Closer Laptop Briefcase

I ordered this bag to replace a heavy leather messenger bag for times that I travel. I have been using this for over 3 weeks now and it is a great bag! It is lightweight, and has lots of storage. I carry a 15" laptop in the padded pocket, and like the convenience of a zipper opening that allows me to extract the laptop without opening the whole flap - especially useful on a plane. I also like the features of a key pocket (again nice for travel when you left your car at the airport) and the water bottle holder. The bag looks great and is extremely useful for my daily needs, so now I use it all the time. My only minor complaint is that the liner of the shoulder strap pad is a little slick, so sometimes it slips off your shoulder easily if you are wearing something equally slick (i.e. nylon wind breaker), but this is very minor and does not take away from a great bag!

Great Product Perfect for my business needs

As a long-time user of Timbuk2 bags, this is by far their best messenger bag, in my opinion. It sports a modern, stylish, but reserved and professional aesthetic that is perfect for the young professional. While certainly not as spacious or equipped with as many pockets as their "Commute" line, this bag serves me well as something to carry my things to and from the office. I have had to downsize what I put in my bag, but I definitely appreciated the shed weight. The strap and shoulder pad are very comfortable and distribute weight across my shoulder very well. That said, I have some niggles. Firstly, the metallic buckles are very loud. This does not make for discrete opening. The buckles are also very stiff, though I suspect this will get better over time. As well, the finish on the buckles is prone to scratching. I do not even know how I got the scratch, but one day, there was sizable nick. Also, beware that the medium size fits up to a 15.4" laptop. I thought there would be some wiggle room on this, but my 15.6" laptop was shy a few centimeters from fitting. Despite this, the main pocket fits my laptop fine, and has enough room for my leather portfolio folder, some documents. Even with my huge laptop charger in the second pocket, a small battery pack for my cell phone, some pens, and wireless earphones, the bag maintains a relatively slim profile. I just wish the laptop pocket was a smidge wider to fit my computer. If you're a student or professional that doesn't need to lug around a traveling suitcase full of stuff, this is a perfectly capable and stylish bag.

Good overall quality

Unlike other Timbuk2 designs, this one is very 'classic' and I believe this is actually meant to be that way as this bag seems to be made for people who want a practical, often cheaper alternative to fancy business briefcases. There are multiple storage pockets here and some very smart bells and whistles like a luggage strap (to hang on a trolly) that converts into a pocket, a key holder, napoleon pockets, separate easy access padded laptop compartment and a good shoulder strap. The handle is also very comfortable. Timbuk2 had removed the feature that was previously on their Command bag to "split" the bag so it lays flat - this was a feature for airport security but I think it's smart that they removed it because it's very easy to just remove your laptop, especially if there's a separate compartment for it with easy access. I recommend to everyone that needs a casual briefcase and doesn't want to spend too much on a high end brand or a super expensive leather case but still want a practical, nice looking and well built case.

My previous timbuk2 model laptop bag was a large ‘TSA compliant’ bag (e.g., it unzipped to lie flat, so you wouldn’t have to take your laptop out for x-ray, at least in theory). This bag does not have that feature, AND IS SURPRISINGLY BETTER FOR IT. Personally, if I have a larger bag, I tend to fill it, and then end up lugging more stuff around than necessary. This bag has a smaller profile which is welcome, but still has room for my 15” work laptop, its charge accessories, headphones, notepad, and a few pens. And there’s even room for a 24oz water bottle on the ‘outside corner’ pocket/sleeve. I love this thing. Everything I need, nothing I don’t. Recommended.

It certainly is small unlike the popular messenger bags. I have a 13 in laptop and I got the medium size so I could put more stuff and in case I get a larger laptop. Thank goodness I did because it was a bit tight. So it would be even more so with the small size. Having said all that I prefer this size otherwise I would have gone with a regular messenger bag or old school laptop bag. It’s narrow so it can’t stand on its own but I feel it’s worth the trade off for bulkiness. I read a lot of complaints about not enough pockets for business cards, pens, etc. It’s not like there are no pockets but I agree they could have put in a few more compartments. There is no formal place for pens but you can just clip it to one of the compartments. Overall it’s a great laptop bag that brings a modern look to the typical laptop bag and briefcase.

I love the bag - lightweight, sturdy, slips perfectly over the handle of my roll-a-board, but it arrived with a broken snap on the carry strap. Unfortunately I didn't open the packaging and discover this until I was about to travel, which was too late to return it or ask for a replacement strap. This is my second bag from them; the previous one is about 15 years old and probably has a million miles on it. The old one's Velcro was finally giving up, so I got a new one. Love them.