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Timbuk2 Commute 2.0 Messenger Bag - Medium

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With a new checkpoint-friendly design, the medium Timbuk2 Commute 2.0 computer bag is equipped with intelligent storage options to protect your 15 in. laptop and high-tech gear.

Padded, zippered rear compartment is corduroy-lined to protect most 15 in. laptops; compartment is hinged to main bag at bottom, securing with zippers
When approaching a security checkpoint, simply "open" the bag as you would a book, separating and laying flat both the main bag and the laptop compartment
Front flap has rip-and-stick/buckle closure and opens to reveal organizer panel with key tether, 9 sleeve pockets and 2 zippered pockets for all your on-the-go necessities
Removable padded shoulder strap allows comfortable over-the-shoulder carrying; back panel sleeve slides over luggage handles for convenient transportation
External pocket stows a water bottle or compact umbrella
Rear bike light attachment loop (flasher sold separately) and reflector tails increase visibility
Exterior made of abrasion-resistant ballistic nylon for long-lasting use

Imported.

Item 789263

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Timbuk2 Commute 2.0 Messenger Bag - Medium Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Timbuk2 Commute 2.0 Messenger Bag - Medium

2.4

(based on 10 reviews)

10%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Lots of pockets and features (6)
Comfortable strap (5)
Rugged (4)
Weather proof (3)

Cons

Not weatherproof (8)
Insufficient padding (5)
Not enough pockets (4)

Best Uses

Light protection (5)
Travel (5)
Commuting (4)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Practical (6)
- Primary use:
- Business (7), Personal (3)

Reviewed by 10 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

Jul

2012

1.0

Nothing like the original

By schrapnel

from Renton, WA

About Me Practical

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Not Enough Pockets
Uncomfortable Strap
Wears Easily

Best Uses

Comments about Timbuk2 Commute 2.0 Messenger Bag - Medium:

The bag slides around when walking. Timbuk2 forgot about using friction fabric on shoulder pad or back pad. The TSA feature is cute, but doesn't really save time. The webbing tabs clap loudly against the rubber base of the bag when walking.

Comment on this review

Jul

2012

(1 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Disappointed While Traveling

By Imarao7

from Greensboro, NC

About Me Practical

See all my reviews

Pros

Color

Cons

Hard to enclose comptr
Insufficient Padding
Limited storage in pocket
No outside pocket
Not Enough Pockets
No thick padded strap
Not Weatherproof
Strap easily slides off
Thin handle when loaded
Uncomfortable Strap

Best Uses

Light travel

Comments about Timbuk2 Commute 2.0 Messenger Bag - Medium:

This bag was purchased to take on the plane and to become my "teacher's bag" this fall. I placed a 15.4" laptop, iPad, Galaxy tablet, two cellular phones and several readings in it only to experience the worse pain ever when carrying a messenger bag. The pain was so severe wherein I am still treating my shoulder muscle days after arrival. The bag would slide off my shoulder due to the mesh material being absent for tracking. I constantly held up lines digging for airline paperwork due to the absence of an outside pocket. Once I discovered REI is located in my destination city, I rushed over to exchange it.

Never had I purchased a messenger bag of poor quality. Thank goodness it did not rain prior to exchanging it.

Comment on this review

Sep

2010

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

What were they thinking?

By nova0129

from Seattle, WA

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Insufficient Padding
Not Weatherproof

Best Uses

Comments about Timbuk2 Commute 2.0 Messenger Bag - Medium:

We have the commute from a few years ago. Even in a straight downpour nothing gets wet (including the laptop which is in the main compartment) and it still looks practically new. Now that we need a second bag (two of us commuting with our computers now), we went to the store to buy another one. When we got there, we discovered that they moved the laptop compartment to the back of the bag and didn't bother to seam seal the zipper. What is the purpose of a waterproof laptop bag with a non-waterproof computer compartment? Now we're going to be fighting over the old one after we're forced to buy a different brand.

Comment on this review

Mar

2010

(6 of 6 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

They ALMOST got it right. But no.

By thedrunkenmonkey

from Seattle, WA

About Me Practical

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable Strap
Lots Of Pockets And Features

Cons

Insufficient Padding
Not Weatherproof
Ripped Handle
Wears Easily

Best Uses

Light Protection
Travel

Comments about Timbuk2 Commute 2.0 Messenger Bag - Medium:

I bought this to haul two computers around for my job - my personal Mac and a clunker of a Dell. The Dell was fine for a while, but eventually I noticed that the case around my Mac was getting cracked (since I have a plastic Speck case on the Mac, no big deal, but since the Mac was in the padded cordoroy area, that was a bit of an issue for me). I tested it, looked online for people saying how wonderful it was, how much it could haul, etc, etc. At some point a fanboy apparently decided it could win a Nobel prize on its own (though I'm not entirely sure that wasn't Timbuk2's marketing department talking).

I carried thirty pounds of gear in this for one month. Just one month. And at the end of that one month, the top handle had frayed. The shoulder strap had cracked. The supposedly nigh-indestructible clips that held the top on had snapped.

I wasn't hauling it hither and yon on the back of the snowmobile or tossing it into bullfighting rings (I used to do that with my venerable Jansport, which was retired to graduate to this one so I could haul a few more papers without worrying about squishing my lunch and so people would stop asking about the hoofprints.) It, for the most part, rode shotgun in the front of my car to work on a commute, and possibly was hauled out of a vehicle by the handle, which ripped due to the massive strain of being asked to do what it was designed to do.

I love Timbuk2's stuff. I've got a large messenger bag that has held up through four continents, two events in the desert, and four bike riding gigs that required a grand total of a spritz of Febreeze and an interior wipedown to be good to go for the next round, but this was intensely disappointing.

It's like driving a car that you've put through utter hell and back, then going, "Wow, this one is a little old and dented, I think I want to upgrade to a new one" and having the transmission fall off the minute you pull your new baby off the lot.

I'll also preface this by saying I like Timbuk2; they're comfortable and decent bags, and were it not for the cracking plastic, the ripping handles, the less-than-sturdy construction, and the misleading statements of a "TSA-friendly bag" (they're still going to make you take BOTH laptops out of the case at the airport. Nice try, TimBuk2) I wouldn't have gone back to ol' Stompy while I wait for my new upgrade bag.

Which is that other messenger bag. The one that I've been told can go into a bullfighting ring with crazed bulls amped up on energy drinks laced with synthetic human testosterone, and the one based out of San Francisco that actual bike messengers have used for a long while.

Comment on this review

Feb

2010

(1 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Laptop?

By um, pick a screen name

from Washington, DC

About Me Practical

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable Strap

Cons

Insufficient Padding
Not Enough Pockets
Not Weatherproof

Best Uses

Light Protection

Comments about Timbuk2 Commute 2.0 Messenger Bag - Medium:

This might fit netbooks, but I tried several laptops and they just don't fit. Game over.

Comment on this review

Jan

2010

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

Nice Bag....should have left it Alone!

By gonefishing

from Scottsdale AZ

About Me Practical

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable Strap
Lots Of Pockets And Features
Rugged

Cons

Not Weatherproof

Best Uses

Commuting
Heavy Duty Protection
Travel

Comments about Timbuk2 Commute 2.0 Messenger Bag - Medium:

So I read the reviews and new the flaws of the bag. I live in AZ and I was not concerned about the lack of weather proofing for the computer compartment. However, the TSA design of the bag was not to my liking. It takes up the whole part of the back half of the bag and zips all the way down so that you can slide it on the xray machine at the airport. The flaw in this design is the zippers are in a different place every time you open the compartment and they can slide down the side of the bag. Also the extra pockets are on the outside and have a cut out. When you add your power cable and other accessories in the pockets, it tends to pull the bag forward and items can fall out.

Comment on this review

Oct

2009

(2 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

I still dig it.

By leeburg

from Juneau, AK

About Me Bargain Hunter

See all my reviews

Pros

Lots Of Pockets And Features
Rugged
Weatherproof

Cons

Not Weatherproof

Best Uses

Commuting
Heavy Duty Protection
Travel

Comments about Timbuk2 Commute 2.0 Messenger Bag - Medium:

I knew its flaws when I bought it, and bought it anyway. Namely, the non-weatherproof laptop sleeve(an odd design oversight), so you'll have to put the computer in the less-padded main compartment before you take it through any downpours. I also think the padded strap needs some more traction, as it slips off my shoulder. I'm gonna have to put some broccoli stem rubber bands on it or something. Otherwise, it's sturdy and its other features are working well for my purposes. Buyer beware about those downsides though.

Comment on this review

Oct

2009

(0 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

You can commute to Timbuk2 with this bag

By Chicagoland Jason

from Chicagoland, IL

About Me High-End Shopper, Stylish

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable Strap
Good Protection
Lots Of Pockets And Features
Rugged
Weatherproof
Well Designed

Cons

Only one side pocket

Best Uses

Commuting
Light Protection
The cubicle grind
Travel

Comments about Timbuk2 Commute 2.0 Messenger Bag - Medium:

This is a fantastic bag and a nice upgrade from the non 2.0 version. The TSA compliant flip open pouch for the laptop is really slick; I'm looking forward to blowing through security. It's hard enough juggling your shoes, belt, keys, passport etc. Pulling my laptop out is the last thing I want to deal with.

This bag is very stylish as you would expect from Timbuk2. It has tons of storage and is, overall, very thoughtfully designed. The only con compared to the previous generation is the loss of one of the side pockets on the bag.

I highly recommend this bag!

Comment on this review

Oct

2009

(24 of 24 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Poor waterproofing design

By Kelly H

from Austin, TX

About Me Bargain Hunter, Practical

See all my reviews

Pros

Lots Of Pockets And Features
Rugged
Weatherproof

Cons

Not Weatherproof

Best Uses

Commuting
Light Protection

Comments about Timbuk2 Commute 2.0 Messenger Bag - Medium:

I just took this bag out on its first major rain test, hauling gear to ACL (Austin City Limits) in a downpour. Everything in the main compartment stayed nice and dry, but the separate computer section got soaked (fortunately there wasn't a computer in it at the time). Seriously, they didn't waterproof the section that's most likely to contain the least-waterproof items? Poor design choice, that. I am a bike commuter, so when it looks like rain I wrap my computer in a grocery bag or two before loading it to keep it dry. This is completely ridiculous for a bag that costs as much as this one did (even on sale).

This makes me sad, since the pockets are plentiful and nicely thought-out, the main compartment is delightfully weatherproof (bike + big rainstorms/hail, you get to know this pretty quick), and there are handy features for those who use a bike to get around (reflective straps, padded shoulder strap, a loop for your rear light). On the whole, though, I wouldn't buy this bag again, and am considering returning it, due to the lack of weatherproofing where it counts.

Comment on this review

Sep

2009

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

Nice bag but may not be waterproof

By Still looking for a laptop bag

from Twin Cities, MN

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable Strap
Lots Of Pockets And Features

Cons

Insufficient Padding
Not Weatherproof

Best Uses

Light Protection
Travel

Comments about Timbuk2 Commute 2.0 Messenger Bag - Medium:

While the whole bag is heavy duty nylon and the top has a huge flap, the laptop compartment is on the back/outside of the bag. The zipper is exposed to the elements and does not appear to be waterproofed, so I worry that the computer will get wet if I use the bag in the rain or snow. I would much rather hassle with getting the computer out for airline check in and have the computer safely in the water resistant compartment. The bag seems well built but I wish it had more padding in the laptop compartment. There is a thin layer of foam padding on the back of the bag but none on the bottom and edges. The zippers provide what little protection there is on the edges. The sleeve on the back of the bag is not wide enough to put it over the handle of one of the roll aboard suitcases that I own and the fit is too tight to slip over the handle of the other bag. The bottom of the bag is some sort of heavy duty plastic that appears to be water resistant, but it is not padded. I like to carry a camera, MP3 player and other stuff in the main compartment, so I would have liked a padded bottom. I really wish I could have bought the older generation with the laptop stored inside the flap. For me there is not enough value in the easy airline check in feature to outweigh the disadvantages that the design changes created.