I was in the market for a new, everyday messenger bag for my laptop and various things I carry with me throughout the day. I decided to go with this vintage canvas bag for its simplicity and clean appearance.Pros:
1) Very nice looking. The bag is a nice clean color accented only by the leather straps and belts. It's simple, with no overly decorative garbage like many of the messenger bags I see today.
2) Zippers closed. I like the fact that the bag zippers on the inside. My last bag did not, and I didn't appreciate the value of the zipper until this bag. I feel much more secure on my bike knowing that my stuff isn't going to pop out at any second.
3) Plenty of compartments. At first, I thought that this bag didn't have that many compartments, but in truth it's got a perfect amount. Two small ones inside with no closure or flaps, one medium pocket inside that closes with a zipper, one medium pocket outside that closes with velcro, one large pocket outside that closes with zipper, and then the large main compartment inside. I can comfortably throw my stuff in all of these pockets and feel safe about all of them staying put as I zip around the city.
4) Really cool/useful leather attachment strap on the outside of the bag. This is tough to explain, since this is the first time I've had this feature on a bag, but this bag has a very simple leather belt attached to the side of the bag that you can secure things into. For example, I commonly use it to hold my coffee thermos, water bottle, or newspaper. It sort of cinches an item to the side of the bag, and then it just dangles off the bag, rather than take up space in a pocket or compartment.
Cons:
1) Leather straps aren't actually functional. The bag closes using a zipper, and then the flap attaches to the bag via velcro. My velcro is already beginning to wear out, and I'm considering sewing in some high-power magnets to compensate. Be aware that the leather straps on this bag are decorative only, and don't actually serve any purpose on the bag.
2) The external leather strap that is on the side of the bag does not feel very strong. The leather belt feels strong, like it will hold up over time. However the part of the bag that the leather belt connects to feels like a cheap leather patch that is ready to tear the first time I attach something heavy. For fear of this tearing, I never attach anything heavy. I only ever attach my empty coffee thermos, empty water bottle, or newspaper/rolled-up magazine.
3) On receiving the bag, before I ever used it, there were a couple (maybe 4 or 5) small nicks in the canvas material of the bag. Nothing that compromises the structure of the bag, just small little imperfections in the weaving of the canvas. No defects in the stitching or seams.
Overall, I feel like this is a great bag, and the canvas makes it pretty resilient to wear and tear. This makes a great every day bag that looks clean, functions very well, and still has that classic vintage feel to it. I highly recommend if you're in the market for a new shoulder/messenger bag.
*UPDATE (5/26/2013) after more than a year of daily use of this bag, it's recently (past three months) started to deteriorate. As I previously stated, the outside canvas is holding up like a CHAMP, however the inside cloth that lines the varying pockets/compartments has all but completely come apart at the seams, literally. Now, regardless of which compartment I open, there's just one big place to put all my things inside the bag, as a result of the loss of the fabric that once separated the pockets. To the bag's credit, the leather straps, zippers, velcro, and every other part have held up like brand new, however that inside cloth separation has fallen apart completely. Bag is still 100% functional, just not as organized.
Like others who reviewed this bag, I thought the two buckled straps on the outside were only decorative. But one day on the trip it became too warm to wear my fleece jacket. I took off the jacket but did not want another item to carry around. I didn't have enough room inside the bag to stow it. It then occurred to me to roll up my jacket and use the straps to fasten my jacket to the bag. It worked perfectly! The adjustable straps tightened enough so my jacket was secure. Since this is vintage style bag, my boyfriend suggested that the straps were used in the old days to carry a bedroll. Whatever the reason, the straps on this bag have a practical purpose just need a little imagination to figure out how to use them!
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The item itself is nice. I like the design , the size is a little smaller then i expected it to be defiantly not for carrying allot of things. I could fit about 2 notebook and a binder with some room to spare. I wouldn't recommend this for any student I wouldn't try to put any books (textbooks) in there.As for the service, i love amazon and all that it is. But i got this bag without a strap, i don't know how could someone get sent a bag without a strap especially since it's not removable... now i have find time to visit the post office, while having to pay for the shipping back.
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I was looking for a medium sized messenger bag with a retro look and this bag fits the bill. It is rugged and roomy, exactly what I needed, and it matches my luggage set to boot. I think anyone who buys this will be quite satisfied. It's even large enough to hold my 17" laptop.Want Rothco Vintage Explorer Messenger Bag Discount?
While I definitely like the simple, clean look of this bag, I really wish that the main internal compartment was a bit bigger. Once you get a laptop with sleeve in there (I have a 13" Macbook), there really isn't a whole lot more space. It could also benefit from two external pockets rather than just the one in order to help with organization of small items.
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