I have been a big fan of Timbuk2 for a few years. I feel like their products are made very well, and their prices aren't that outrageous. I had been using the Timbuk2 Classic Messenger Bag for about a year and a half. I loved it a lot...until my back started to ache on a daily basis. My entire lower back would crack back into place every night when I got home and took my bag off. Finally, I had enough, and just decided to see what kind of backpacks Timbuk2 had on Amazon. I chose this one because the top flap actually has the waterproof TPU lining, just like the Timbuk2 Classic Messenger Bag. That was a major selling point for me. I loved having a waterproof bag, even though it wrecked my spine. This backpack can really hold a lot. I put 4 or 5 1"-1.5" binders in, snacks, my tablet, charger, water bottle, and other miscellaneous items, and it holds them with ease. The padding for your back is really comfortable, too (feels kind of like memory foam). Some other notable features: sternum strap, solid metal bottle opener on the strap, a nice swing around feature to quickly access laptop or tablet, and velcro on the flap (which I chose to silence with Timbuk2's silencers). I have been using this daily for about 2 weeks now, and my back is actually starting to come back to normal. I know lots of people who have wrecked their posture with messenger bags, and I had refused to believe it...but now I believe it. I don't ever want to go back to a messenger.
My 15" Macbook Pro fits snugly into the laptop compartment; there isn't room for anything bigger. The side zipper is a nice option, but with the 15" computer, the zipper frequently catches on the openings for the ports. The CD slot needs to face the zipper or certain destruction of the zipper teeth will eventually occur. After all, the Macbook is aluminum, zipper is plastic; poor outcome is only a matter of time.
However, I prefer to not use the side pocket anyway since I'll frequently need things other than the computer. And as others have mentioned, it is a scary thought to leave the side pocket zipper open and risk the computer falling out. It is a nice feature, but it is a hassle for larger notebooks
The computer compartment is well padded and will protect its contents. Of course, that is within reason; it will do fine with the bumps of life, but if you plan on wearing it on your back while you play hockey, I'm sure that won't go so well.
The Swig comes with a a front clasp to hold the straps across your chest. A nice feature, but even nicer is the fact that you can unhook them and drop them into one of the pockets. For daily use, they seem to get into the way.
If all you want is to cart around your laptop and maybe a few daily essentials, this is the bag to get. No need to jump up to a bigger product line. College students with lots of books might want to consider something a little bigger, but for most people this is a sturdy, attractive and durable bag.
Finally, who doesn't like a handy bottle opener? The Swig has a cutesy bottle opener on the strap. I don't know if that's a nod to hard studying and even harder drinking (soda, of course) students, or the reality that urban life often calls for cold one with retro metal bottle caps. I haven't tried mine out yet, but it looks like it will deal well with any type of bottle.
If you've used other Timbuk2 products, you won't be disappointed. If you're new to the product line; yeah, they're a bit pricy but they last forever. My messenger bag is 5 years old and still has a lot of miles in it. I on the other hand, don't and opted for something a lot lighter and a lot less capability for lugging around garbage I never use.
Five stars. Get one, you know you want it.
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I bought this to carry my laptop and other stuff on a short (~2 mile) daily bicycle commute. One requirement that I had is that the bag be water-resistant, as it often rains during my commute, and I don't want my laptop and other electronics getting wet. I looked up many reviews online, and tried Timbuk2's classic messenger bag. However, I found messenger bags to be uncomfortable, since a single strap holds all the weight of the bag. I switched back to a more familiar (to me) backpack style with this bag.This bag does not have a waist strap, which was a little unusual for me, since I'm used to hiking packs. However, for a backpack meant for commuting, this is a plus. It'll only get in the way...how many people do you see walking around town wearing the waist strap on their backpack? It does come with a removable sternum strap, to keep it in place while riding. I tried this at first, but I don't wear it any more...the pack is very secure even without the sternum strap.
The laptop compartment is nice, and the main compartment will swallow a fair amount of gear. I regularly carry: 13" laptop with ac adapter, rain jacket, small bike repair kit (for flat tires), wallet, phone, keys, sunglasses, water bottle, and my lunch. The flap that covers the main compartment (and the smaller front pocket) is waterproof, and has protected my gear during a few rain showers. The protection from the rain is better in this pack versus Timbuk2's classic messenger (the messenger's top flap would expose a gap that rain could get in through).
Here's what I like:
* Weather and rain resistant
* About the right size for a daily commute
* Separate padded laptop compartment with side access (don't forget to zip it up again, or your computer may fall out)
* Side access to front pocket
* Front pocket has organizer pockets
* Very comfortable to wear
* Place to clip a light when bicycling at night
Dislikes are all very minor:
* Velcro on laptop compartment can contact the front of the pack if you leave the strap unfastened, and can start to "fuzz up" some of the material.
* No key lanyard like on other Timbuk2 packs. I fashioned my own that fits in this pack, though.
Read Best Reviews of Timbuk2 Swig Laptop Backpack Here
With a 35-mile round trip school commute that I do by bike or multi-modally, combining bike and bus, a really good backpack is a must-have. Yes, I do have a rack and panniers -but once I get to campus, I still need a way to carry my books from class to class. Besides, a good backpack is a perfect choice for those lightly-loaded commutes (exam days, and so forth) and is also useful for travel, minor shopping trips, and so forth.I look for a number of specific qualities in a cycling-friendly backpack:
1. Waterproof or mostly-waterproof design with top flap
2. Light weight (yeah, I'm a weight weenie, I admit it)
3. Ergonomic shoulder straps
4. A sternum strap (or the potential to add one) and preferably a waist strap
5. Padding for the wearer's back, preferably with raised relief for breathability
6. Reliable load-balancing capabilities
7. Medium overall size (more on that below)
8. Solid, durable construction
Timbuk2's Swig meets or exceeds my requirements on all of these points.
First, though it's not fully waterproof (which is to say that you wouldn't want to immerse it like a dry bag), the Swig is sufficiently water-resistant to stand up to an all-day downpour. Late fall in Louisville, KY means plenty of rain, and my books, sheet music, and laptop all stay bone dry in the friendly embrace of my Swig. Much of the bag is waterproofed with a truck-tarp type material: unless there's a big gap between the flap and the body of the bag, water isn't likely to get in. I would even trust this bag with my clothes or tent on a rainy multi-day bike tour.
Second, the Swig is light. It replaces a French Foreign Legion backpack that weighed in at about four to five pounds by itself -a bit more than you really want as your schlepping base weight when you're looking at seventeen miles each way. When there's not much in it, the Swig practically seems to disappear.
Third, a good cycling backpack needs ergonomic shoulder straps. This cannot be over-stressed: when you're about to ride a bunch of miles with a backpack on, you really want some nice, wide straps that aren't going to saw through your clavicles. When I received my Swig, I was marginally skeptical, but now I'm a believer. I've carried some serious weight in that bag, and the straps are perfect. They're also highly-adjustable, a very useful feature, considering that you can use this bag to haul a little or a lot.
Fourth, a sternum strap helps. Once again, I was skeptical about the Swig's when I received it: but it works brilliantly, and I was able to easily adjust it for optimal fit. I would ideally have liked a waist strap, but I've been pleasantly surprised: the Swig's exceptional balance renders such a strap unnecessary (with a bigger bag that could hold more, though, I would still want one). I move the sternum strap up or down as needed depending on the day's load, and I really appreciate the elastic strain relief that keeps it from cutting into me when I'm out of the saddle, hammering up the hills.
Fifth, padding for the wearer's back is essential. A cyclist working hard arches his or her back, and without padding, the corners of books (which aren't flexible, after all) can become painful goads. This is another point where my French Foreign Legion backpack failed, and in fact it failed completely. It offered absolutely no relief from poky book corners and so forth. Really good padding can also provide raised relief to help prevent overheating on those hot summer days.
Here, the Swig is good, but not quite perfect (hence the four stars rather than five). When I worked as a bike messenger, I used Chrome's massive Backbone backpack. Its ergonomic padding not only relieved pressure, but offered deep raised channels that seriously increased breathability. The Swig's padding has some channeling sewn in, but will not offer the same degree of relief on sweaty summer days. That said, however, it does a great job preventing pressure points, and is sufficiently breathable that schlepping the Swig when it's 95 and humid isn't really a big deal.
Sixth, the Swig is an absolute star at reliable load balancing. I'll admit, I have no idea how this inanimate sack so intelligently balances the array of random stuff I carry, but it does. I routinely carry my laptop (which, at a couple pounds, is pretty light) in a padded shell, a notebook or one of those "hybrid notebinder" things, a pile of organ music, organ shoes(sometimes), library books, my phone, a small pencil case, and a whole passel of other random stuff (including, in winter, extra hats and gloves). Somehow, it just all sorts itself out. I don't wind up feeling like I've got a bunch of heavy stuff hanging out at 9:00 on the dial. When I take the Swig out for a minor grocery run, same deal. I don't know *how* it works, I just know *that* it works. I suspect something about the overall shape of the bag might have something to do with it.
Seventh, I need a medium-sized bag. I'm a smallish guy -around 175cm tall (5'9"ish), shoulders about 42CM wide, pretty lean and fine-boned. I want a bag that's big enough to hold my stuff but not so big that it becomes a problem.
When I worked as a bike messenger, I used Chrome's massive Backbone backpack. It was a fantastic bag for the job and perfect for hauling seventy-five pounds of morning mail, but it seriously interfered with my ability to glance over my shoulder to check traffic. It also acted like a sail in high winds -which is great when the wind is behind you ... but, come on guys, how often does that happen? Every cyclist knows that "headwind out, tailwind back" is pretty much a myth. For me, it's often "Headwinds all around!" Occasionally, I was dangerously pushed around by gusty winds: not cool. I loved the Backbone in all other ways, but visibility issues and wind issues are deal-breakers. When I was building my race bike, I traded it for a nice set of wheels and never looked back.
This is where the Swig is at its absolute best. Flap-top bags often wind up with ridiculously wide toplines -but not the Swig. With the Swig on, I don't glance around to check traffic only to get an eyeful of backpack. The Swig just stays out of the way.
In fact, that's probably the best way to describe it overall. Backpacks need to do two things: one, hold the stuff you need to carry; two, disappear when you're wearing them. The Swig accomplishes this particular magic act with style (which is to say that even though it disappears as far as I'm concerned, other people think it looks pretty nice :D).
It's also built to last. My Swig may only be a semester old, but it's put in a lot of time out in the elements on the bike, not to mention regularly being smooshed and kicked around on the bus, thrown mercilessly into the backseat of my hubby's pickup truck, dropped unceremoniously on the floor at home, and otherwise generally abused. So far, it shows absolutely no sign of wear. Usually, by this point, I've at least managed to rip off a grab handle or something. Consider it a solid win on point eight, then.
Details on this bag are great. There are plenty of slots for pens, IDs, and so forth; tons of little pockets in the smallest panel second. Two side zippers really do make it seriously easy to yank out what you need -whether it's your notebinder or your notebook computer -as long as it's in one of the two compartments with easy-access zippers -without undoing the top flap. I figured I'd never use the side zippers; I was wrong. I use them all the time, usually to free my laptop on the bus without having to pop the top and dig around inside the bag. Love it.
In short, this bag is a winner. I wish Amazon.com offered a ten-point scale, because I think an eight-out-of-ten would be a more accurate score ... and as high as score as I can imagine assigning any bag I've tried, including Chrome's Backbone.
A couple more things: if you, like me, travel light, you can carry a week's clothing in this thing (in summer, anyway). That said, I wouldn't use it as my sole option if I was working as a bike messenger. The swig plus a couple of good panniers, however, would be a perfect combination. Initially, I thought I would wish it had one big horizontal hook-n-loop strip and one center buckle like the Backbone; instead, I have discovered that I really like the current set-up. If you need to winch it down atop an excessively-tall load, the I plan to put some one-sided hook-and-loop strips on as hook-and-loop silencers, though. Boy, those fasteners are loud...
In summary, the Swig is a fantastic bag. Unless what you really need is a single bag to routinely haul 75 pounds of mail (or the equivalent volume in Anatomy & Physiology texts), the Swig should be high on your short list. It excels as a light, water-shedding commuter pack, and I think mine will be with me for years to come.
That may be its only real shortcoming, though. It's looking like I won't have an excuse to shop for bike backpacks for years......
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I bought this bag as a Christmas gift for my boyfriend. I had purchased a timbuk2 messenger bag in the past for him. Unfortunately, because he carries a lot the strap was causing him chest and shoulder pains. Since I knew timbuk2 has amazing quality bags I went on the search for a normal back pack that still had a messenger bag look.If I had ordered this bag direct from timbuk2 I would have paid a lot more than I did on Amazon. I am thankful for this!
The bag is incredible. No matter how full it is it still feels light. It really is water proof and keeps my boyfriends electronics dry, even in crazy New England weather.
I'm jealous! I want one now!
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