I’ve been a long-time user of messenger bags, ever since I was a bike courier here in San Francisco in the mid-1990s. I’ve been though a few of them, including an original Zo bag, but one of the best I’ve used is the Large Messenger Bag from Incase.
Note: It’s Bag Week on CultofMac.com. We’re checking out some of the latest and greatest bags on the market. Read all the bag reviews here.
Best known for iPhone and iPod accessories, I didn’t have very high expectations for Incase’s $119.95 Large Messenger Bag. Frankly, I expected a me-too product.
But I’ve been using it for months, and it’s become my favorite biking bag. It’s plenty roomy if you have to carry a bunch of stuff; there are pockets galore for all my junk; and it has a great strap system that doesn’t slip and is quick to adjust.
Best of all, it’s not one of the hipster bags of choice that are everywhere here in SF. (I won’t mention the brand because they are great bags. But all the kids have them, and I’m too old to pretend to be hip).
The Incase Messenger is barely branded at all. There’s just one small Incase stamp on the flap. It’s hard to spot close up and all but invisible from a few feet away. As someone who hates branded clothing, I like its anonymity.
Strong, Stylish, Functional
At $120, the Incase Large Messenger is at the lower end of the price scale for quality messenger bags. Incase also sells a Small Messenger Bag ($79.95) for the 13-inch MacBook Pro; and a Medium Messenger Bag ($99.95) for the 15-inch MacBook Pro.
Made of water-resistant black nylon, it has a large flap secured by Velcro and a pair of buckles. Inside, there’s a padded computer compartment with a faux-fur lining and Velcro lid.
This is a big messenger bag. Designed to accommodate a 17-inch MacBook Pro, there’s plenty of room for MacBook, charger, DSLR camera, shoes, clothing, magazines and books. This all weighs a ton, of course, but loosen the strap, throw it on your back, and you can almost forget it’s there until you hit a hill.
There’s a ton of pockets, inside and out. Some zippered, some Velcro, and a couple that are fur-lined for storing items that are easily scratched, like iPods and sunglasses.
Easy-Adjust Strap
The padded shoulder strap has a big plastic buckle that’s easy to adjust for tightness. The strap works well with the removable stabilizer strap: the bag hasn’t slipped yet. I’ve always had problems with messenger bags moving around when on the bike, and this is the only one that stays put.
Finally, it has a handy nylon carrying handle that’s good for grabbing the bag from the back of a cab.
The only complaint is that the padding for the laptop sleeve is a bit skimpy. But if it were thicker, I’d probably be complaining about the extra bulk.
Overall, this is a very durable bag that looks like it’ll last a long time. I’ve been using it for months and there’s no sign of wear except for a few grubby smudges on the furry interior. It’s simple, stylish and functional.
Highly recommended.
Specs
Dimensions: 17″ x 12.5″ x 9″
Designed for: 17″ MacBook Pro.
Leander Kahney is the editor and publisher of Cult of Mac.
Leander is a longtime technology reporter and the author of six acclaimed books about Apple, including two New York Times bestsellers: Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products and Inside Steve’s Brain, a biography of Steve Jobs.
He’s also written a top-selling biography of Apple CEO Tim Cook and authored Cult of Mac and Cult of iPod, which both won prestigious design awards. Most recently, he was co-author of Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition.
Leander has been reporting about Apple and technology for nearly 30 years.
Before founding Cult of Mac as an independent publication, Leander was news editor at Wired.com, where he was responsible for the day-to-day running of the Wired.com website. He headed up a team of six section editors, a dozen reporters and a large pool of freelancers. Together the team produced a daily digest of stories about the impact of science and technology, and won several awards, including several Webby Awards, 2X Knight-Batten Awards for Innovation in Journalism and the 2010 MIN (Magazine Industry Newsletter) award for best blog, among others.
Before being promoted to news editor, Leander was Wired.com’s senior reporter, primarily covering Apple. During that time, Leander published a ton of scoops, including the first in-depth report about the development of the iPod. Leander attended almost every keynote speech and special product launch presented by Steve Jobs, including the historic launches of the iPhone and iPad. He also reported from almost every Macworld Expo in the late ’90s and early ‘2000s, including, sadly, the last shows in Boston, San Francisco and Tokyo. His reporting for Wired.com formed the basis of the first Cult of Mac book, and subsequently this website.
Before joining Wired, Leander was a senior reporter at the legendary MacWeek, the storied and long-running weekly that documented Apple and its community in the 1980s and ’90s.
Leander has written for Wired magazine (including the Issue 16.04 cover story about Steve Jobs’ leadership at Apple, entitled Evil/Genius), Scientific American, The Guardian, The Observer, The San Francisco Chronicle and many other publications.
Leander is an expert on:
Apple and Apple history
Steve Jobs, Jony Ive, Tim Cook and Apple leadership
Apple community
iPhone and iOS
iPad and iPadOS
Mac and macOS
Apple Watch and watchOS
Apple TV and tvOS
AirPods
Leander has a postgrad diploma in artificial intelligence from the University of Aberdeen, and a BSc (Hons) in experimental psychology from the University of Sussex.
He has a diploma in journalism from the UK’s National Council for the Training of Journalists.
Leander lives in San Francisco, California, and is married with four children. He’s an avid biker and has ridden in many long-distance bike events, including California’s legendary Death Ride.
You can find out more about Leander on LinkedIn and Facebook. You can follow him on X at @lkahney or Instagram.
