Customer Reviews Timbuk2 Especial Medio

The first thing I noticed was how comfortable the straps and back panel were. Lots of pockets. Most of all is weather proof!

It's everything timbuk2 says it is. I use it to commute to work and travel around Europe. It has great organization pockets and I particularly like the quick access pocket on the panel against your back. Worth every penny.

This has been a great pack for me. I have had it for about two years now and have really enjoyed my time with it. There is plenty of pockets for organization and also plenty of space for anything you would need. The only reason I'm knocking off the one star is for the water bottle pocket. It will fit a skinnier water bottle, but even with then, if you already have a full pack, it won't be a secure fit. It's a small thing but it can drive me nuts at times. I started just keeping my water bottle in the main pocket.

The backpack is amazing and can fit a ton. It's very stylish and of good quality. The problem is that I can't see over my shoulder when biking with it became it's too bulky at the top if you're wearing it properly. I had to get off my bike and adjust it a few times, at which point it was very low on my back and interfering with my seat. So not great for biking (which is what I bought it for), but it's a good size backpack for putting your clothes in it for a short trip. It's also good for grocery shopping and moving a ton of stuff. I love the weight distribution so the load doesn't seem heavy. So it's a great pack that fits a ton inside, just not great for biking if you want to see over your shoulder while biking. I'm 5'3" and looking for a smaller pack for cycling. Since it's final sale, make sure that it'll fit. One thing that I didn't like was the Velcro pocket. There are a couple of great pocket at the top but anything you put in the big pocket is hard to get because it just goes to the bottom. And the Velcro is quite loud so not good for opening it in class.

Being an Essential Worker this bag came in Clutch now that I'm Riding to and From Work due to the situation.

I use the pack to commute. Things I like are its size, number of compartments and pockets within the compartments. The biggest draw back is the outside side compartments are too shallow th put a 26 oz commuter cup in it. If you put one in it, then it will more likely than not fall out....

I am thankful for this well thought of backpack for cycle commuters. The waterproof and all-in-one place (helmet, lock and office stuffs) design with proper capacity and weight are so friendly to ride with for my daily commute. Furthermore, I love all the special features, such as reflectors, stripes tie with my back and cute side pocket. I have two different designed backpack from Timbuk2 and love both of their careful design style.

There is much to love about this pack: - Spacious & organized interior - Durable materials make the pack feel premium and trustworthy - Helmet storage & U-lock pocket have become integral to my routine and I can't go back to a bag without these - Back padding is very nice on the bike (especially noticable under a heavy load) - Mostly waterproof (especially the large primary pocket) which lets me look forward to stormy commutes There are also flaws: - Back padding (and overall structural rigidity) can be awkward to uncomfortable off the bike - The small easy-access pocket (ideal for items like a wallet, keys, spare battery, flash drive, etc.) near the top of the pack, gets wet in anything more than a light drizzle (not ideal!) You will appreciate this pack if you: - need a cycling backpack with space for a change of clothes, rain layers, shoes, computer, bike accessories, repair kit, and tonight's groceries. - ride to work/school, rain or shine. - like the urban style (I personally love the look). Timbuk2, The small top pocket is so nice for small sensitive items, yet it's the one pocket penetrated by the rain. A better seal would improve this already-impressive product. Nice work!

The bag has held up very well, with a couple of cautions: 1) I carried a metal flashlight in one of the exterior pockets (the one with the side zipper), and over time, the abrasion wore holes into the material right through to the outside. No problem: moved to the pocket with the flap, and made sure it was off the bottom of the bag. 2) The base of the bag is a tough fabric. It is, however, pretty abrasive on clothes. I have jeans where the belt loops were worn right through after a couple of years of carrying the pack daily for work. I will be sticking a non-abrasive vinyl patch over the bag base where it sits at the jeans waistline. Still a great bag, though.

Have only been using it for a week before the request of a review. I will say that so far the back pack feels great. The weight is well balanced and it doesn't feel too heavy when loaded with a lot of things. My biggest issue is that the water bottle pocket is so SMALL! It would be great if the company took into consideration that people have reusable water bottles and deeper pockets are required. Especially when you're paying such a high price and their other products feature deeper pockets.

This is a beautiful, large cycling backpack. You will be able to fit just about everything you need in here. It's especially good for a commuter like myself. My only complaint is that the water bottle pouches are just too small. I have smaller backpacks that will fit my 40oz Nalgene without me worrying about it falling out. For such a big bag I wish these were a bit bigger. Everything else is great though!

I have had this backpack for about 4 months now. I think it's very comfortable and it does have plenty of room for the stuff you're bringing along. The front pocket with the Velcro flap can be a bit tight to get your hand into and I agree with previous reviewers that the pocket for water bottles could stand to be a bit deeper. I like the helmet pouch, but I wish this could open up a bit more for larger helmets. My melon head needs a big helmet! The straps are comfortable and adjustable so I think you can get the right fit no matter your size.

I am a professional marathoner, and I also work a full time job. I use this bag to carry my work clothes, so after my morning run, I can shower change and go to the office. The bag sufficiently carries all my clothes, towel, toiletries, laptop, shoes, jacket, and protein bars. My only qualm with the bag is the water bottle pockets. They don't fit my 36oz water bottle, so that is a little bit of a bummer, and I would recommend making these just slightly larger.

Got this bag for cycling and getting groceries. Very sturdy and spacious and comfortable. As with my first purchase (also very happy with that) I tried to register it for lifetime warranty. The packing slip had a URL that was broken, so I clicked around on the site and the link offered there to register was also broken. Tweeted @timbuk2 and sent a message through website but nothing. These are great quality products but at a high price that deserves a lifetime warranty and good customer service. Might think twice next time!

This bag features top notch quality and style and some really stand-out features such as multiple organizational pockets, extra comfortable back cushioning and a flat bottom that allows it to stand upright on its own. That siad, there are a few fixes I hope Timbuk2 will make in a future iteration of the bag. (1) The laptop sleeve is fastened with an annoying and unnecessary hook-and-loop strap that gets caught on the mesh pockets across from it. (2) I wish the helmet pouch weren't sandwiched between the main compartment and the front pockets - the helmet's curvature intrudes on your organizational space. (3) The water bottle pockets taper off toward the bottom, so you can't utilize their full depth. (4) I'd love if the flap pocket were fastened with magents rather than hook-and-loop for a quieter opening when I need a pen in the middle of lecture. Overall, though, this bag is outstanding, and probably your best option yet for something waterproof with helmet storage.

Great backpack, love the quality of the materials, the sealed zippers, loads of bike specific features (helmet pocket, bike lock, waterproof material, lots of exterior pockets, comfy straps and not to hot on the back). The only downside is it is slightly long. If you wear a helmet, the top of the bag may knock against the back of the helmet occasionally when biking. But the pros definitely outweigh the cons.

This is a 9 our of 10 star backpack. Lots of bells and whistles, well made. I'm taking away one star because the water bottle pockets aren't deep enough. Even the one with the strap above it doesn't nothing to keep the water bottle in. The bike bottles or Klean Kanteen always falls out when you bend down to pick something up or handle your bag to where the bag slight starts to lean down. Lot of bike commuting bags have this same problem. This is why professional cyclists who are bike messengers who make there own bags and sell to the bike messaging community like Vessel Workshop, Trash Messenger Bags, ReLoad bags, and so in always make their water bottle pockets two inches deeper then the bottle itself. This never happens with my bike messengers backpack by Vessel Workshop. I bought this bag by Timbuk 2 as a day pack for cycling when I'm not working. Maybe if Timbuk 2 would put a very sticky rubber around the inside of the water bottle pockets this would prevent the water bottle from crashing down and making a scene. This would be the perfect day pack for cyclists if it weren't for that. I'm a gear head and know my gear and every pack pack out there as well as the prices. If you would have slapped a Mission Worlshop label on this Timbuk 2 bag it would have been $300-$400. Timbuk2 has a great price on this bag for what you get. Backpacks are an investment that will last for 5+years.

I like the backpack a lot, I do wish they offered an option slightly larger volume wise, maybe like 35L or just a bit more expandable outward. The disadvantage of this is while it's a good looking bag, durable and comfortable, the front pockets are very tight if you pack the main compartment decently. That said, I was able to pack a full days clothing, laptop and some additional items so it makes it a solid commuter bag. The only other thing I ran into was some dye from the strap got onto my shirt, it did wash off and I was wearing the bag with heavy weight and sweat.

This is my every day bag. My one reservation, and this is coming from a single compartment bag, is that I don't think this makes the most use of the volume, otherwise, love it!

I use this to bike to work. comfortable and allows me to bring my laptop, a change of clothes, and shoes with room to spare.

I have to wait until it gets warm in a wisconsin to try this bag out on long distance bike rides and daily commutes in 90 degree weather, but so far the bag is great. Holds all my basic work stuff, is weatherproof, can hold 1 small bag of groceries and has some decent pockets.

I use this bag for pretty much everything. This includes commuting (biking + walking + mass transit), going to the gym, and traveling. I've had the bag for about a month, and have used it every day since I got it. Overall, I think that it succeeds in a lot of areas but falls short in one crucial department - storage space. I'll start with the positives. The bag has a lot of organizational features that really set it apart for me. I get good use out of the laptop sleeve, pen organizer pockets, u-lock / water bottle holsters, etc. I especially like the hidden helmet compartment, which I use to store my climbing shoes and other dirty things that I don't want to put in the main pocket. The waterproofing on the bag seems to be very good as well. On multiple occasions, I've biked in heavy rain and stored the bag with water still beaded on it without any problems. Additionally, the bag is very comfortable, both on and off the bike. I've heard from other reviews that the straps tend to bite into people's necks, but I haven't experienced this. It could just be that I've only worn the bag over a jacket. The one major downside of this bag is that it can get pretty cramped. For example, putting a helmet in its compartment makes it nearly impossible to reach items at the bottom of the front organizer pocket. In fact, the front pockets are pretty tight even when the bag is empty, and even a moderately full main compartment makes it hard to access certain areas of them. When in use, the helmet compartment also bulges out into the main compartment. You can usually work around this by carefully choosing the order in which you pack things, but it's still a nuisance. All things considered, I'm happy with this bag, and would recommend it to others despite its flaws. However, it is important to consider the bag's downsides before purchasing. If the bag had just a little more room to expand naturally when filled, it would easily be perfect for my needs.

I wanted a roomy all-around bag that would fit all the junk I ride around with--laptop, books, change of clothes/shoes, climbing gear, toiletries--without swamping my torso, which is a tricky thing to find for shorties like me. When I'm wearing it, I'm definitely aware that it was cut for people taller than me (I'm 5"3 when standing up very very straight), but it still feels comfortable, unlike most unisex bags. I've only had it for a month or so, but it seems to be holding up great--I subject my bags to pretty brutal treatment and this one still looks new. I absolutely love the pocket on the back panel--I stick my wallet in it so I can swipe into the train station without taking my pack off and digging around at the faregate. I don't use all the front pockets--the helmet pocket's Velcro is difficult to pry open and my helmet stays with my bike anyway. However, I'm thrilled that my Tigr lock mostly fits---my bike frame is too small to mount it, and it sticks perilously far out of most bags. In this bag, it sticks out a few inches but the zippers stay tight and keep it snug in transit, which is great. The bag is roomy enough to take for a four-day conference (and fit under an airplane seat), but not egregiously large. It's comfortable to walk with for a few miles too, especially with the back panels. It hasn't gotten a thorough soaking yet, but held up well in intermittent rain. The canvas seems to be a bit of a fuzz magnet--never thought I'd have to lint-roll a backpack--and I agree with a previous reviewer that making the bottom of the bag out of canvas was a bit of an odd choice, considering how much it gets scraped around. The blue was darker than the picture would lead you to believe, but still looks sharp. The loop to attach a blinky light is a nice bonus. I got the bag for half off; though I really, really like it, I'm not entirely sure I'd pay full price. That being said, it's a durable, versatile, well-sized bag.

Been eyeing this bag for a while for the spring, summer, and fall cycle commuting to work finally pulled the trigger when the Cyber Monday sale came up. The Especial lives up to the reputation.

Did a lot of shopping around for an everyday bag. Looked at Chrome, North Face, Timbuk2 and other similar brands, but it came down to size, style, and price. Bought during black friday weekend and saved a bunch! Bag is overall a great bag! lots of room, organized pockets in front, quick access pockets, laptop pocket inside of main compartment, weatherproof (but not 100% waterproof), build is great and I love the reflector hints for night. I mainly use this for my daily commute on my motorcycle and it packs everything from my lunch, headphones, sunglasses, gym clothes, shoes, and a 32 oz hydroflask. And theres still lots of space left. There's also a hidden expansion pocket in front for bike helmets or anything that can fit. My only con is that when wearing, the straps are a little narrow around the neck area, as if the straps are stitched to close together. Very minor but for people that have bigger necks or would prefer a bigger space, it might be uncomfortable.