Messenger bag help

[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 .

[Geonz]

I also don't like the way messenger bags "hang." I got me a Camelbak Blowfish that carries a fair amount. It's not *really* enough, though, which is why I got the Xtracycle, which can carry everything in the whole wide world.

[surgtech1956]

Have you checked Ebay? Quite a few of these bags up for sale.

[mimitabby]

thanks. Too late, i spent hours today and ended up buying a North face bag
similar to the one suggested.
backpack that is

[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.

[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.

[bluestocking]

Er...hi...I'm new here.

I wanted to contribute a personal endorsement for Chrome messenger bags. Their padded strap system is far more comfortable than any Timbuk2 or other messenger bag I have tried -- it's one big padded shaped strap that goes over one shoulder that meets a standard webbing strap with a retro seatbelt buckle. That description is a bit crap, so just go check out the photos on their site, I guess. The only downside is that they look so cool you kind of give off a hipster fakenger vibe if you aren't careful!

I have one of these:
http://www.chromebags.com/products/bags/show/13/

However, I find that carrying a large load puts too much weight on my back, especially when being carried on one shoulder. For heavier loads, or for days when I don't feel like being encumbered (or when I just want to look like a bike dork), I use one of my Ortleib panniers (clipped to my rear rack), which I also highly recommend. It's nice to have options!

[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!

[colby]

Hey TG, is that one of the bags from Steep and Cheap? Not Timbuk2 but whatever the other brand was... I was curious if they had a stabilizer cross-strap, they didn't mention anything about it on the page and I never got a chance to look it up. It looks from your pictures that they do.

I'm in the market for a new bag that will possibly hold my laptop (a 15" MacBook Pro), but most of the time will just carry my clothes and stuff to/from work. For a while they had Timbuk2 bags on Steep and Cheap but I'm not a huge fan of pink and I don't want anything too big.

I've carried my husband's bag with his laptop in it (he has a 17" Dell, which weighs 5 lbs more than my laptop and is bigger, I was playing sherpa). It was nearly impossible without the strap AND the shoulder straps could not be made short enough for shorties like myself. Turns out I made it so short that he thinks it's great now, but it's still too long for me.

[Tri Girl]

Colby- I got that bag from Title Nine. It was on sale and was a good deal (www.titlenine.com). It had the stabilizer strap, and the shoulder strap had a giant padded part that I liked.
I had to return it, tho because I'm not able to commute anymore (well, until I find a safe route...hopefully soon).

Check Title Nine. I think it was called the Aussie Sport Bag. It was big, but not too big. Def. big enough for the laptop and some other stuff. Nice pockets, and I really liked the front closure and the reflective panel on it.