Which Messenger Bag? Crumpler, Timbuk2, Chrome, M. Portage?

garnett

For some reason I'm drawn to Timbuk2, but Crumpler seem popular (not sure why), Chrome look good and Maxpedition do a good one.

Any advice appreciated.

fungus_the_muffin_man

I just got the north face base camp large messenger bag from Evans for £34 instead of £50 yesterday.

Its a nice big bag nice comfy sturdy strap with a cross strap to stop the bag swinging round. It looks bomb proof and pretty cool. I'll get my uniform, paperwork, and lunch in there no problems. And it will be spotlessly dry from the way the bag is made.

I'd looked at lots of bags all of them £100 + and I don't think that this will perform any better or worse but is significantly cheaper by a long long way

Anonymous

I have an Eastpack one which I like immensely...

System_1

It depends on how much you are willing to spend. Timbuk2 and Crumpler make decent bags and they're all most regular folk would need for carrying regular commuting things around. Beware of the cheaper models though. I had a cheap Crumpler years ago which leaked a little in heavy rain and fell apart within a year. It was really just a messenger bag shaped object. I guess it also depends on exactly what you want it for.

If you have the budget, then for daily abuse or serious loads, a proper messenger bag (ie one designed with couriers in mind) is worth the extra initial outlay. They're made to be completely waterproof, tough enough to be dragged around the city day in and day out for years on end, and comfortable enough to wear all day. You'd get back most of your investment if you decided to sell at a later date as well. I've seen 1-2 year old tatty Chrome and PAC bags sell second hand for not a lot less than the RRP of a brand new one.

A courier friend of mine reccommends PAC, Reload, Baileyworks, Bagaboo and Chrome. As much as I love my Chrome I really only got it as it was half price at Chain Reaction and if I was buying again at full price I'd get a PAC, Bagaboo or Archie's Grobag which look to be a bit better specced for the money.

This a pic of my 9 year old nephew sat in my Chrome bag.

It's amazing how much stuff you can carry comfortably with a well designed bag.

DaSy

As said above, I love my Chrome, it has lasted years with very little signs of use. It is probably not great value for money for the normal commuter, but again I got mine half price some years ago...

garnett

Awesome info. Thanks a lot. Especially for the links.

Forgive my ignorance but all these bags seem roughly the same price - £100-£120 (bar PAC designs and Reload).

Are Timbuk2 not in the same league as Chrome, Bagaboo and Bailey? Their bags seem to be made from tougher material (1600-odd denier as opposed to 1000).

I'm after something I can use for years.

System_1

Garnett wrote:

Awesome info. Thanks a lot. Especially for the links.

Forgive my ignorance but all these bags seem roughly the same price - £100-£120 (bar PAC designs and Reload).

Are Timbuk2 not in the same league as Chrome, Bagaboo and Bailey? Their bags seem to be made from tougher material (1600-odd denier as opposed to 1000).

I'm after something I can use for years.

They're not really in the same league. Going by the denier rating of the fabric can be a bit misleading. Timbuk2 uses ballistic nylon while Chrome, Bagaboo etc all use cordura which has a much higher abrasion resistance than nylon so is less likely to develop holes if getting dragged around pavemments etc. and stays looking better for longer. Even at a lower denier rating I'd reckon Cordura is the better fabric for a tough bag.

There's also the design to consider too. I've not had my hands one of the higher specced Timbuk2's but if the price is similar I'd stick to the proven solution. Look for padded backs (which the Chrome doesn't have unfortunately, though is easily fixed with a bit of packing foam) which are invaluable if you're carrying hard boxy items like the stuff that can be found in a regular weekly shop. Also look for a design that means when the bag is closed there are no gaps between the outer and inner. You'd be suprised how many bags overlook this detail and result in wet contents. A separate floating truck tarp liner is almost a must as this will ensure no water can get in through the stitching (which is where my previous Crumpler failed).

andyp

Don't waste your money on a Timbuk2. The strapping is really poor and not a patch on a proper messenger bag like PAC or Bagaboo.

I've a Bagaboo that I've had for a year and it is far, far superior to the Timbuk2 it replaced. It's supremely comfortable when riding, hard wearing and stands up to commuting in all weather superbly.

mididoctors

get a vintage zo...still last longer than most

Chip \'oyler

I have a Freitag one. It's superb
http://www.freitag.ch/shop/FREITAG/page ... detail.jsf

Best thing is they're all individual

soveda

Fungus The Muffin Man wrote:

I just got the north face base camp large messenger bag from Evans for £34 instead of £50 yesterday.

Its a nice big bag nice comfy sturdy strap with a cross strap to stop the bag swinging round. It looks bomb proof and pretty cool. I'll get my uniform, paperwork, and lunch in there no problems. And it will be spotlessly dry from the way the bag is made.

I'd looked at lots of bags all of them £100 + and I don't think that this will perform any better or worse but is significantly cheaper by a long long way

Don't bother getting a North Face base camp messenger bag, it looks bombproof but I've had one a year and the waterproof face material is split al over the top of the bag, it has zips to close the flap in addition to the clips which means that there is always something digging into your shoulder and the shoulder strap is far far far too ong.

I did have a Timbuk 2 bag (it had to be retired because a cat decided to spray it and the smell never completely went away however much I cleaned it) but before then it lasted 12 years of daily use being thrown about and generally abused. (the material still looked fine when it was retired, no holes and the strapping was still in perfect nick).
I don't know if they have changed the materials but I would have recommended the Timbuk 2, they look wrong new though, not nearly grimy enough!

The Crumpler bags look nice but rather over designed (too many pockets etc) to my view.
It depends what you want from a courrier bag but this:

http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/products/messenger/classic-ballistic-messenger

is simple and would be my choice.

mididoctors

soveda wrote:

I did have a Timbuk 2 bag (it had to be retired because a cat decided to spray it and the smell never completely went away however much I cleaned it) but before then it lasted 12 years of daily use being thrown about and generally abused. (the material still looked fine when it was retired, no holes and the strapping was still in perfect nick).
I don't know if they have changed the materials but I would have recommended the Timbuk 2, they look wrong new though, not nearly grimy enough!

true enough my 1994 "tag junkie" timbuk2 is still going. The water proof lining is starting to perish and split after 15 years.. lost one closing strap..have too rate it as a good bag

I guess they may have deteriorated in quality since back in the day?

I worked 6 winters on it and all (came off circuit in 2000)

I also have a Zo which is indestructible smaller than the timbuk2 tag junkie(do they still make them?) the lining is still 100%.. have hung it from a tree and used it as a sink

lastant

I've got a PAC Street Scene (Large).

Love it - but when it's raining, and the bag's a decent weight, the water that kicks up from the back wheel (need to get mudguards really) hits the bottom of the bag and gets in through the seam. Not so the stuff's swimming in water, but enough to dampen clothes / paper / etc.

I e-mailed Pat at PAC about it and she recommended getting some seam sealent from a camping store - not totally happy about it, but can't do much I suppose and I guess it's something that's likely to happen with water hitting a seam constantly.

Quite like the look of the Re:Loads - I've got a custom design in mind, so going to get a couple of quotes done up once the pound's doing a bit better against the dollar!

drewfromrisca

Stay away from Ortlieb's too. I've had mine for 4 months and already sent it back as it started coming apart.

MrChuck

I've had my Timbuk2 for about 3 years and use it pretty much everyday- it still looks more or less new and is just as weatherproof as it was when I bought it. Only slight gripe is that the lid/flap looks like it could be a bit wider for more overlap, but that said I haven't had a problem with water getting in.

ride_whenever

I love my crumpler, it's more of a laptop bag, but it's carried everything, including spare bike frames, forks, it'll carry a wheel soon....

Everything stays dry, my laptop and phone have survived countless downpours bone dry. The best bit about it is the internal organization which is fantastic for me.

On an average day it'll carry: enough tools to fix ANYTHING (two multi tools, patches, levers, 2 12" adjustables, tape measure, couple of 10 and 13mm spanners), zip ties, 4 innertubes in various sizes, 4 front lights, spare mounts, couple of spare rear lights, phone, laptop, charger, mouse, external cd drive, topeak morph pump, abus granite x-plus extreme, can of ginger beer, muffin/brownie, 1/2 ciabatta sandwich, spare gloves, hoodie.

JonEdwards

I've been commuting using a Crumpler Fux Deluxe for about 5 years now. The bag itself looks barely used. - a few of the clips are cracked from me having walked on them in SPD cleats, but they still work fine.

It's not fully waterproof (I use an Exped dry bag inside for my clothes), but it is still showerproof. I've dragged an assortment of kit around in it (40lb worth of tools hurt a bit :shock: ), but yes you do need to think about how you pack it.

Overall I'm very happy with it - would gladly buy another.

doyler78

drewfromrisca wrote:

Stay away from Ortlieb's too. I've had mine for 4 months and already sent it back as it started coming apart.

Well I have one for 3 years now and it is still as good as the day I bought. Perfectly waterproof even in the worst of rain and I would certainly buy this brand again.