holds far less. They have removed many of the pockets that use to be there, and the ones that are there are laughably small. The main strap was nice and thick and sturdy on the old one, the new one they have used a flimsier strap that actually folds up when you use the cross body strap. It's still a great bag that is well priced but the company has made some decisions which results in a bag that is far less functional than the one I purchased 7 years ago. I hope they read this.

It's not mentioned in the product listing, but this is for right-handers. The only way to get a left-handed messenger is to use the Custom option. This is in part to replace my old TB2 messenger that I've had for more than 10 years, so I know the setup is different for right/left. When I saw the listing made no mention of either one, I assumed they probably had an improved adjustable or ambidextrous design. Not the case. It was final sale so I can't return it. Oh well. It is possible to figure a way around it and get by, but I do miss the intuitiveness that comes with the correct configuration. As far as the bag itself, it's as advertised: the classic messenger bag, pretty basic, time-tested stuff.

This bag teeters between a 3 and 4 for me. There is alot of minor things that annoy me, but it's still my most used bag. I always take it overseas with me. I have the largest size in black. Pros: Great bag material - It doesn't snag on anything, easy to clean, beads light rain pretty good, durable. Just high quality material. Size - straight forward, I needed a bigger bag to carry things. Shoulder strap padding - I like how long it is. It doesn't pinch into my shoulder when there is a heavy load in the bag. Don't get me wrong, your shoulder will be tired, but it seems to distribute the weight good. The shoulder strap adjustment - I like how it is easy to adjust how high and low you want the bag on your back. Cons: Bag needs more structure - The bag sometimes folds in on itself, especially if there is stuff in the front organizer pockets. There is no back panel or semblance of structure or padding. Things will poke into your back. There is no panel structure on the front organizer pockets, so when you put stuff in there (wifi hotspot, batteries, etc), in collapses into into the bag. No Water bottle holders - The 2 piddly like sleeves inside the bag on the ends are pathetic. What are they supposed to hold?? The standard should be to hold a 32oz nalgene. These little pockets are useless. It sucks when a big full water bottle is moving around so much in the bag. It's a big cavernous space. The grab handle sucks - It's just a piece of webbing. Uncomfortable to hold. No luggage passthrough - There is no pockets on the back panel. My no pass through? The webbing "handle" is not even big enough to have a passthrough fit through it. Maybe just sew 2 wider webbing handles handles will fit and slid through. No external pockets or anything - I wish there was some external mesh or some small bungee cords or same slash webbing to attach stuff to on the outside top flap or back side, somewhere to put wet things.

I have a 20 year old extra large bag that I used when I was a bike messenger in Washington DC. That bag I was made to last. When I compare my new one to it the new one seems a little flimsy. That being said the new bag is fine got the light use I will give it.

When you try and save money, something is bound to suffer. Bought another size small classic messenger bag. One step forward and three steps back. Actually smaller than my old one of the same stated and tagged size. Only plus I see is the grab handle. Material is thin, each strap is thinner, all buckles smaller. My ten year old one was getting worn internally, but it is more substantial, you could fit an iPad mini in the outer zip slide in pocket. No more. Internal pockets used to have a space behind them for stowing stuff. Nope. Buckle cam with added strap is a hair trigger now. I'll keep it, but probably in a drawer until the good old one disintegrates.

Internal organization is very poor. Internal water bottle pockets stay on the way, the two general pockets are saggy; all this makes placing and removing things in/from the bag quite uncomfortable. The water-protecting extensions on the sides restrict access to the bag, especially to the tablet pocket. Velcro is extremely extremely loud!!!! The strap is very short. Wanted to return but displaced all the tags.

While a well-made bag, there's a few flaws with the overall design, at least for the way I use it, which is mostly on my bike. First, there's a lack of external pockets that do not have a closure...just a quick in and out. For doing a lot of errands I would like to see a slip in and out pocket for phone, wallet, and water bottle. Having to open up the whole flap seems excessive, and even then access to the water bottle pocket can be blocked by the contents of the bag. Second, I dislike the strap-and buckle arrangement that closes and secures the bag. Practically impossible to do with one hand (as opposed to a zipper), so you end up leaving it unbuckled anyway, and then the straps are flapping around catching on things. I also feel like having to rip open the velcro-secured flap is going to put a lot of wear on the velcro - when about half or more of the openings could be negated by having an outside pocket for phone, lock keys, etc. I think it would be better to have a zipper closure. Third, it seems like the shoulder strap is quite slippery, so when riding or walking around it seems to want to slip out of the best position. On the positive side there's good pocket organization inside, and the bag bellows out cleverly when a bigger load needs to be stuffed in. I got the medium and seems like a great all purpose size.

My old bag had several features inside Zipper pocket Pen holder etc New one has none

This is a great size commuter bag for me. Keys, wallet, phone and a small notebook and good to go.

Used to be better quality. After only a year the liner in my classic messenger started breaking down, and fraying very badly along the flap and down both sides internally. This is far from normal wear and tear for a bag this age, and is a stark contrast to the near perfect condition of my 10 year old classic messenger. I'd love to get it repaired, but suspect I will be told it's not covered under the warranty as others posting on forums have indicated with a similar issue.

I bought two bags. Both ordered small. I am returning the one regular messenger. The other was a special prder and they said I cant return. I had no idea small was not a small bag. If I could return these bags for extra small, i would love them. They are really nice bags, but huge for me.