I've been carrying an extra small Timbuk2 Classic Messenger bag for the last couple of years, and aside from a couple of minor gripes I absolutely love it. It's the only bag I trust to keep all of my stuff safe from weather; I walk to work and have occasionally been caught in torrential downpours, but while my clothing might have been soaked through in a few seconds everything inside the bag was kept completely dry by the TPU liner and folded flap design. I usually carry my mirrorless camera in this bag with a camera insert as a result of trusting it to be weatherproof, I use a larger sling-style camera bag/purse on occasion but only when I'm sure I will not be caught in the rain.
The Timbuk2 bag is starting to show a little wear and I intended to replace it with the next larger size, but the increase between the XS and S sizes are too large to be practical for me. As I use this for an everyday purse, I would like a bag slightly larger than the XS to be able to accommodate my camera and other items a little more comfortably, but a 16" wide messenger bag would be too large to pass off as a purse. If I can't find a better option I will end up getting another XS Timbuk2 Classic, but I'm hoping to find a bag that meets these specifications:
- Roughly 12"-14" wide, 10" tall, 6" deep. My current Timbuk2 bag is about 12" wide at the top, and I'm looking for something this size or larger at the bottom of the bag but smaller than the 16" wide next-smallest Timbuk2 option. The height isn't critical, but the depth has to be a minimum of 5" to accommodate a camera insert.
- As durable and weatherproof as the TPU-lined Timbuk2 Classic. Being able to withstand torrential rain for fifteen minutes or so is essential.
- <$250 price
- Preferably without velcro closures or dangling straps to secure the main compartment. My main gripes with the Timbuk2 bag are the velcro (which makes opening the bag silently impossible while the velcro works, then fails to secure the flap when the velcro wears out) and the dangling straps of the side-release buckles (which slap against the bottom of the bag when I walk).
I found the Peak Design 13" Everyday Messenger and the Freitag F42 Surfside browsing through another BIFL messenger bag post, and both appear to be weatherproof and large enough to accommodate what I need to carry, though they might be a little larger than I would like. While I continue to search I thought I would specifically ask about small weatherproof messenger bags, as most of the recommendations I see elsewhere are for laptop-size bags.
Edit: Updating this as I go, I've also come across the Tenba DNA 11 Bag which looks to be closer to the size I want and, at first glance, is pretty darn close to what I'm looking for. I'd prefer a material more waterproof than water repellent instead of relying on a removable rain cover, but the size is closer to what I'd feel comfortable carrying.
Submitted January 07, 2017 at 08:19PM by blue_arrow_comment http://ift.tt/2joYbik
