My first Timbuk2 bag was a messenger bag, which I received as good old schwag working for a small internet consultancy. One day, I was given access to the schwag closet and grabbed a couple more messenger bags. The messenger bag’s durability is phenomenal. Six years later I still use my messenger bags for the gym and as a travel bag.
Last year, I needed laptop bag for work. I knew I wanted a Timbuk2 because of its durability and style, despite being a dime a dozen in San Francisco. I considered getting a laptop messenger bag but I wanted something with more structure, padding and compartments to hold file folders. I ended buying a Timbuk2 Commute bag (medium size).
The commute bag has the following features:
This bag was absolutely perfect for me. At the time, I was using a Thinkpad T42 which is a small, lightweight laptop. The Thinkpad T series fits easily into the medium sized commute bag and I had plenty of compartments to carry writing notebooks, file folders, cell phone, mp3 player and other misc. items. The key feature is all the padding around and inside the bag for your laptop. I feel my laptop is very well protected in this bag.
Earlier this year, I upgraded my personal laptop to a Thinkpad Z60m, a widescreen model. Much to my dismay, my commute bag’s laptop compartment was too small for the Z60m. I could still fit the Z60m into the bag but not into the padded compartment which leaves my laptop unprotected.
Since I loved this bag so much, I decided to purchase the XL size commute bag. According to the Timbuk2 site, a 17” Apple Powerbook would fit into the bag. That’s great but I don’t own a Powerbook. I compared the dimensions between my Z60m and the 17” Powerbook. The Powerbook was 1.3” wider but 0.5” thinner than my laptop.
According to Timbuk2, the max height/thickness that the XL bag could accommodate was 1.25”.
My Z60m’s dimensions are width: 14.1”, depth: 10.3”, height: 1.5”. Note: Timbuk2’s height and depth specs are flipped. I was a little worried that my laptop was too thick for the XL size bag but decided to order one anyway. Thank god for Zappos.com who offers free shipping and free returns.
Well it turns out my Z60m fit easily into the XL commute bag. In the laptop compartment, I have an inch of width to spare and the thickness is not an issue at all. My extended battery sticks out a bit but can still be easily secured into the compartment with the velcro strap. Overall, I still prefer the medium size bag because it’s obviously more compact but you can carry more items in the XL bag. The commute bag is a great, durable bag to protect your laptop and carry all of your work or school stuff. And if you don’t live in San Francisco, it’s a hip, stylish bag!
