Rothco Classic Canvas Messenger Bag

I bought this bag will in college, and though my expectations weren't high, it has surpassed them. I have been carrying it nearly everyday, for almost two years now--first lugging books and a 13in Macbook Pro around campus, and then lugging stuff to my office or around my small town. CONSTRUCTION: Very good. The canvas is heavy duty, but not stiff. The seams and hardware are all holding up incredibly well. I've not had a single problem with it. Some of the edges are starting to fray a little bit, but nothing major at all. One minor flaw: The velcro closure method is pretty much worthless, so it won't stay closed. This isn't a problem for me. Overall, it is holding up incredibly well. USE: I carry a 13in MBP (often in an incase briefcase. Sometimes I'll carry the laptop without a sleeve, but it is unprotected. The main compartment is incredibly large. It can fit at least a 15in laptop, all the laptop peripheries, an ipad in sleeve, a textbook or two, with a little extra room. There is one small zippered inside pocket that works well for pens, cell phone charger, keys, etc. I have started to carry a small mesh bag for other accessories. The two front pockets are my favorite aspect of the bag. I use it for storing all kinds of handheld items. I keep a bible, moleskin, and Kindle in one pocket, and books and other junk in the other. The side pockets fit my 32oz Nalgene water bottle, or a coffee mug perfectly. Sometimes I'll clip my water bottle to the hardware using a caribiner. Works great. Stuffed full, the bag isn't super comfortable to carry. With a laptop, its manageable. With some books, water bottle, and iPad, it's really comfortable. For the price, the bag can't be beat. I'll probably be able to get at least another year out of it, if not more. I am, however, looking at getting a new leather briefcase bag for durability and professional reasons. The canvas just isn't the best looking thing around--but it works for me. Not sure when I'll jump to a leather bag, because this bag serves me so well. Read more

Very solid bag. As other reviewers have mentioned, it is a bit bigger than it appears. It's normal size for a messenger bag, which doesn't come across well in the photographs. This, however, isn't a complaint. I made the purchase hoping those observations were correct and am quite pleased with the result. So far it seems very durable and functional. Stitching seems tight and doesn't appear to have any plans to come undone. Shoulder strap seems to have a death grip on the bag, so I doubt it'll be coming loose any time soon. Adjustment buckle works smoothly yet doesn't budge an inch when I'm carrying the bag. I purchased this bag, along with an insert, to use as a camera bag. It's given me no reason to feel anything less than confident in its ability to carry my photography gear safely. It's rugged, durable, and sturdy. And for the price I almost feel like I ripped someone off for this bag. My only concern is that the closure for the flap is Velcro. Velcro, as we all know, wears out with constant use. So, going in and out of my bag for lenses and whatnot will at some point render the closure ineffective. But, on one hand, I wonder "will that even matter?" The flap will still cover my gear, which is all that really matters. On the other I feel there's a possibility I'll be willing to spend a couple bucks to have the Velcro replaced because I like the bag that much. Of course, this is likely to be several years down the road. Other than that, I found a few slight, barely-noticeable, imperfections in the material itself. My point here isn't to nitpick the bag, though. My point is that for me to find anything else wrong, I HAVE to nitpick. The bag arrived as ordered, and on the second day of the delivery window, so I'm quite happy with the experience as a whole. Read more

The main reason for me buying this bag was because I had recently gotten an internship in NYC and needed a messenger bag to carry my MacBook Air around from Long Island to NYC (just a train ride away). My commute isn't that bad as my office is about a block or two from the train station. But, one day while I was running an errand for my office and had to travel to another company (20 blocks away), on my way back one of the straps broke. I had read reviews of the straps being weak, and after it lasted over two months, I thought it was just bogus. But then - it happened to me. Imagine someone trying to carry a laptop in NYC within their messenger bag and then suddenly the straps break. What's worse, is that it broke inside the office building, so going down an elevator then trying to catch a subway afterwards and walking back to my other office took a lot of maneuvering to try and not lose anything within my bag. I do really like the bag overall, though, besides that one small "flock" I guess you can say. I ended up patching the bag up with a key ring keychain (one of those heavy duty ones people put their keys on) and it's fine now and I still use it daily. The bag overall is huge, can carry a lot, and can fit lunchboxes, lunches, waterbottles, gatorade, etc. in it. The front pockets are amazing for smaller items such as lotions, hand sanitizer, or even just penmenship type things. The inside flap (zippered) is pretty cool, too. You can put smaller things of importance in there such as your wallet or keys if you don't want anything to potentially slip out while you're walking (I'm anal when I have an open flapped bag that's just held by velcro). Even though one of the straps broke on me, I still give the bag four stars. I guess just try not to overstuff it (the day it broke I had put a hoodie in it), so that's potentially why it came apart, maybe. Even still - I'd recommend this to my friends / family. You really can't beat it for the price. One of the only suggestions I'd say is carry something to potentially patch a broken strap with you (maybe keep it in your bag at all times), just in case it comes loose/breaks while you're walking somewhere. Read more