I’ve been a fan of Mission Workshops for some time. In particular, I like the build quality and attention to detail of their bags and rucksacks. I posted before about the Hauser Hydration backpack that I bought and figured it was time to try one of their messenger bags.
I bought the Black Camo limited edition Rummy Messenger bag about a month ago and it’s become my bag du jour. The messenger bags come in three sizes with the Rummy being the intermediate. They have a number of limited edition bags in different materials and colours to the norm for a slight premium.
Don’t let the moderate size fool you – this bag can carry a LOT of stuff. I took it on a flight last week and packed it to the gills with clothes, equipment and food. It easily expands to accommodate all kinds of bulky items, particularly when stuffed into the main compartment from the top. It can get heavy, though. That said, the single strap is comfortable and there’s an additional quick-release strap that can be used to prevent it from slipping off your shoulder when you’re running around.
There are two small velcro flap pockets on the front, two zippered compartments in the front-middle, and a hold-all compartment accessed from the top. The top can be flipped over the front in a standard messenger bag configuration, or rolled down and secured by a dedicated velcro flap to increase its weatherproofing. As usual, all the zippers are designed to prevent water from leaking through.
I have only one gripe for this otherwise perfect bag and that is that the roll-down top compartment doesn’t roll down as neatly as it appears in their promotional videos. This is because the stanchions for the Archiv clasps are very stiff. It’s more of a ‘fold down’ than ‘roll down’, which doesn’t make the top surface of the bag appear as elegant as it could be in this configuration. Although, I should point out that when folded down in this way it lays flat against your back, which may be more comfortable in the long-run. When you roll down the top, you get easy access to the front zippered compartments, which would otherwise be hidden when the flap is folded down in the standard messenger bag configuration.
I am a large guy and the Rummy is a very good, roomy size. I can only imagine what the larger bag must be like!
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