Messenger bag help

[KnottedYet]

I'm a lefty, too, and just can't cope with the idea of putting a messenger bag on the "wrong" shoulder. (though the USAT Timbuk2 bag had me seriously tempted)

Thinkin' a backpack is in my future just for the bus commute I'm doing. Maybe one of those Ortlieb systems that let you turn a pannier into a backpack.

Keep us posted on how riding with a "righty" messenger bag goes, ok?

[Kimmyt]

I think my Timbuk is ambidextrous. The thing the bottom part of the stabilizer strap clips to is detachable so you can rig it on either side. I think. I'm sitting too far from my pack to double check that though....

[bike4ever]

The regular messenger bags from Timbuk 2 can be used on either shoulder.

[xeney]

They can be, but it is better to have one that is either left or right handed because then you can adjust the strap without taking the bag off -- the adjuster thingie winds up in the proper spot.

The heavily padded part of the strap is supposed to be on your shoulder, and the bag hangs between one hip and your lower back, sort of to one side. The bag is more of a shoulder pack than a backpack. It should not be in the middle of your back.

Ah, not true. That's not how messengers wear them and you'll be sorry if you try to ride a bike that way. Putting it in the middle of your back, way up high, means it won't flap or slide around when you're bent over riding, and it won't bang on the seat, and the bag will be well-supported and won't hurt to wear. Your description is fine if you are wearing a messenger bag to walk around with, but it's not how you wear one on a bicycle.

That's why I like the Timbuk2 bags -- I frequently transition between walking and cycling, and I like to be able to drop the bag down around my hip when I get off the bike. My husband is left-handed and uses a regular TimBuk2 bag and this is his only complaint, that he has to take the bag off to adjust the main strap when he gets off the bike, so I am going to buy him a custom bag for his birthday, I think.

[mimitabby]

So what are the advantages to these over a backpack that sits in the middle of your back?

[onimity]

So what are the advantages to these over a backpack that sits in the middle of your back?

I just gave up my backpack for a messenger bag on my daily commute. TE seems to not have the one I got anymore but it is a Timbuk2 bag with a huge (pink ) reflective panel. It's so over-the-top obnoxious that I always take it out when I'm riding at night, even if I don't need to carry anything. It's amazingly waterproof. Those are benefits, but of course you can get that in a good backpack. But I do like that the messenger bag is more cyclist-friendly in terms of visibility and keeping stuff dry on a commute.

I love the way my messenger bag fits. When I rode with the backpack my back, especially neck and shoulders, would get sore. Especially when riding home with my laptop. The strap on my messenger bag sits further out and I don't get nearly as sore with it.

Then, the sweaty back. My back still gets sweaty but not nearly as bad as with the backpack (where it was the whole back); with the messenger bag I can readjust my position slightly and get a nice cool breeze between me and the bag.

I agree with the comment on positioning, I wear my bag pretty high on my back while riding, much more comfortable/balanced that way.

Anne

[VeloVT]

Hmmm... backpack vs messenger bag... when I first decided to commute via bike I ordered a big, beautiful custom Timbuk2 messenger bag (a lefty -- and this does make it easier for us southpaws). Although I wore it the correct way (tight and pretty high on the back, with the cross strap buckled), to my great disappoinment, I found the weight distribution fairly uncomfortable and shifty while on the bike, and when walking with the bag worn as described above, if I had anything heavy like books or a laptop, I'd get a bruise on my last vertabra or two from the bag bouncing against them.

So I got this backpack (in orange):
http://www.fogdog.com/product/index....ductId=2051274

And it's been great, so much easier and more comfortable to ride with than the messenger bag. The back is very comfortably padded/molded, the load is very stable (esp with hip belt/sternum strap buckled, which I always use when on the bike), and three panels means I can store laptop/books in a separately zipped compartment from my clothes, and still have a panel for organizing pens/pencils/wallet/keys/bike light etc. It even has an integrated, stowaway rain fly. And the back compartment is hydration bladder compatible, though I haven't had reason to put a bladder in this pack yet. And the sweaty back thing -- it's a tossup between the two, I think this backpack may actually be better than the messenger in that regard since the back has molded aeration channels. Oh -- and my pack has an exterior expandable mesh panel that's perfect for carrying my helmet and lock. And water bottle pockets so I can take mine with me when I lock up my bike ...

So I'm a backpack convert -- more comfortable and more convenient for me. But I still think messenger bags look cooler .

[Bron]

So what are the advantages to these over a backpack that sits in the middle of your back?

For me the advantage was not so much when cycling (if anything, a backpack distributes weight better), but that I can get at the things inside it better when I have reached my office, unlike with the backpack where I have to take everything out to get at the stuff at the bottom.

[Pax]

...Thinkin' a backpack is in my future just for the bus commute I'm doing. Maybe one of those Ortlieb systems that let you turn a pannier into a backpack.

A friend tried one of those set-ups, she really liked it until she needed to put the backpack after a ride that included some puddles...the bottom of the bag was filthy. Now she just uses a backpack.

[extra-vert]

Those messenger style bags, in my opinion, put too much weight to one side of your body which is not cool when riding - they just hurt after a while. I bought a Deuter 'race x air' backpack. It comes with a water pack thing-a ma-jig, which I actually took out, but hold onto in case I want it. What I love about this back is that there is a taut, but springy mesh like back rest that rests against the back, with the actual bag part not touching your back , so you arrive at the end of your commute with a nice dry back instead of a sweaty one - this is an EXCELLENT feature. Also this allows for the backrest area never to be lumpy due to the contents of the bag - that bag part never touches your back. So the support and comfort of this bag is second to none in my opinion. The drawback is that this bag does not hold a whole lot. That said, there are various deuter models, my model is not meant to carry a whole lot - still does the trick though. Btw, almost forgot, the straps are also mesh so that you stay dry. Don't really need the padding because there are 2 straps , one around the chest, the other around the waist that really distribute the weight nicely - way better for your back than those messenger bags!

[uforgot]

I'm a lefty, too, and just can't cope with the idea of putting a messenger bag on the "wrong" shoulder. (though the USAT Timbuk2 bag had me seriously tempted)

For which shoulder are the Timbuk2 s made? I'm right handed, but when I wear any kind of bag that crosses my body, I want the bag hanging to the left, near my left hip. The strap is on my right shoulder. It appears that this is this contrary to what it's suppose to be, according to these posts and the Timbuk2 site. Open the door with your right hand, reach for your keys with the left. I've been looking at these and wonder if I should order the "left" one. What makes it really confusing is that I have a Travelon bag and it hangs on the right shoulder and the left hip, unless I'm wearing it wrong and the cell case faces the back, but I don't think so.

[Crankin]

Liza, how tall are you? Right now I use a Camelbak with the bladder taken out, but it is a woman's model because I am really short (5' 1"). Also, I can't really get a lot of stuff in there. I commute on my road bike because it's light and fast, but I can't put a rack or any kind of bag on it because my seatpost is so low and the carbon, etc. I like the features of the pack you describe, esp. the hip strap. I tried riding with a regular (kid's sized) backpack, but it killed my back. The messenger bag I tried was waaay too big for me and I felt really unbalanced.

[VeloVT]

Hi Robyn,
I'm 5'6". The backpack I have is not too long for me, and the hip belt hits just where it should, but I have to cinch the shoulder strap fittings down almost all the way.

The North Face, and lots of other companies that make packs, (Dakine comes to mind) make women's specific packs, which might be worth looking at.

[Bron]

For which shoulder are the Timbuk2 s made? I'm right handed, but when I wear any kind of bag that crosses my body, I want the bag hanging to the left, near my left hip. The strap is on my right shoulder. It appears that this is this contrary to what it's suppose to be, according to these posts and the Timbuk2 site. Open the door with your right hand, reach for your keys with the left. I've been looking at these and wonder if I should order the "left" one. What makes it really confusing is that I have a Travelon bag and it hangs on the right shoulder and the left hip, unless I'm wearing it wrong and the cell case faces the back, but I don't think so.

Mine (standard small messengerl) can be worn on either shoulder - the cross strap can be clipped on either the bottom left or the bottom right of the bag.

[xeney]

Yeah, the cross strap can be moved (on the newer bags -- I have an old one where it is really a pain to move the cross strap), but the slider thing for adjusting the length of the main shoulder strap is on one side or the other -- if it is in the wrong place for the shoulder on which you wear the bag, you have to take the bag off to adjust it. I don't know if the smaller bags even have that slider -- my oldest bag doesn't have it, and it's a small (the size they used to call "PeeWee"). That is a feature I didn't even think to miss until I bought a new larger bag, and now I can't stand to use bags that don't let me adjust the strap that easily. And it's my left-handed husband's only complaint about the used Timbuk2 bag I bought for him (from someone here at TE).

To answer the other question, I am right-handed and use a right-handed bag, but I wear it on my left shoulder, hanging down towards my right hip.