Timbuk2 Power Commute Laptop Messenger Bag Review

We must preface this by saying our testers are backpack people and have never been fans of messenger bags.

But still, there were a ton of features on Timbuk2’s Power Commute Laptop Messenger bag that our testers loved, and even the die-hard backpack loyalists thought the fit of the bag was much more comfortable than other messenger bags they’ve tried in the past.

Our testers used this bag while traveling both on road trips and long flights, for school or riding their bike to work.

We’ve all experienced a time when we’re super busy or traveling, and our phone or iPad runs out of juice. All the outlets at the gate are being hogged by college kids watching Netflix on their laptops so we resolve to just go off the grid for a couple of hours until we get to our destination and can charge our stuff.

Or we’re at a trade show, running around the show floor and our phone is slowly dying and we don’t have time to stop and juice it up.

Those weren’t scenarios our testers encountered while using this bag thanks to the included TI Joey power pack device that charges any device that works with anything charged via a USB port. The rechargable TI Joey, nicknamed simply “Joey” by our testers, charges iPhones, smartphones and iPads quickly, which comes in handy specifically at trade shows when you just need a quick power boost.

The organizational aspects of the Power Commute were excellent. The key tether came in handy for one scatterbrained tester who is well known for losing her keys, and the separate sections for pens, business cards and a phone came in handy at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market.

Complaints: The water bottle holder could stand to be a bit more stretchy. One tester was upset he couldn’t fit his “Epic Bottle” (simply and empty glass Santa Cruz Organic Lemonade bottle) in the bottle holder during long days at school.

One tester said the buckle on the adjustable strap never seemed to be in a comfortable spot and once while riding her bike to work, it dug into her back and shoulder the whole ride. The testers couldn’t fit a whole lot of school books in the bag and when both tried to overstuff them, it made getting the bag on quite the task, and took away from the comfort as they wrote it.

Again, none of our testers are necessarily fans of messenger bags, so for your customers who are like our testers, you can always point them to the Power Q Backpack (MSRP $199).

Commendations: The faux fur lining was great for iStuff and other gadgets as it was soft and there was no danger of scratching screens. The TSA-compliant laptop sleeve came in handy as we did a lot of air travel during test time.

The T1 Joey device was a definite favorite oftesters and was often something both would take out and use with purses or other backpacks – often fighting over who was going to use it that day.

SNEWS® Rating: 4 hands clapping (1 to 5 hands clapping possible, with 5 clapping hands representing functional and design perfection.)

MSRP: $199