Customer Reviews Timbuk2 Command Messenger - Large

I love the water bottle is located on the side for easy excess!!

I am satisfied with this bag. It is basically as described. The "Marsh" color is a bit more olive in color than it appeared on my computer monitor, but still looks good. My only two complains are these: 1. Needs an additional outer pocket to quickly slip in a boarding pass or passport. 2. The bottom does not sit flat--it actually seems to slope up from the back panel to the front panel, so the bag always falls over onto the flap side when I set it on the floor. Perhaps I just need to break in the bag more.

Happy with the bag. It's definitely nicely made and high-quality. It fits my 15" MBP Retina perfectly. My only minor complaint is the side bottle holder could be a little larger.

I use my bag for work, which includes airplane travel, but I've yet to use it at the airport. I love the storage, how it looks and it's very comfortable. The only thing I don't love so far is that it doesn't sit upright. Other reviewers mentioned this and I didn't think it would it bother me, but it's not my favorite thing. Overall though, I love this bag and would purchase again.

I use my bag primarily for commuting - carrying my macbook pro, iPad, documents, manuals, magazines. I secondarily use it for business travel, as my "personal item," carrying laptop, iPad, headphones, a jacket ... In other words, pretty much every day. I love how roomy the bag is, including the size of the laptop pocket. It looks great, it's comfortable, and seems like it will be very durable. I like that the fittings are mostly not metal - previous bags have failed when strap fittings at the metal-metal contact points wore away and the straps could no longer be attached. My issues with the bag, though are: 1) The flap closures are often difficult to open - the protrusion at the end of the metal slide-through catches on the nylon loop and it's hard to get them to go back through so as to open the bag. 2) The locking slide used to change the strap length does NOT stay locked for long - it's way too easy for it to open on its own, especially while taking the bag off - in fact, once while taking off the bag I caught a finger in there and it was difficult, and painful, to get the bag the rest of the way over my head and the latch off my finger. 3) It would be very helpful for there to be at least a small pocket on the front of the flap, to stash small odds&ends (id cards, passes, small pad & pen, change). Opening the flap, or accessing the laptop pocket, while wearing the bag is difficult-to-impossible. I know there is a side-pocket on the flap but that's less accessible while wearing the bag, and it's already occupied by laptop power supply and/or ipod.

I've commuted 3500 miles to work for the last six years during which time I carried a Swiss Gear laptop backpack. I grew used to the many compartments, so when it wore out and I decided to try a messenger bag I had to really rethink how and what I carried with me. I like the Command because it looks far more professional than the backpack, it's easier to access what I'm carrying without removing the bag, but carrying nearly the same weight on one shoulder instead of two wears on me. It fits in the overhead storage on commuter jets far better than my backpack did. My 17" HP 8730w fits in the large size very well as the Timbuk2 calculator advised. Others have recommended upgrading the shoulder pad and I'll likely make that change. I'm happy with the product as well as the ordering/shipping experience - no bad surprises from Timbuk2.

Bought the medium bag. Computer pocket might be good for 15" Apple, but too tight for Lenovo 15" laptop

I had been using a rolling briefcase for years, and had to unpack and repack it when connecting flights to a smaller commuter plane. The Timbuk2 Command messenger bag fits under seats and in most small plane overheads. I can still wheel it on top of my rollaboard due to the passthrough on its back: a great feature. I have the version of the bag that has a long front pocket at the bottom for cables, and I love it. My power brick and mouse fit nicely. I also love the mesh side pocket for a water bottle, it was something my briefcase didn't have and I use it all the time. The shoulder strap is comfortable and has a huge pad for comfort. I tuck it in the passthrough slot when I'm carrying the bag by its handle. And the TSA-compliant clamshell design is very helpful when going through security checkpoints. I have two quibbles. While the interior space is very roomy, there aren't enough pockets to organize with. I bought an inexpensive nylon purse organizer online ($9) and it adds another 13 pockets. Plus, I can pull out the organizer and lay it on my desk for quick reach to my most often used items. Timbuk2 should add one of these! The other quibble is that I find the front hooks a bit odd as a closure. I'm always worried they won't keep the bag closed and things might fall out. Some of the reviews here indicate the newer model has some elastic tensioning, which sounds good. All in all, I'm very pleased and would highly recommend this bag for airline travelers and office workers.

I really like this bag. I fly a lot and this bag has pockets on the outside to store my pasport, tablet and wallet. So I don't have to open the whole bag to find this stuff. The bag contains a strap to fit it easily on a trolley. This works well. I have the medium size bag which fits my Macbook Pro 13", tablet, adapter, cables and accessoires easily. The tablet sits in a separate compartment located on the inside. When the bag is fully stuffed it becomes a bit uncomfortable to wear because there is not too much padding on the inside. Not all airports in Europe accept the bag with the laptop inside. Some do and some don't. It seems to depend on the knowlegde of the security officer. I like the looks of the bag and it seems to be of good quality.

I was a little bit afraid of the size at first (for an old 15" Lenovo) but it's perfect ! Lots of room for all my gears. Already made 2 trips by plane and the TSA friendly organisation of the bag is really efficient

I have previously owned the Proof Messenger Bag, which had a great look and feel but no handle. This bag does have a handle and a few improvements over my former bag. It is lighter and retains a sleek look even with all the same stuff (laptop, iPad, cords, wallet, sunglasses etc) put into it. I think it's because it has a better interior design. LOVE the outer compartment for the laptop and iPad, so that I don't have to open the main bag to access those electronics. Also has useful side pockets with zippers to store key or phone or sunglasses without adding bulk. When opened, the front pouch holds sundry and then the main compartment has a lot of room, especially because I'm not storing the electronics there! Also love not having to take my laptop out at airports; I just unzip it and the laptop compartment hinges out flat on the belt (I made sure to take the iPad out of that side, though). Minor drawbacks are the clasps closing the main compartment, which are perhaps stylish but a little tricky to get open and shut quickly. There is also velcro to help close it but I've opted to close those strips up. The clasps do keep things closed, versus the snaps on the Proof bag. I'm sure I'll get used to that. I also liked the canvas material better on the Proof Messenger; this is nylon and may not look "professional" enough for some. These are minor quibbles. All in all, I really love this bag.

I bought this for plane travel, but Logan, Charles de Gaulle, and Schiphol all make you take the computer out of the bag, no matter what, so the "flay it open" solution just doesn't work in reality. At least for international travel. That said, this bag is still pretty nice. I have been using a Mission Workshop bag for the past year or so, so I am spoiled by their easily adjustable shoulder strap. The one on this Timbuk2 bag is somewhat difficult to cinch up for a ride, especially if the bag is loaded down, which mine usually is. The front closures are a bit unusual, too, but I thought that at first about the MW Arkiv system, and that became very easy very quickly, so we'll see about these hooks. The bag looks great, and I like all the pencil/pen spots, and other little pockets and divided areas. I took to calling the MW a "potato sack," so this is a nice change. Much better for bringing and using at work. It's comfortable, looks good, and I like the computer and tablet pockets. I still haven't found that one, perfect bag, but this will certainly do for a while.

I use my bag for everyday carrying. I love the fabric and the color. Im not a huge fan of the hook fasteners as they are difficult to undo and often get stuck in the closure loops. The bag is not as small as i was expecting for my 13" MacBook and so it slides around a lot inside the space provided. There is no doubt that the quality of the bag is excellent, however, as i bought the bag on a final sale this will be my bag for a long time to come. Buyer beware as they say. If you aren't willing to live with what you get, dont buy it as a final sale. As I said, my husband has had his messenger bag fir many years and loves it and encouraged me to by my messenger bag. The quality overall is excellent, it's just not Cinderella's slipper as it were.

The tabs over the Velcro to keep it quiet we're not there as well as there was no iPad pocket in the laptop portion. These features were deciding factors for this purchase. The product was offered at a discount as is. It didn't stipulate features were missing though. Pretty disappointed and won't be shopping with Timbuk2 again.

The bag itself is fine, but the medium's designated laptop sleeve most assuredly doesn't fit a 15" laptop. 13" maximum. I bought it explicitly to fit my laptop.

Shipping items to Canada by UPS is a barrier to me wanting to purchase anything from Timbuk 2. The order was placed 13 days ago and still has not arrived. I phoned UPS yesterday as it showed there was a problem with the order. The question was "do you still want the item delivered?" The bag is still 250 miles from where I live. I expect they will want about $50 for brokerage fees once the bag finally arrives. This is in addition to shipping charges of $35. If you want a Timbuk2 bag and you live in Canada best find one at a local shop. I'm on my 4th Timbuk2 bag and like the product but shipping by mail needs to be an option.

I have long been a fan of Timbuk2 bags. So when my old Timbuk2 bag became damaged, I looked to Timbuk2 for a replacement. I ended up with the Command Messenger medium bag. And I ended up very disappointed. First, the bag holds very little. This problem could have been fixed easily by providing alittle more slack in the various sections and pockets. Second, Timbuk2's trend towards side zip pockets is, in my humble opinion, disastrous. My last bag had one such pocket. I quickly learned to avoid using it for fear of my personal items falling out and becoming lost or damaged. For this Command messenger, Timbuk2 had the genius idea of filling the bag with these pockets. I ended up living in fear of losing or damaging my stuff due to falls from the pockets, prompting me to force everything into the narrow interior sections of the bag. On the positive side, as is always the case with Timbuk2, the bag is very well constructed and should last a very long time. Unfortunately for me, mine now sits idle. I ended up getting another non-Timbuk2 bag that holds my stuff better and more securely.

After reading reviews of this product, I decided to get the medium bag. It turned out to be much larger than expected. I occasionally need to carry 2 laptops and this fits both easily with plenty of room left over. It is stylish (better looking than the pictures) and seems durable. I do have a few problems with the bag though. First of all - it is very heavy. I used to have a TB2 backpack, which had a similar volume capacity but was much lighter. Also, as noted by other reviewers, the pockets are a little awkward - notably the external water pocket is very shallow, there is not a good pocket for laptop charger cords and for smaller carrying items. While there is 1 small pocket on the front side (it barely fits phone charger cords and blocks), other small items have to be put into one of the many larger zippered pockets - risking getting crushed with the other stuff I'll need to drop in there. Overall I am a little disappointed with the bag and while I would purchase from TB2 again, I would not purchase this bag.

I had the original Command Messenger bag. I loved it. Best laptop bag ever. It had all the right pockets and zipper pouches in all the right places. When it wore out and was peed on by the dog I had enough and decided to get a new one due to the sales they were having. I purchased a new one, larger, as I purchased a new laptop. The bag arrived and the color was great. Right away though, the bag felt very stiff. Upon examination, the interior was lacking of pockets in the right places, and the inside pockets felt very flimsy and cheap. The exterior side pockets, yet cool to have pockets there, I feel the lack of the front pockets with zips downgraded this version significantly. The interior pockets are not the best, and all the hidden compartments can be confusing as to where you stuff things. I am strictly comparing this version to the previous version which I absolutely loved. The velcro doubled up for extra protection in case you grabbed the bag without clipping it shut. The rear compartment is still very much the same, soft and nice for the computer with the extra pocket inside. Unfortunately this one lacks the hidden compartment at the bottom for a rain cover or small umbrella. In conclusion, Timbuk2 is my favorite company for bags hands down. I love the construction, colors, styles, and durability of each bag. I do highly recommend them but this bag just doesn't hit high on my list and I was really hoping it would. My wife talked me into keeping it and giving it time to adapt to the new design and I am still not happy with it although it gets the job done in housing all my gear I travel with for work.

I entered the dimensions of my 17" laptop (and even exaggerated the size a bit), and the Timbuk2 website said this largest size would be sufficient (it even said size medium would be good enough - ha!). However, it's not easy to get my computer in, and once it's in, it is really really difficult to get out. Instead of whizzing through airport security, I'm now the person holding up the line as I wrestle my laptop out of my bag. I feel like the bag needs another inch. I really wanted to love this bag (it's not easy finding a good-looking bag for a 17" laptop), but alas, I'm just lukewarm about it.

I really like to colors on this bag but the strap closure coming undone makes it difficult to wear. The hook closure on the flap is also very challenging for quick access. The base is not flat and so the bag falls flat when placed on the floor. The quality and pockets are what you would expect from Timbuk2. I

I love many aspects of the bag but hate that the bottom is slanted from back to front so that the bag cannot stand upright. This is a serious and very correctable design flaw. Also, the "TSA-friendly" feature is antiquated and wasted space and weight. Change these things and you'd have a perfect bag.

Needs an external pocket with no zipper to carry 8x11 folders, paper, etc. Needs more internal pockets to hold external hard drives, cell phones, check books, key holder. Like the zip pockets openable with out unflapping. Internal zip pocket needs more room. I may have to have a custom one made

I love the look of the bag and how much stuff I am able to fit inside of it, the medium size. It can hold a laptop, kindle, cell phones, water bottle, and my suit jacket (neatly folded). If I had to purchase this over again, I probably would choose the small. The medium is a little too wide and is constantly getting in the way when I am commuting on a train or bus. Additionally, I have started to notice that as the bag rubs against my clothes, it is causing damage that I have never had with other bags. I have been getting small tears and pilling that occurs on my dress pants, causing more upkeep of my suits than I would prefer. I may try to switch to another type of bag in the near future.

Unfortunately, not an improvement over the last Command laptop bag I owned. I have to completely disassemble my power cord for it to fit in the tiny outer pocket (the previous bag had a roomy pocket on the bottom), and I bought the "compact" version of my cord. I *really* miss the handle that was on the end of my old bag, the best way to carry through airports when you have to put it down and pick it back up alot without bending all the way to the floor each time (usually leaning it against my leg, but sometimes again a wall or chair). I usually have an extra large messenger bag with my clothes in it on my back, so nowhere to put a laptop bag. More one-handed carrying options are needed. Also this bag is objectively smaller than the previous Large Command that I had. I couldn't move everything over. And not once ever has TSA allowed me to leave my laptop in the bag using this fold-out system that this bag has. It's kind of a waste of materials and bulk. On the plus side, this bag is far more attractive than my previous one. They moved away from the sporty look and the materials are great. Very classy and they seem tough. I expect this to last a long time.