OGIO Pagoda M Messenger  

"Great bag but I feel really misled with the mesh pocket for a drink. In the pictures and video there is what appears to be a large water bottle, similar to the one I use every day. Not a day has gone by where my water bottle hasn't fallen out when putting the bag on, or if I need to run a bit to catch the trolley or the pedestraian light. This is extremely annoying. One of the reasons I bought the bag is because I was led to believe I could trust this bag to secure my water bottle, while at the same time keeping it easily accessible."

"Overall, this is a very good bag that does exactly what I need (carry 2-4 textbooks, laptop & miscellaneous supplies to class each day). I have a 15" MacBook Pro that fits easily into the laptop pocket. I'm pretty sure that a 17" model would fit too. There is plenty of room for books and a jacket, and the strap is comfortable. That said, there is room for improvement, especially at this price point. 1) The drink holder needs to be taller & have a better means for gripping the container. The current design is only suited for .5 liter water bottles. Anything taller will probably fall out when you sling the bag over your shoulder (important since this is a messenger bag). 2) The straps and buckles that hold the flap closed are nearly impossible to keep cinched tight. The openings on plastic buckle fittings are too large for the nylon straps that were provided & the teeth don't have enough "bite" to properly adjust the straps. I had to resort to installing safety pins to keep the flap closed tightly. 3) There isn't a means for securing the free end of the chest/shoulder strap when wearing the bag messenger style across the center of your back. You are left with about 18" of strap that just kinda hangs there. It is long enough for me to put in my front pocket when I'm walking around. These are relatively minor issues that I probably wouldn't complain about if this bag had cost about $20 less. I have purchased Ogio products in the past & will continue to do so in the future because I've been very pleased with their overall quality and design."

"This is an outstanding messenger bag. The strap system is the best I have ever used. It is intuitive and extremely comfortable. Admittedly, I was not sure how this would work on for my commute as I had never purchased a messenger bag from Ogio before and the subway can get quite crowded. The structured backpanel ended up being a lifesaver when sitting on the 1 from the Bronx. As it takes me about an hour to get to my place of business, I am able to remove my apple from the easy access backpanel zippered pocket, flip the bag over and set it on my lap as a tabletop. The materials alone seem so durable that i think i will have this product for a long time. I would highly recommend the Pagoda to any student or businessman."

"The bag itself is great but the carrying/shoulder strap is very difficult to figure out. For starters, the strap is not attached to the bag in such a way that you can truly carry the bag on your shoulder. The bag basically hangs sideways in this arrangement. I only noticed after I bought the bag that in OGIO's picture of carrying the bag this way the model's hand is keeping the bag upright. This bag is really designed to only be carried as a messenger bag. Also, adjusting the strap itself to the correct length is overly complicated. I can honestly say I wouldn't buy this bag again which is a bummer because the bag itself is really very good."