Comments about Patagonia MiniMass Messenger Bag:

Traveling to conferences, tradeshows, and conventions, I needed a bag to stow my 12.5" sleeved laptop (Lenovo x230) as a airplane carryon bag. Then during the conference and tradeshow, it was used to store handouts. However I didn't want to walk around with a ginormous (gigantic and enormous) bag all day.

I found this bag in the store and it was perfect! There are a good number of interior pockets and slots for pens, business cards, headphones, batteries, digital voice recorder, etc. The unpadded main compartment is nicely sized. The flap adds security and the exterior pockets are great for frequently used items like lipbalm, boarding passes, magazines, or maps. There is a lashing point and an exterior water bottle pocket.

The two minor annoyances: lack of a shoulder pad and the shoulder strap may need to be untwisted when picked up because it is sewn-in instead of clipped. I use a handy timbuk2 shoulder pad which is just fine. The twisting part doesn't bother me.

I spent a ton of time looking for bags, this one meet all my needs. Love it!

Comments about Patagonia MiniMass Messenger Bag:

I have been so happy with this bag since purchasing it. I was looking for a small messenger style bag I could use in lieu of a purse to hold purse type items as well as a mini ipad, plus accommodate miscellaneous items one picks up during the day. This bag has worked flawlessly. I appreciate the plastic clip style fasteners rather than noisy velcro, and the flap is well designed so that the main compartment is protected when it rains - very important in the Northwest! While the design is somewhat minimalist, the few compartments are perfectly organized. I also appreciate that the backside is slightly padded for when I am carrying a kindle or ipad. I would imagine this would also be perfect for travel, although since the interior does not zip below the flap, I would secure both buckles as slight pickpocket deterrence. This is not the bag to weigh down with the kitchen sink since it is a mini messenger, but it seems to hold just the right amount for the lightweight traveler or daily user. Highly recommend!

Comments about Patagonia MiniMass Messenger Bag:

I use this bag daily. It holds my electronic items, books, kindle, water, snacks and other small items that we women can't seem to do without.

Comments about Patagonia MiniMass Messenger Bag:

I bought this as an everyday bag to organize everything I need for school and work. I can bring a change of clothes and everything else I need for the days I work in the hospital. My 13 inch Macbook Pro fits inside if I don't have much else, but I would not buy if you are looking for the perfect laptop bag. My water bottle does not fit on the side but all of my coffee cups do. Good enough for me! I wish there were more zipped pockets on the inside but the once provided serve their function. This bag looks amazing and I would buy this again in a heartbeat.

Comments about Patagonia MiniMass Messenger Bag:

Love this bag for traveling. a nice size for a sandwich, tablet, a fleece or shell and electronic cordage or gadgets. also totes a 16 oz drink easily in web pouch.

Comments about Patagonia MiniMass Messenger Bag:

I'm using this for my Google Chromebook (11.6"), Nexus 7 tablet, and Canon EOS DSLR. It holds all three, along with a lens or two, perfectly. Room for some small accessories. The bag looks great, feels great, and seems VERY well made.

Comments about Patagonia MiniMass Messenger Bag:

This a great compact messanger bag that can suprisingly fit a lot of things in it. I work as an emergency room nurse and it's great for commuting to work. It fits all of my work equipement that I might need during a shift. I love the pocket which is also great for holding a papers and reading material (also with hold a tablet). My complaint is that I wish that it had some other type of closure for the bag flap such as velcro or maybe a zipper to keep the main compartment closed. I didn't have the straps clipped and I had to stop suddenly in my car and the and it's contents went everywhere.

Comments about Patagonia MiniMass Messenger Bag:

I bought this bag to use as an everyday bag because I don't like "gal-bags" (i.e. purses). I carry it all the time--to work (with iPad and Netbook--fits both), to school (I teach at a university), to the gym (I carry a paperback to read on the treadmill), and to travel (I teach annually in Mexico). This bag is exceptionally well-designed, roomy, and very gender-neutral, which compliments my feminist spirit. The strap is easily adjusted so the bag can be worn cross-body or over the shoulder. Really, this bag is fabulous, and I highly recommend it.

Comments about Patagonia MiniMass Messenger Bag:

I bought this bag to use as my personal bag for air travel. It perfectly accommodates all of my usual travel gear with plenty of room to spare – boarding passes, iPhone, wallet, sunglasses, keys, iPad with travel pouch, Apple charger, thumb drive, travel headphones with case, small makeup pouch, water bottle, and a snack or two. I've also used it as a day bag when I didn't need my electronic gadgets but did need to carry a light jacket and have a little room for souvenirs.

Like all things Patagonia, it's extremely well made with durable fabric and stitching. I paid full price for it at REI but I would have paid more. Considering that, I think it's an outstanding value.

The shoulder strap is quite comfortable, even when I have the bag loaded with all my gear. Another reviewer commented that the strap is a "weird greenish color." To be clear, both the shoulder strap and the grab handle on the top of the bag are dark gray, although they do have a slight greenish tinge in the right light. It doesn't bother me, but maybe that's because I bought the green bag. The grab handle on the top of the bag is padded and rounded along the edges to make it very comfortable to grab and lift when you're ready to put the bag on or take it off. I especially like that it's still usable even when the front flap isn't buckled down, as mine rarely is.

I use the outside pocket on the front flap for boarding passes. The water bottle pocket perfectly accommodates my Sigg 0.6 L water bottle. I wear the bag cross-body over my left shoulder, and I like that my water bottle is easy to grab with my right hand in that position. I use the zippered pocket on the inside back panel for my Apple charger, cord, and thumb drive, but it would also be useful for change or gum or business cards or receipts, etc. There are three pockets on the inside front panel, two of which are held closed by small strips of Velcro. (I hate Velcro, so the fact that there is very little of it on this bag pleases me immensely). The mesh pocket includes a key hook. I hook my sunglasses bag to the key hook so that I don't lose it, and I slide my sunglasses into the bag and tuck the whole package into that pocket when they're not on my head. The other two pockets are perfectly sized to fit my iPhone and wallet. I suppose the drop pocket on the inside side panel might be useful for a very small travel umbrella, but I haven't used it. My larger items ride in the bag's main compartment.

Incidentally, I have tried to carry my 13-inch Macbook Pro in it. It's doable, but it's clear that the bag wasn't really designed to carry anything larger than a tablet or eReader.

I'm 5'5, 115 pounds, and I really like that the bag doesn't feel huge against my body like other messenger style bags that I've tried. It's really the perfect size – not so small that it's bursting and misshapen when it's packed, but not so large that it's an inconvenient abyss when you don't need to carry so much. I've always used a backpack when traveling and wanted to try something different. Compared to using a backpack, I like that I can just flip it open while wearing it and grab whatever I need instead of having to take the bag off, unzip it, then dig. It's stylish, practical, well designed, and well made. I highly recommend.

Comments about Patagonia MiniMass Messenger Bag:

Great bag. I wasn't looking for a large messenger bag. Patagonia has a nice group of sizes. I was just looking for a quick day bag. Something to throw in an iPad, chargers, and a couple of other small items.

This bag fit the bill perfectly. Lightweight but high quality materials. I thought I would miss a shoulder pad for the strap, but I didn't. The strap really is like a seatbelt and was very comfortable.

The only negative was the color scheme. Online, if you look at this year and previous years, the straps all look black in the pictures. They're not. It's this weird greenish color. It may match a green color bag, but I'm not positive. It's not horrible, but it's not particularly attractive either. What this means is a bag like the grey colored one ends up being 3 colors, with grey being the primary color, and pink for the zipper accent, but this weird greenish color for all the straps. The problem is, the plastic buckles are black, so I guess it's more like 4 colors. It just clashes.

I checked other colors at a physical REI store. They had the last year's colors on sale too. They all had the weird green straps too. On what would normally be attractive colors like the pink or bright green, it just looks... off. Especially with the black plastic buckles.

So, check it out in a store first before ordering online to see if the weird green bothers you. I really like the bag so I'm not returning it, but I don't totally love it because I almost feel lied to with the pictures of this bag.