Ogio Pagoda M Laptop/Tablet Messenger Bag

OGIO has made an appealing bag with the Pagoda M, but a bag that is only decent or a little better than decent at best in terms of comfort. The bag is made very well but lacks a good feel to go with it. The Pagoda M also is much larger than I had expected, albeit the extra space might appeal to some. I'll go into detail given these initial thoughts.

APPEARANCE

Though made with all synthetic materials, the bag very convincingly gives the impression of being made from fabric. The outside flap as well as the interior of the bag is well-padded and would seem to be able to handle a lot of weight without any issue. The cereal color is modern and elegant. But, the size of the bag was an issue for me. Thought marketed as a 15" laptop bag, the bag looks like it very easily hold a 17" laptop plus a ton of extra things in the main compartment. If you're looking for a large bag, then the Pagoda M would suit you. It's certainly too large to be considered a medium one.

FUNCTIONALITY

The well-padded, numerous pockets provide a lot of space to stuff things into. I'm a big fan of the outside beverage holder which easily stretches to accommodate even thermoses. The outside, easy-access pocket is also a nice feature, but not as easy to get into in real life. But, my main qualms with the bag are its carrying features. Though it's marketed as being able to carried over one shoulder on one side of the body, it cannot be carried this way. It can be carried with the strap over the chest, but not very comfortably in my opinion. The main padding of the chest strap doesn't rest on anything when carried messenger style, defeating the purpose of the padding. Another reviewer mentioned the balance issue with the bag not staying upright when carried, and I agree with this comment. The position of the top carrying handle, being where it is, also creates a balance problem where the top of the bag tilts outwards.

All in all, the bag is made well, but just isn't very ergonomic. It'll protect your laptop, tablet, and other belongings great; but when it comes to carrying all those things, I wouldn't say you'd be able to do it comfortably.

I had high hopes for this bag based on my experiences with a number of other Ogio bags and sports gear. Unfortunately, after a moth it has been very disappointing.

I commute in NYC using an Ogio Renegade RSS backpack, which is a great, if large bag. With the Citibike program I have started to cycle the 5 miles to work and wanted a messenger style bag. This looked to fit the bill and spec wise it would seem to but the design is so flawed I cannot believe Ogio can put their name on it.

First the strap. It is comfortable and designed allow quick changes to length. The problem it slips at the slightest provocation while wearing and if you lift the bag by the strap is will suddenly slip meaning you have to readjust it again. This is the most frustrating thing about the bag. Also, as others have noted, the only position the bag is comfortable is when as a messenger cross-back. Using as a shoulder bag it hangs at and angle and digs into your hip as the straps connect about a third of the way down the back of the bag. Additionally, if your a lefty, this bag won't work at all. The strap has to be across the left shoulder.

Next, the computer slot is on the back and closed by zips that are not weatherproof. It is not protected by the main cover at all. While walking home in a recent rainstorm the compartment got damp, which for electronics is obviously not a good thing. I do appreciate the TSA friendly aspect. The bag can be 'split' by undoing a zip that goes around the bag so that the computer compartment can be laid flat separately from the main part of the bag.

There are a number of other annoying things about the bag; the pocket on the cover designed for a phone or media player has a vertical zip which when opened the contents tend to fall out. The key-chain is too short, has very small cleat, and is the same color as the bag (black) so impossible to find. There's minimal internal organization in the main compartment -no where to put papers. The mesh water holder is too small and not deep enough for anything other that small bottles.

A note on the Ogio website and packing documentation for this bag it is awful. The strap is not intuitive and main features require some explanation, none of which will be found on Ogio.com.

The recommended computer size is 13 inch. My Macbook Pro Retina 13 slides around in the compartment which is clearly for a 15 inch. The bag is large, and when worn messenger style is wider than my body width (I'm 5ft 7inch 170lbs) by about 3 inches either side, which means a get fouled on subway turnstiles, which is frustrating.

Overall, the construction and build quality is what you would expect from Ogio, however the design is so flawed and practicality almost non-existent. If I hadn't foolishly discarded the packing material I would have returned this

Buy Ogio Pagoda M Laptop/Tablet Messenger Bag Now

The bag is built from high quality materials and has a lot of cells to your iPhone, ipad, lap top, wallet, documents, pens and much much more.

The bag is pretty big tho, that's why I won't recommend to buy the L size, the M is big enough!

Enjoy it:)

Read Best Reviews of Ogio Pagoda M Laptop/Tablet Messenger Bag Here

It is a beautiful bag, and seems to be well made, but for those who do not plan to carry the bag "bike messenger style" across the middle of your back, the strap and the handle are positioned so the bag always tilts forward instead of remaining upright. The shoulder strap does not allow for carrying the bag on one shoulder (not across your chest). I thought there was an alternate shoulder strap that came with it, but perhaps that is only for the smallest bag? This was the best looking bag I've found, so I'm really disappointed that I had to return it.

Regarding the laptop pocket size... I tried the large bag (L) first but that bag was huge! (This bag appears especially large, I think, because of the way it flares out at the top.) The medium size (M) just barely fit my 17" MacBook Pro. It was a tight squeeze, but comfortable and felt well protected.

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This bag works, is very functional and innocuous enough cosmetically. After all, you don't want a flashing light to advertise that this is the bag that contains all your valuables.

PRROs:

Roomy, with compartments designed specifically for a laptop and another for an iPad or other slim tablet computer.

A comfortable, wide carrying strap that allows you to carry the bag in at least three modes. You can invent more if you like, I guess.

Inside and outside pockets for cell phones, cords, and miscellaneous gadgetry so necessary to modern life.

Easily adjustable nylon snap closures that allow the flap to be snugly cinched closed with one hand and quickly popped open, also with one hand.

CONs:

An included feature, allegedly a one-handed adjustment for the shoulder strap, that I can't get to work even after two months of trying and calls to Ogio customer service. It'd be nice if this worked.

An extension of the above con: no instructions are included on these features, either packed with the bag or on the website, to illustrate the bag's features. The video on the website is intended to market the bag --it does an adequate job for this -but goes nowhere to guide the new owner in operation of the bag's numerous features.

I've used this bag on two recent trips. On one trip, a three-day drive to southern Florida from upstate New York, the bag held all my basic clothing needs along with toiletries and electronics. Would I buy it again? SureI would.

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