Hi all, after a new bag, mainly for work and was thinking of a courier bag rather than a rucksack.

Needs are:

Space for and preferably padding for a 15″ laptop (work issue can’t get a smaller one!)

Enough space to also shove a waterproof and my lunch in

Tough and pretty waterproof

Sensible colours that won’t look daft with workwear

Nicely padded strap comfortable for cycling and walking (on and off trains and I often have a decent walk at the far end) and waistbelt for stabilty

Preferably with plenty of reflective bits on and an ability to fix a LED light on would be good

Suggestions?

Timbuk2 for me, in plain black. Mine’s been everywhere with me, on and off bike, in and out of planes, trains and automobiles. Worn with everything from Jermyn Street finery to baord shorts and Oakleys.

Not the most reflective, but get yerself a Moon Shield 60 light and clip that on. They’ll see you with that on, trust me!

Evans sale is now on

cheers for that link, what size would you reccon I should go for with my needs?

Is the large a bit big or the medium a bit small?

Ive been using a Howies courier bag for the last 2-3 months, its fine for normal stuff but i bloody hate carrying my work laptop, or anything close the the weight of it. Cant wait to get my proper commuter bike fixed up again so i can go back to using my panniers!!!

I know where you’re coming from with the laptop weight but I’m after something I can ride and walk reasonable distances with, it’s only for reasonably short runs on the bike, the station’s about 2 miles away.

In that case, any courrier bag and a basket on the bike. Ive got a folding one on my pannier rack on my normal commute bike. My laptop bag normally would go in that, my shoulder/back really appreciates it, stops my having sweaty back/chest strap marks when i get to uni too.

got a 10 year old timbuk2, bashed, rained on, over loaded, etc

Still going strong.

… I realise how a 2 mile ride may be percived by certain folk on here 😆

It’s a bag for general on bike, on foot, on and off trains that I need there’s as much of my getting about off bike as on and I’m after the ease of one bag for all.

Those Timbuk2 bags at Evans look good

Bagaboo – the quality is remebered long after the cost has been forgotten.

I’m a big fan of Crumpler – build quality is good, durability is fantastic, and they’re available in a huge range of styles.

Having said that, many of the ‘laptop’ variants don’t have sufficient strapping for riding, IMHO – I had to hunt high and low for one that combined proper dividers for laptop etc with a stabiliser strap and adjustable shoulder strap for under £100.
But I found one (at chemical records, iirc), and it works a treat. And the ‘courier’ style ones can fit a laptop in easily if you have a sleeve for it.

I nearly bought a Bagaboo bag just after he’d started up his website. Got cold feet and then the prices skyrocketed. Picked up a Howies one for cheap in one of their sales.

My work bag is a 10 year old Tumi messenger back. Not used on the bike (no waist strap), but tough as old boots and likely the only work bag I’ll ever have.

Timbuk2 look great quality – one of those would be perfect.

I love bags….

Mission Workshop…

Beautiful bits of kit.

Clicky thingy….

Chrome Mini Metro here – Its not as mini as you think being a messenger bag, you’ll easily get a 15-17″ laptop in there.

I’ve lived with a chrome citizen for about four to five years. I crashed on it and flew down a road in berkeley at about thirty to forty miles an hour sliding on the bag, and it barely tore the tiny loops that holds a d-lock.

It’s waterproof in all but a storm (and I’m pretty sure it’d be fine in that also.

The downside is that nowadays you get earmarked as a hipster from forty yards. And people press the red button and your bag drops off you (somehow this gets more hilarious for them the more expensive an item you have in the bag).

Oh, and I have to say I would be crippled with the mini metro; as whilst it will fit a 15in laptop, you won’t fit much more.

My Osprey Flapjack arrived yesterday. I like it – difficult to get too enthusiastic about a bag.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/attention-metrosexuals-man-bag-advice-needed

Ive been using a Howies courier bag for the last 2-3 months, its fine for normal stuff but i bloody hate carrying my work laptop, or anything close the the weight of it. Cant wait to get my proper commuter bike fixed up again so i can go back to using my panniers!!!

Ditto on all of that. The Howies bag is really nice, but lacks a laptop sleeve. I just left my laptop at work 🙂

+1 for Timbuk2 – have had 2 over the years, now using a waterproof version that’s just the job

Get a SpoK, they’re Custom made so you can have whatever you like! They also make great caps and will be doing frame bags soon.
Google SpoK bags and they’re blog will come up.