I chose this bag because it’s a bit smaller than the other ones I tested this week and it could be good for a younger person or a svelte, slim lady/man about town. It is a fairly standard backpack but is nicely outfitted with a number of useful features including, but not limited to, a bottle opener, a side zipper to access your laptop, a bottle opener, and a bottle opener.

I’m starting to love bags with bottle openers.

Style
Made of rip-stop nylon, the Swig is a handsome, weatherproof backpack that comes in multiple colors. At $89 it’s a bit pricey but it’s a solid bag and did I mention it had a bottle opener on it? It comes in multiple bold colors.

Who is it for?
This bag is for smaller folks, to be sure. It’s a smaller backpack, on par with your standard Jansport, but the quality is higher and you have more padding and features (see “bottle opener”, ibid.). A standard laptop will fit into the laptop cosy and it has some excellent expandability for overnight items. Rather than say it’s “for girls,” I’ll say it’s smaller than I’d like.

Do you want it?
At $89, the Swig is a mid- to high-end alternative to the high-end standard bookbag. However, Timbuk2 is known for quality so I’m loath not to recommend it to students on the run or folks who just want to carry a laptop and a few other things. If you’re a big, round fellow like me, this is a bit small. Otherwise, give it a go.

Product Page

Don’t forget to check out the rest of our Bag Week 2011 reviews.

Today’s giveaway is pretty exciting. For your pleasure, we have a Timbuk2 D-Lux Racing Stripe Laptop Messenger bag, a $120 value, yours for the low, low price of free. Like the previous contest (won by a young man named Ryan Mense), this is a comment contest. Your goal this time is to tell us about how this bag will save/improve your life. That’s right: treat this bag like a DJ who did something for you last night.

Here’s a bit of info about the D-Lux, but darn it if it doesn’t look cool.

Timbuk2 incorporated user feedback into the D-Lux Messenger to create a laptop messenger that works with and without your machine. The racing stripe makes you go faster and the upgraded features mean safer, more comfortable portage for daily rides on and off the interweb. Features include a vastly improved cam buckle, side-entry Napoleon pocket, color-coordinated, three-zipper front organizer, and slim, studded laptop sleeve for your computer’s protection. The D-Lux is a machine for your machine.

Additionally, if you enter, consider friending me on Facebook so I can send you a message a bit more quickly. If there’s one negative to Facebook comments it’s our inability to directly contact you all if you win. Anyway, not mandatory, just helpful.

Good luck and look for our amazing grand prize later this week. Don’t forget to check out the rest of our Bag Week 2011 reviews.

UPDATE – The winner is Michael Zach.

Short version: The Snoop Camera Messenger Bag is clearly the result of a trendy Timbuk2 messenger bag and boring camera case joining together in beautiful harmony. This is their glorious offspring.

Features

• Camera bag disguised as a messenger bag
• Fully padded, removable camera insert
• Tripod straps on the bottom
• $130 MSRP
• Product Page

Pros

• Combines two winning form factors
• Sturdy construction
• Plenty of internal padding

Cons

• Deceivingly small

Review

Honestly, this form factor isn’t new. There are a good amount of camera messenger bags, but this happens to be Timbuk2′s first and offers all quirky style and advantages generally associated with the brand. But it’s just a camera messenger bag when it comes right down to it. That’s not a bad thing, though.

The bag’s primary compartment houses a removable padded camera compartment, complete with the standard-issue velcro dividers. The padding is sufficient, but the storage is a bit lacking. I could only fit my relatively small Nikon D40 DSLR with a lens attached, a speedlight, and another lens in this section. A larger DSLR would fit as well, but it would be a very tight fit with additional gear. There’s even perhaps room for an ultraportable notebook behind the camera compartment, but you have to sacrifice carrying camera gear for the notebook’s charger.

The bag’s small size is really the only potential downside. But perhaps you’re not carrying a Ritz Camera Store with you. It would be just fine then.

There’s a series of small pockets on the front of the bag under the main flap. There’s not much as way of compartmentalized organization, but these pockets are just fine for a wallet, keys, or extra memory cards.

Everything else is stellar. The construction is top notch. The material is tough but yet a bit classy. It’s a good bag as long as you do not require lots of storage room for your camera gear.

Short version: The Timbuk2 Extra Credit Messenger is a simple bag — simply awesome, that is! (You see what I did there? I know, I’m clever)

Features

• Convertible to a backpack
• Waterproof fabric
• “Hot to hack” customizable kit
• $65
• Product page

Pros

• Durable and well made
• Lot of style
• Lots of room

Cons

• No internal organizational pockets

Review

Do you need a bag with tons of storage for a low price? Timbuk2 has you covered with the Extra Credit Messenger, which is a slightly-modified version of the company’s classic Messenger 101. This pack is vertically identical internally, but the “extra credit” part is that it can be converted into a backpack. Fancy, eh?

All the necessary straps and such are hidden behind a false back and while the pack works fine in backpack mode, it isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world. Think of it as an emergency mode for bike riding or or when your shoulders can’t take it anymore.

Internally, the bag is really two pockets with one smaller one located just behind the front flap. This is your gadget compartment as the big partition doesn’t have any sort of organizational tools. Timbuk2 cleverly advertises this section as being able to hold 24 packs of Ramen noddles. Serisouly, the “feature” is listed on the bag’s retail tags. There is one small section on the back of the bag that’s designed to hold documents, and I suppose it could hold a notebook, but it’s not padded.

So really, my only gripe is lack of internal compartments, but the bag never once claimed to be anything different. It’s a classic messenger bag that’s perfect for books, binders, and all your other crap. The high-quality materials and construction makes it worth your time as long as you know going into it that there isn’t a pocket for every little gizmo and gadget. Besides, it’s only $65.

Check out the complete Bag Week Review Blitz: Back To School Edition coverage here.

Features:

• Designed for commuters
• TSA friendly
• Waterproofed and rubberized to keep out the weather
• Grab strap and shoulder strap
• Internal organizer keeps stuff sorted

Pros:

• Easy to get your laptop through security
• Waterproofing is the best I’ve seen
• Great price

Cons:

• Space can be a little tight when you add a power supply
• Rubberized bottom has an odd texture
• Laptop storage could use a little more padding

Timbuk2 (originally known as Scumbags) was founded in San Fransisco in 1989 by a former bicycle messenger. The creator’s background really shows in the construction of the bag. The finish and stitching is of the highest quality, and there is a definite sense of purpose about this bag. It is designed for someone who travels, and needs to move quickly through TSA checkpoints.

The Commute 2.0 has several standard messenger bag features that you’ve come to expect. The organizer panel, the water bottle holder, keyfob – all there. Where it gets a little more interesting is the commuter and TSA friendly stuff. There’s a pass through for your luggage handle, a pocket for your airline tickets, and the laptop pocket folds out and lays flat, which allows you to send the whole bag through the xray machine without taking the laptop out of the bag. I for one, love that feature. One thing that was a big odd was the rubberized bottom of the bag. To be honest, I see the necessity of having it for weatherized, but the texture is a bit strange at first. I’m sure if I’d been using the bag for more then a few weeks I’d get used to it, but it was a bit awkward at first.

The bag also comes in multiple sizes, so you can get one that fits your laptop, versus the typical “one size fits all.” The small will hold a standard 14-inch system, the medium holds a 16-inch, and the large works with a laptop up to 17 inches. The one they sent to us to review was the large, and it held the 17 inch laptop in the pocket with relative ease. The problem came from the power brick. The laptop side of things seemed to be designed for systems with smaller peripherals. The laptop I put in the bag was quite large, and so the brick made the bag bulge in a rather uncomfortable way. The padding around the laptop was also a little bit thinner then I’d like. I’m sure it works, and I acknowledge the need to trade padding thickness for size, but it just seemed a little thin to me.

For my dollar, the Commute 2.0 is an ideal messenger bag. It’ll hold your documents, magazines, cell phones, keys, chargers, and laptop with no problems. And you can’t beat the price. The medium will set you back $100, the large is $120, and the small is not currently listed for sale on the Timbuk2 website.

Product page

Sure, it might look like a messenger bag, but it’s really an ultra portable cooler. Just throw some ice and brews into the integrated drybag and no one will be the wiser at the church picnic. Too bad it costs $110.

Hey-o. Looking for a new computer bag? This Timbuk2 number is $60 off. It’s available in black or “moss” from REI for $39.83, down from $100.

These are popular bags so I’d not expect to see them last long at this price.

Timbuk2 Commute Computer Bag [REI] via dealnews

The Blogger appears to be a decent little bag, but to carry that name, I’d think it should be capable of carrying an SLR in addition to a laptop. What’s a blog without pictures, right? Right?!

Timbuk2 Blogger [via Uncrate]