Top 5 | Best Messenger Bag

On the go throughout the day but still want convenient access to your gear? A messenger bag can be your best friend, keeping items tidy and accessible when you need them but secure and out of the way when it’s time to get going. Our Best Active Messenger finalists all offer effective comfort, access, and organization, with distinct features that make them well suited to a range of active needs, whether you’re zipping down the streets on your daily commute or trekking around the city with your camera in tow. But which one goes that extra mile and truly deserves to be category champ? Cast your vote below…

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Waterfield Vitesse Musette Plus

Who It Suits

Those looking for a classic style messenger, free of technical materials with an aesthetic that will last for lifetimes. You prefer simpler bags that are easy to use, without straps and pockets abound.

Features and Practical Use

The Waterfield Vitesse Musette Plus is just as stylish as it is functional. It blends in with your daily life without being fussy, and it’s a joy to use. The waxed canvas and full-grain leather accents give it a premium feel for such a simple bag and also adds a sense of durability – you could drag this thing in the dirt for miles.

The spacious interior has a laptop sleeve on the back wall that can accommodate up to standard 16” laptops, and there are two hand-sized pockets on the front wall. That’s it, and that’s all it needs. Bring your own pouches and other organizers, which is exactly the way many of us like it. That front flap to the main interior is adorned with a metal climbing style buckle, which looks great in the flat black. The strap is wide and comfortable, and easily adjustable. There’s an available stabilizer strap for the cyclists out there, but it is optional.

The Waterfield Vitesse Musette Plus is perfect for basically any use, except maybe for the photographers out there. The high quality materials, spacious, simple interior, and stylish design make it a great choice for anyone looking for that classic style in their commute

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STRENGTHS

• Classic, stylish aesthetic
• Rugged, high quality materials
• Imbues the art of simplicity

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Boundary Rennen Shoulder Bag

Who It Suits

You love technical materials and more modern designs. You tend to keep up on the latest trends and like to carry the latest gear. You’ve also got tech to carry, and you need to keep it organized. A quick business trip is also not out of the question.

Features and Practical Use

The Boundary Supply Rennen Shoulder bag is a modern approach to the classic musette. It’s unassuming yet delivers a laundry list of features. The custom-made X-Pac keeps it weatherproof and gives it a unique accent, especially on the interior. This bag is fully at home in urban environments and is easily adaptable from active commutes right to the office.

The Rennen Shoulder Bag brings a lot to the table, and you’ll discover more the longer you toy with it. Running down the list; a sunglasses pocket, many other internal pockets in both the front compartment and main compartment, a buckle-and-velcro flap main compartment with a 13” laptop sleeve, a 32oz water bottle sleeve that stays out of the way when not in use, a rear snap closure sleeve which doubles as a luggage pass through, and many other small (and large) touches. The bottom of the bag is padded, so you could realistically keep plenty of other tech in here, including cameras.

If you invest into the rest of the Rennen collection, the Shoulder bag docks to the Tote and Daypack for a nice travel setup. Even on its own the Rennen Shoulder Bag is a worthy choice for urban commuters and jetsetters alike.

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STRENGTHS

• Modern design and clean lines
• Waterproof, technical materials
• Thoughtful, generous feature set

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Briefing Freighter T-Shoulder

Who It Suits

You’re a minimalist that likes a rugged, military-esque appearance that will stand the test of time. You don’t want to stand out but you still want to carry a statement piece. Maybe you don’t carry a lot, but what you carry matters.

Features and Practical Use

The Briefing Freighter T-Shoulder Bag takes the brand’s Japanese design ethos and twists it into something heavily inspired by classic US military look and feel. It’s not too simple, yet not so full of bells and whistles you don’t know what to do with them. It’s a great bag for city schlepping the essentials and some small tech. The 500D body will keep it in your collection for many years to come.

The iconic Briefing black and red webbing adorns the front body panel, sitting right below a pocket that’s easily accessible without undoing the buckles of the flap. Above that is another pocket, just more secure underneath the front closure. Once inside, the world is your oyster save two slip pockets, great for a notebook or small pouches. The standout feature of this bag, if we had to choose, is the offset gusset at the base. While the bag seems flat at first glance, the right side of the T-Shoulder Bag has a generous side panel gusset, which makes the base of the bag sort of a triangle. This means you can fit quite a bit more in here than you’d think.

The Briefing Freighter T-Shoulder Bag is a timeless piece, as shown by the consistent look and feel of Briefing bags over the years. It’s a bag that can move from activity to activity with ease; from a night on the town to active pursuits.

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STRENGTHS

• Iconinc, timeless design
• Rugged, reinforced 500D nylon
• Gusseted, yet unobtrusive base

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ORBITGear R231-ADV MK23 “FOXHOUND”

Who It Suits

Techwear ninjas and streetwear aficionados already know and love the R series of messengers from ORBITGear, and maybe that’s you. Maybe you’re just interested in a highly stylized, technical material carry. You also either tend to carry a lot, or may even just like some extra space depending on how your day goes. 

Features and Practical Use

Of all the bags here this year, it carries the most like a traditional messenger – up high on your back – thanks to the super comfy and fine tuned padded shoulder strap. It’s much less “strappy” than older ORBIT straps, which I think is a great direction. This thing has 8 pockets, officially, but I’ve found that a bit conservative since there’s another opening or sleeve every which way you turn the bag. The padded, suspended laptop sleeve fits a 16” laptop with room to spare and even has room for a 12” tablet in front of that. To make access even easier, there’s an AquaGuard zipper on the back side of the bag to access your tech.

There’s really no mistaking an ORBITGear bag, and the FOXHOUND is no different. It’s a testament to the ingenuity of their designers and their ability to adapt. The R231-ADV MK23 is a stellar option for bike messengers and urban explorers alike.

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STRENGTHS

• Stylish, maximalist design
• Waterproof materials and high-end hardware
• Pockets everywhere

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Bedouin Foundry Poacher

Who It Suits

If you like old school cool, heritage materials and refined looks, the Poacher will become a firm favourite quickly. The Poacher is a wonderful array of cotton drill, leather, cobra buckles, and netting. It takes cues from fishing, poaching, and game bags of yesteryear, but it’s more suited to modern life, although it could certainly do the dirty jobs in a pinch!

Features and Practical Use

The Poacher is a stunning piece of carry. There is a beautiful leather chevron on the lid that guides you to the Cobra closure, which is easily used with one hand. We really like single closures on smaller bags and we’re glad to see that here. On the rear, you have an indulgent veg tan leather that makes up the whole back panel. This is subtly printed with the Bedouin stamp at the bottom, and there is also a stitched in slip pocket.

Bedouin Foundry do an excellent job of marrying heritage styles with modern touches, and that is apparent on the Poacher. Internally you have their signature rebellious crank pattern printed on the liner. There are technically three pockets/sleeves in the Poacher and they live in a 1:2 orientation. One larger full width sleeve at the back, and then two smaller slips on the front of that. The Poacher gives you just more than a sling without the need to bring a full backpack. The 12L size (we make it 13/14 when you include the netting) is enough to be genuinely useful, but also small enough to stay out of the way. One of the features we love about the Poacher in use is how it carries so well in different situations. It can be worn on your back for walking around or rambling, and quickly swing to the side to gain access.

When we talk about soft goods, I’m definitely team ‘buy it nice or buy it twice’. I’m drawn to items that tell a story and will continue to tell one the more they are used. The Poacher ticks those boxes with its vintage background, best in class materials, and modern touches. The Poacher has continued to impress me each time I’ve used it, and it is now the one that hangs over the bannister at the bottom of my stairs ready for duty at any given moment. They say the best bag is the one you have with you. I almost agree, but I think it’s more the one you want to take with you. For EDC and lighter carry – I want to take the Poacher.

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STRENGTHS

• Handmade in England
• Heritage Materials & Heirloom Worthy
• Versatility and Goldilocks Size

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VOTING CLOSES [APRIL 20TH]