End of 2008 i decided to get a new messenger bag and found Bagaboo on the net. Sympathic small company based in eastern europe. Founded by ex messenger Tamas they offered what most bag makers offer, but also really good prices and a great varity in possible options for the bag…

The contact was pretty helpful and friendly. Tamas is a nice guy and after some mails we had what i want.  I decided to get the standard messenger bag in medium size ( Price: 83 EUR / Size: 58/38/30/20cm, ca. 27 litres ).
Was curious to see the finished bag and less than two weeks later i had my custom bag, with custom colorway and some options.

First impression was pretty nice. Strong cordura outer and tarp inner, a padded back, 3 small pockets in the main compartment ( one of those with velcro ), one large and one small zipped pocket on the front, another small pocket for pens and stuff and a blinky light loop.

There are a lot more details, that make these bags pretty nice and unique. For example the reflective stripe on the bottom is a nice touch. Each bag is 100% handcrafted in Budapest.

Used it some month for daily commuting and some short trips over the weekend and still happy with it.

Sadly i’m a very thin guy and too much heavy loads make my back hurt and so i decided to keep my eyes peeled for a nice bike themed backpack. There are lots of those out there, but most of them look like spaceships and spandex. Not really what i’m looking for.
After some weeks i remembered that Mash was going to release a backpack. the price was much more than the Bagaboo, but quality has its price. Read a lot good things about SÄG bags and so i tried to get some information on that backpack. Took me some days to get some information on features and size, but i found some helpful pictures on flickr and a pretty nice review from Frank Liew aswell. After reading this i decided to give it a try.
Didn’t expected to be as stoked as i was in the first minutes i saw the bag in real life.
Totally blew me away. THIS is by far the best backpack my back has ever seen. So much stuff to find and so much details to discover.
To name only some features: padded laptop compartment, 3 ways to access the main compartment, a lot small (mesh) pockets, hidden pocket, removable and washable shoulder pads, cooler in the bottom, straps to hold a skateboard or larger stuff, this and much more in a really small looking backpack. even if its full it looks pretty slim and fits perfectly on the back. no problems to look back on the bike and well designed mesh shoulder pads to prevent a sweaty back.
If you look at this back closely you know why it took around 2 years to develop such a great piece. The guys from MASH and SÄG did a great job. I would def. buy it again… but i think it needs some years to destroy this thing. it’s bomb proof. the materials are strong and after 2 month commuting and a short vacation trip there are no visible signs of use.

I’m happy with my bags and i have one for every situation.
But i had the chance to get my hands on a nice Chrome Citizen, there is no need for it but the price was good and so i took the chance.
Chrome is a old player in the messenger bag biz and for me the DIY attitude is gone. Chrome is a comparatively large company with distributors world wide. But infact there is no reason for not checking them out. I got the Citizen and was amazed. Maybe a bit more as i were for the Bagaboo. But i think its because of the Chrome buckle. Impressive. To make it short. The bag is well-designed and perfect for daily use.
Someone could think those messenger bags are all the same, but that is not true. Comparing the Bagaboo and the Chrome reflects the differences. The look and feel is pretty similar, the materials on the bagaboo seem to be a bit thicker, but i think its because of the custom flap design. The Chrome bag is a bit heavier because of the buckle. The Chrome has some kind of flaps on each side of the main compartment to prevent it from water running in.
A huge difference is the way the shoulder strap is attached to the bag. The Chrome has a big pad sewn on one side of the back, so there is no slipping and sliding and heavy loads are still comfortable. The Bagaboo has a movable pad. This is good for changing the shoulder, but not really perfect for heavy loads. I had to adjust it many times and thought about sew it in place. Bagaboo offers a larger shoulder pad on their Workhorse Bag modell.

All in all it is still hard to find the perfect bag, but for my  personal taste i’m pretty close with my bags.
To make this article a bit more informative here are some pros and contras:

Bagaboo – Standard Messenger Bag

Pro:
- customizable
- good prices
- well-designed
- built to last
- a lot pockets to organise everything
- nice personal contact

Contra:
- shoulder pad
- shoulder strap construction

MASH x SÄG – Backpack

Pro:
- well-designed
- built to last
- a lot pockets to organzise everything
- shoulder straps (washable,..)
- details (boardcatcher, side access, padded laptop compartment
- sleek design

Contra:
- price tag (worth it, but def. to high)
- a removable waistbelt would be perfect

Chrome – Citizen

Pro:
- well-designed
- built to last
- shoulder pad
- shoulder strap construction (buckle!)

Contra:
- price tag (in comparision to the bagaboo)
- not so much inner pockets.
- not much reflectives.

I hope this article helps to find the right bag, if you have any questions regarding these bags or suggestions, feel free to drop a line.

Check out the following links for more information on bags and brands.

Bagaboo – www.bagaboo.hu

MASH – www.mashsf.com
SÄG – www.gaudi-sag.com

Chrome – www.chromebagsstore.com

Edit on 23rd of March 2010:
Here is a preview on a upcoming Messenger Bag Review featuring a VAGX Ultimate Masterpiece Messenger Bag.

Pictures:
All Bagaboo pictures are taken from their website. The copyrights belong to them.
MASH Backpack pictures taken from Frank Liews Blog think-silly.com.
All Chrome pictures taken from their website. The copyrights belong to them.