For the second time, I have bought a small Timbuk2 courier bag for daily use. My last custom built Timbuk2 survived 3 years of daily use in many conditions, and I expect the new one to last even longer. Hand-built in San Francisco to order, they do not seem to suffer from any build quality issues. My last one only had to be retired because the primary fabric I chose for it was more fancy that durable, but at 3 years I think it did pretty well. I have several other Timbuk2 bags for riding and for my laptop, but I generally prefer a small one for daily use. Carrying my street camera, iPad, a light jacket, snacks and sunglasses, I generally feel ready for pretty much any daily situation.
Why a courier bag? Some of us are too hot to always wear jackets, too moderate or fashionable to always wear large pocket combat-style cargos, and not willing to carry everything in hand all the time. Actually, the main reason I switched to courier bags is that they are easy to commute with, whether on a train, a bus, on foot or on a bicycle. They are pretty useful.
Well, here’s hoping that the new bag holds on for at least as long as the old one!