Lindsey N. from United States, MA Public Profile

I looking for a waterproof messenger bag for an average-sized woman. I wanted a bag with a padded laptop/tablet sleeve, and plenty of room for water bottle / lunch / essentials. And cool colors would be a bonus.

Voila!

This Black Hole Mini Messenger bag has plenty of padding, on the bottom and back, plus padded pockets for a small laptop or a large tablet, and a large smartphone. It's about 1/3 larger inside than the related Mini Messenger, and there's no external water bottle pocket in the Black Hole version. But you know what? The inside of the bag is so much roomier, I have plenty of room to put the water bottle inside, plus other stuff I need. Actually I like it better this way.

This bag also has a ton of velcro to secure the flap, in addition to the two buckles. Take this in mind if you *hate* the sound of hook-and-loop ripping apart every time you open the bag. It's great for keeping the bag closed when you rush out the door, though.

The red/orange color combo is great. I'm not fond of Patagonia's candy-colored palette for their smaller bags. But this bold red and bright orange appealed to me. I like high-viz on bags, I like red. So.

This is not a perfect bag of cycling - but it could work in a pinch. The strap is offset and highly adjustable. When the strap is tightened, the bag sits snug and diagonal across your back. Will this prevent the bag from creeping around your body? Probably not. There is no third chest strap to secure the bag in this position.