Lander Timp Messenger Bag Review

Being a member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, I visit quite often.

Admission to the Met Museum is usually $25 per person (it’s worth it), but with the membership, you can go as many times as you want during the year. Paying for the membership is a bit like a buffet; you’ve got to make your money’s worth. So with that, I’ve gone to the Met countless times. I like to think I’ve seen every exhibit in the over 2 million square foot building.

Among the many standard museum rules – don’t touch the art, don’t do anything stupid, etc. – the Met Museum has a no backpack rule, which they enforce rather strictly. The logic of the rule goes like this: some clumsy person might turn and knock over a priceless ancient Roman bust with their unwieldy backpack. While annoying, the no backpack rule makes sense, especially when considering the thousands of backpack-lugging tourists who visit every day.

Upon entering, visitors must check in their backpacks at the Met Museum’s coat check. There’s one drawback to this, though. You’re not allowed to check in bags containing electronics. I once tried checking in a backpack which had 3 laptops inside, and it didn’t go down too well with security to say the least.

So what if you want to carry your electronics, but don’t want to be restricted by carrying a backpack? You carry a messenger bag.

The Lander Timp Messenger Bag is an adventure-worthy bag designed for carrying electronics, like your laptop or tablet. Since it’s a messenger, it’s easy to keep a hold of, and won’t inadvertently hit ancient relics. Also, when walking through dodgy neighborhoods or when in crowded train cars, you’ll always have your electronics close to you and in sight – unlike with a backpack.

Here are some pros and cons of the Lander Timp Messenger Bag:

Pros:

• Water resistant – the outer material is coated and sheds water. It’s not waterproof, you won’t be able to dunk the bag in a swimming pool, but if you’re caught in the rain, your gear will be safe.
• Separate laptop compartment
• Lightweight
• Can be used for bike commuting, has two reflective strips
• Strap can be removed from the bag to be used like a briefcase
• Padded back
• Durable build
• Large main compartment can hold lots of notebooks or even bulky items like a bike helmet or jacket

Interior and Organization:

The interior of the Timp Messenger Bag’s main compartment has a red lining and a large sleeve for holding notebooks or documents. You could also put a tablet there. There are also a couple of standard pockets for putting your keys, phone and pens. Other than those pockets, the main compartment is a simple large space for putting anything you need for your day trip or travels.

At the back of the bag, the part which is closest to your body, is the padded laptop compartment. The compartment has a soft, fleecy red lining and can hold up to a 15 inch laptop. I’ve tested putting a 15 inch Macbook Pro in the compartment and it fit perfectly.

Cons:

• A bit too big in my opinion
• Messenger bag strap could be more padded

The Timp Messenger Bag is described as an ‘Outdoor Messenger Bag’. Is that an oxymoron?

Usually when I think ‘messenger bag’, I think of more urban settings. I will give Lander credit, though, they did a great job at making a technical, outdoorsy messenger bag. My only thought is, will anyone use a messenger bag in the outdoors? I feel that if you’re planning on spending a lot of time in the outdoors, a backpack would suit you better because of it’s better weight distribution (two shoulders instead of one). The good thing is, Lander makes a backpack. It’s just like the Timp messenger bag, but a backpack.

I wish the Lander Timp messenger bag were a bit smaller. I’m 5’9″ 130 lbs and when I hold it, the bag almost looks as large as my torso. It can be at times cumbersome, especially when fully loaded. Currently, the bag is large enough to hold a 15 inch laptop. Maybe Lander could create large and small versions.

The messenger bag strap on the Timp is similar to that of a car seat belt. Since this messenger bag is quite big and can get heavy when fully loaded, it’d be nice if the strap were more padded.

The Verdict:

The Lander Timp messenger bag has the pockets for all your electronics, while maintaining an outdoorsy look. The bag has a large capacity and can hold laptops up to 15 inches. It can be used for bike commuting, day trips or even your camera gear.

The Timp messenger bag costs retail $100 and can be found on Lander.com.

Also, be sure to check out Lander’s Timp Backpacks, which are like the messenger, but in backpack form. Another great option if you’re looking for a messenger bag is the Timbuk2 Classic Messenger Bag.

Where to Get It:

• You can find the Timp Messenger Bag on Lander.com

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment below.

The Lander Timp Messenger Bag was provided for this review. As always, this Lander Timp Messenger Bag review contains only my honest views and opinions. 🙂 Find out more about me and this site here.