REI Transit Day Bag

Comments about REI Transit Day Bag:

I use this as a briefcase for my public management job and as adjunct professor at Boise State.HinT#1: Bring your laptop with you to see if it fits. It it does, buy this. If not, buy a new laptop or buy a different bag. Hint #2: If you need extra space, learn to carry less stuff. Not every text book, massive stack of papers, etc. must go woith you to class every week, every time. We also have arms and hands to carry those things.Mine holds: one (1) 1.5" 3 ring binder, a textbook, a laptop and charger, my large moleskine for my notes and 400 pieces of paper (100 students, 4 page exam) ALL IN THE MAIN COMPARTMENT. And has room for more. In the small pockets I have an optical mouse, pens,1st Favorite feature: Small zippered pouch on flap. Holds my parking pass, expandable moleskine, index cards and small items needing a quick home.2nd favorite feature: at the base of the bag, on the front, it a perfectly placed horizontal zippered pouch. Hold pens, pencils, etc. I keep a pencil case loaed with pens, highlighters, a laser pointer, hole punch and business cards plus it also has a clip the screams out for a jump drive to keep it from getting lost but with VRY quick access.3rd favorite feature: Under the flap, which you never have to buckle if you put a few items in the pouch described above, is a pretty decent sized compartment for a small laptop, files, a book, etc. I love it because it is a great place to hide things from those overly nosy people that cannot resist the contents of an open breifcase or bag. 4rd Favorite feature: Has a handle on the bag allowing you to carry it like a briefcase. Messenger bags, sling bags and their ilk require you to carry them by the large strap. That sucks!! Especially when wearing a suit, are trying to carry on a mobile phone conversation, trying to drink coffee and advise an employee or student on the fly, etc. The simplicity of a well placed handle is a dream because unlike most bags, breifcases, you have to grap two handles to carry it. Not so with this bag--one majestic handle "handles" it. Small issue but **only** if you overload the maincompartment--zip the main compartment because otherwise the bag gapes open and rain, etc. can get in.5th Favorite feature: Inside the main compartment is an inside pocket large enough to stow items you want to avoid getting lost or wrinkled.Love it. Have used slingbags (too small), backpacks (to childish), messenger bags (too sloppy and unweildy because they lack "structure" in the construction and briefcases (leather hates weather; too "open" to the world. This finds the middle ground in everything.Wittgenstein tells us (quite loosely described here): only have what you must. Exclude the ornamental, but do it with style and ultimate simplicity. This bag does that.

Comments about REI Transit Day Bag:

I bought this bag for school and while I have several bags this is the one I choose most often. It has a comfortable adjustable shoulder strap or a comfortable handle if I want to carry it like a briefcase. The zip pocket on the outer flap holds all my pencils, calculator and such; the bottom pocket under the flap holds my wallet and keys while the pockets under the flap hold my phone, a snack, Kleenex etc.; the zip pocket on the side holds a small lotion, Advil, lip stuff and what-not. The large zip pocket holds personal items and/or extra folders. The main zip compartment holds all my books, notebooks and folders for 2 classes (and a water bottle) - it held everything for three classes but I ended up dropping the 3rd class. Easy to deal with and carries everything I need so that I do not have to carry a purse also. I would certainly buy it again but I don't think this one will wear out! :-) It's a great bag.

Comments about REI Transit Day Bag:

I am so picky and have gone through goodness knows how many bags including very popular messenger bags, purses, and every incarnation of a bag. Finally, I found the holy grail. A bag big enough for the books I carry, a laptop (if I need it), a sweater, and some some files. I even have pockets for a water bottle, sunglasses, cell phone, wallet, and keys- so I can find things!! This has nearly saved my marriage. I can finally get out the door in less than 30 minutes. Love it!

Comments about REI Transit Day Bag:

I love the way this bag looks and it functions quite well for my daily grind. I work days and go to school nights and the bag makes a great transition. It holds my 14" laptop just fine and even held my old 15" non-widescreen laptop. I wish it had a little more room in the main area because it gets a little hard to zip shut if the compartment has too much stuff. The flap pocket also doesn't hold much and becomes difficult to fasten sometimes. The buckle/fastener should really be adjustable instead of bungee-like. The organizer is fabulous and the all the pockets are great. My big gripe is that the pad on the shoulder strap is sewn in a permanent location, rendering it difficult to adjust its position when you are walking. It's a minor nuisance but not a deal breaker. The whole strap is replaceable if so desired. This bag is best for files, folders, notebooks and items that don't have weird shapes. A thick paperback or textbook might cause some closure difficulties so this pack is not for you if you lug around lots of heavy textbooks but is definitely for you if you carry lots of flat stuff. The handle is nice and cushiony and seems to be balanced very well when transporting this way. Nice bag; I highly recommend it.

Comments about REI Transit Day Bag:

I'm a professional musician (conductor). I use this bag to haul my scores, batons, and MacBook with me to rehearsals, recording sessions, and concerts.

It is also the perfect size to hold a single clarinet case. Most of my students use a Buffet Crampon B-12 student clarinet, and the recent (post-2000) cases fit wonderfully, with enough room for music and accessories. The storage options, water-resistance, and carrying strap make it my number one recommendation to my students for a music bag, as most of the more expensive options for them don't even come close to offering the features that the Transit does.

Comments about REI Transit Day Bag:

The bag is great for long walks from the parking lot to the entrance of the school when its pooring rain. The straps are comfortable and the bag is built tough a must have for every student.

Comments about REI Transit Day Bag:

This bag is as good as a daily briefcase as you can get that looks good. It is very functional, but it does not hold larger laptops. I bought this bag before my laptop arrived due to the fact that I could buy the Laptop sleeve and use the bag to hold everything. According to the description "Zippered large main compartment can hold a padded laptop sleeve (sold separately) and features pockets for files and folders" THIS IS UNTRUE! Check to see if your laptop fits before you decide on this bag!

Comments about REI Transit Day Bag:

I have been looking for a lightweight contrivance to carry papers, a notebook or two and my iPod. I have 2 keyrings that I had wanted to stow in a bag, as well. The transit bag works very well. It's a good combination of a messenger bag and a briefcase. It's lightweight, big enough to be functional without lending itself to overstuffing. The external horizontally zipped pocket is perfect for stashing my keys. The pockets under the messenger flap work well for an iPod, a Moleskine notebook and various other stuff. The zip open bottle holder is nice, too. The zipped pocket on the flap holds my sunglasses well. I wish that the bottle holder was a little bit deeper, so that I could stash a small umbrella in it. Also, the stitching on the shoulder strap is a bit sloppy. Overall, I am really happy with the bag.

Comments about REI Transit Day Bag:

I bought this to use as a camera/laptop bag. As an amateur photographer, I'm looking for a bag this is big enough to hold several heavy and bulky item such as a laptop, a DSLR camera with 2 extra lenses and a flash as well as all the accessories that goes with those 2 pieces of equipment. Also, the bag needs to have some waterproofing qualities. This bag fits the bill perfectly.

As you can see, the weight and amount of stuff I try to carry is a lot, and this bag can do that readily. However, I usually leave the laptop behind to save my own shoulder and the bag has more than enough room to hold the camera and the lenses.

The feature that didn't suit me is the strap. The strap is a bit too long for me (@5ft 5in) and the part where the padding meets the nylon webbing would dig into my collarbone. That's not a problem as I have an old strap for a older laptop bag that I have and it fit just fine. However, I believe that is a very unique case because of my built and shouldn't deter you from buying it.

*To illustrate the amount of stuff this bag can carry (possible, but not recommend for your own back's sake.), here is the list:

I. Laptop, Charger, mouse, USB card reader, USB iPod Charging Cord, 2x USB cables for data transfer, small USB ethernet adapter.

II. Nikon D80, Charger, 1 spare battery, 4x AA batteries, Metz 48 Flash, ML-L3 remote control, polarizer filter, one 17-55 Zoom Lens, one 55-200 Zoom Lens, 50mm Normal Lens and 3 pieces of gel paper for the flash.

III. Other stuff: Map, pen, few sheets of tables and charts, white card, iPod Nano 2nd Gen., cliff bag, carabiner, and a pocket paper notebook.

Comments about REI Transit Day Bag:

I have two other bags, but this one is by far the best bag for several reasons:
-lightweight, yet tough fabric
-asymmetrical flap allows you to quickly grab a pen or cell phone from one of the organizer pockets without having to unbuckle it, yet small items are well-protected underneath: form follows function
-the handle is wide and has a "spongy" feel: ergonomically correct and easy on your hands
-lots of pockets to create your own "mini portable office"
-room for about a half dozen files and a laptop
-a small front pocket with an internal clip for keys-most bags have this clip inside the larger pocket where you normally stow you files, but here, you can quickly grab your keys without unclipping the large flap
-the beverage pocket holds a water bottle or travel mug(without a handle)-my other more expensive bags don't have this feature

In summary this bag is well-designed bag for real life situations. It is straight-forward and works well, especially when it comes to getting things in and out quickly. My guess is the designer(s) also design REI backpacks, and put alot of thought and experience in creating this great product. Well done!