My main frustration with satchel is the comfort. It kills my back to carry them around for too long. The only one I found good was the old Crumpler strap system. When the foam was built in and wrapped around the shoulder. They have changed it for a worse solution. This is when designers just want to design something new, and not for the health of the product. Satchel are a prime victim of this. Every brand do the same bag, but no one question if what they do is better.

There a lot to do in this area and I hope you will find one. If you do please post it on this blog and share your precious found.
H

We agree:
We reckon that the most under-utilised part to messengers is the sides. If you put a roundish object like a water bottle or power pack in the front of a messenger, it bulges out and wastes all the space beside the item. If it goes in a side pocket, you hardly notice its there.

And while we don’t really use maps anymore (thanks Mr Jobs), there’s not much other than maps or a magazine that suits the flap of a messenger.

Your options:
I can see why you haven’t yet bought that Timberland satchel. It looks a bit tech-ugly. Have you seen Patagonia’s Half Mass and Critical Mass messengers? With a side pocket and flap section, they might suit your pocketing brief: http://www.patagonia.com/web/eu/shop/luggage-shoulder-bags?k=1G-an

But they are still only single strap messengers, so I would not want to carry it for 8 hours. If you are after access on the go, with extended carry periods, the most innovative solution we have seen is from Decathlon. Excuse the terrible ad (Euro’s can be so stylish, and so not…), but check their Wed’ze Reverse One system in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5_Jrw_HlXU

It’s a really clever solution for giving backpacks the accessibility of messengers. While the packs are a little basic, the system is really clever: http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/reverse-one-brown-87987825/

Hope that helped with some ideas,
Ando

Speaking to the mesh/webbing pockets, I want
1. a sealable pocket on the flat outside surface to hold stuff like maps
2. at least one side pocket to hold wetware like a waterbottle or small umbrella.

One of the internal pockets should be appropriate for holding perishable/squashable content like fruit or treats for my dog.

The only one I’ve found close to requirements was a Timberland messenger bag at a store in Amsterdam. I hated the orangey-colour which stained very easily. I don’t have a picture of it, but just for reference, their current offering is http://tinyurl.com/timberlandmessenger

The intent is to use this as my main day bag and it may be carried for up to 8 hours at a time. I have an awful time trading off the load-balancing ability of a backpack vs the easy accessibility of a shoulder-mounted bag.

The disappointing thing is that trekking packs have been doing a great job of giving access on the go, so the baby brands just need to look over the fence.

The most complete system we’ve seen for access on the go is from a small Kiwi inventor called Aarn. He has a ‘bodypack’ system that tries to balance loads better between front and back. Really thorough supporting research from one of the world’s great carryologists: http://www.aarnpacks.com/

But seeings as he doesn’t make a baby carrier, you might be able to add a better waist belt with those feature on it. Stores like MEC and REI in Nth America have loads of clip on features like this belt: http://www.rei.com/product/762916 or these sort of holders: http://www.rei.com/product/799338

And then maybe we can submit a request to one of the trekking brands…

3D mesh is like MP3 portals on backpacks – it’s one of those things that almost every brand copies, despite the fact that they suck.

The best I’ve seen is on a Herman Miller Embody chair. They have a mesh that breathes yet is soft to the skin. It’s a knitted mesh over a perforated foam, and I wish some bag companies would copy it really soon!

Bellroy any chance of a kickarse baby transport bags for active mums?

Most bags have a 3D mesh that scratches bare skin really badly. I hate this! I live in Queensland, and wear my pack without a shirt on hot days, and that stuff nails me.
Can’t they invent something better? Even just wetsuit neoprene or something soft.