The Everyday Messenger Bag from Peak Design is a well-constructed, well-designed and well-thought-out camera bag that is extremely versatile and easy to use. While it won’t be your go-to bag for every occasion, it’s comfortable and capable enough for most situations.
Initial Impression
Upon initial inspection I was struck by how this camera bag was unlike any other I’ve ever owned. This could be due to the bag’s color, Heritage Tan, which is a change of pace from every other bag I own, which is some variation of black or grey. The bag comes in one other color as well, Charcoal, which, while still beautiful, was not a color I especially wanted to try.
Another thing I liked about the bag was that it didn’t look like a camera bag. If you’re looking to blend into the background and not look like a visual journalist this bag and color will really help you look almost unassuming. I felt more like a traveler on a journey than a photographer on a shoot.
Storage
The main compartment of the bag has three removable origami-inspired FlexFold dividers, which you can use to separate your lenses both horizontally and vertically. For instance, I was able to stick one of my smaller lenses inside one of the divided areas, then fold the divider over and fit another smaller lens on top. For larger objects like flashes and longer zoom lenses, this capability won’t work, but it’s great for smaller to medium-sized lenses and camera bodies.
Keep in mind that while the vertical design allows you to store tons of gear, you’ll be doing a bit of juggling to get access to everything. More traditional rectangular shaped shoulder bags give you better access to all your lenses at once, but the messenger bag style forces you to be either a bit more conservative in your load out, or just willing to embrace juggling.
In my bag, I had my entire micro-four thirds camera system, which included the Panasonic GH4 with battery grip, a 7-14mm lens, a 14-42 mm lens, a 45-175mm lens and a 100-300mm lens in addition to a full-sized flash. I’m happy to say I was able to fit the entire kit in the bag without too many issues. While it did fill the entire bag to capacity, the designers developed a convenient stepped-based closing system to accommodate a bag no matter how stuffed it gets.
On the front of the bag are four metal pieces that the flap connector can latch onto. In addition to these four metal pieces, the latch also connects to the bag via a magnet. Peak Design calls this system MagLatch.
I thought the variable MagLatch system was smart and well-thought out, but it does take some getting used to as I’m mostly experienced with bags that have zippers and buckles. During my first few times using the bag it took me a little while to get comfortable knowing it was properly closed. Additionally, I faced some confusion with the system when trying to figure out how to open it. The good news is that the its secure and can be as tight or as loose as you want to make it, and once you’re comfortable with it you’ll be able to open and close the bag quickly and without looking.
There is a front zippered compartment that opens up to reveal a surprisingly usable amount of space for accessories. The compartment includes eight subsections, four of which seem best designed to hold extra batteries, or memory cards, and four larger sections which can be use for things like hard drives, cables, remote triggers, and pens. My one disappointment with this section is that there are no dedicated penholders. As a photojournalist it’s important to have pens and paper on hand for writing notes. While I could easily fit a pen in one of the bigger compartments, I have gotten used to having a separate penholder and thought it was an odd omission.
On the inside of the top flap of the camera bag is another smaller zippered compartment. Inside here I found what looked like a rubber “Live Strong”-like band that is actually used to hold the tripod in place. More on that in a minute. The compartment is pretty small, but long, and I used it to hold the power cable to my laptop. It won’t fit a massive brick that come with some laptops, but it easily fit the cable I had with mine.
To store a tripod on the bag you put the legs through the top flap and then use the rubber band on the ends of the legs to hold the tripod in place. It’s an interesting way to carry a tripod that, while unorthodox, works surprisingly well.
Speaking of laptops, there is a back zippered compartment designed specifically to hold up to a 15” laptop. Peak Design makes two versions of the Everyday Messenger Bag, one for 15” laptops, like mine, and one for 13” laptops. I highly recommend getting the larger of the two bags even if you have a small laptop. The extra room in the main compartment is invaluable and you might eventually want to get a bigger laptop, so you’ll be essentially future-proofing yourself.
In addition to the space devoted for a laptop, the designers have also been smart enough to include a tablet-carrying compartment as well. This little pocket is perfect for a regular iPad. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that if you’re going to carry around a 15” laptop, and a tablet, things can start to get tight. You can definitely fit both in the space and close the zipper without any hassle, but you’ll probably be putting extra pressure on the laptop. This is especially important to keep in mind if you own something like a MacBook because you will leave a permanent impression of the keys on the screen if you put extended pressure on the laptop. I’d recommend a protective cloth that goes between the keyboard and screen if you plan to carry this kind of laptop around for extended periods of time.
There are a few other non-zippered pockets on the sides of the bag as well. One is designed to hold your keys and includes a special strap and key chain attachment. The other is for holding what ever you want. It’s decent sized and you could probably fit a skinny water bottle or a reporter’s notebook.
One final pocket I forgot to mention earlier is inside the main compartment. It’s a relatively small pocket, seemingly designed to hold long, flat things, like a cell phone. I didn’t use it during my testing, but I could see putting cords in here along with maybe memory cards or perhaps a ruler. Regardless of what you use it for, it’s always nice to have more compartments.
Wearing the Bag
The bag features a single shoulder strap that allows you to wear it on one shoulder or cross body. I wore the bag both ways and both were comfortable. If your bag is filled with stuff you will start to feel the weight after awhile, but you can always just switch sides. The shoulder strap features a number of different ways to adjust its length. On one side you have a special locking mechanism, that, when unlocked, allows you to adjust the length of the strap. Once adjusted all you have to do is lock it back down and the strap to secure it in place.
On the other side of the strap you have a hook which gives you two different lengths to adjust. This system involves removing the hook mechanism and rehooking it on to one of the other loops higher up on the strap. While it might seem limiting to have only two options, it never hindered my ability to get a good fit, and allowed me to get the bag high and tight on my body when needed.
The main strap and padding is very well made and the fabric used is very soft to the touch and comfortable. The bag also has a handle on the top for when you want to carry the it like a briefcase. I found this convenient when I was moving it short distances and didn’t feel like wearing it on my body.
In addition to the main strap, there is a tucked away waist belt loop system that allows you secure the camera bag to your body in extra ways. The first is the waist-loop method, which allows you to create a simple loop around your waist. This method is best used when the bag is relatively high and tight on your body and you want to ensure it isn’t going to shift too much. Great for when you’re on a bicycle or happen to be climbing up a structure. This strap can also be used secure the camera bag to a carry-on bag’s retractable handle.
When you’re wearing the bag in a cross body formation you can attach the strap with the metal hook to a loop on the main strap. This creates an almost dual cross body configuration that felt very secure and very comfortable. I used this method frequently.
The only down side to these straps is that when you take it off the bag you’re left with dangling straps that can interfere with and can get caught on you’re surroundings potentially. If you’re trying to shoot something, and have to take the bag off and on multiple times, these straps can get cumbersome to deal with, especially when you want to put them away. While the process is overall pretty smooth, thanks primarily to the material used on the straps, it did take time to put the straps away. Again, putting the straps away wasn’t a problem, and I could easily do it with one hand, it was just time-consuming.
An idea for a future iteration of the bag might be a retractable belt system, similar to the kind found in the seat belts on cars. I don’t know how realistic or practical a system like this might be, but it’d be nice in circumstances when you want to get the straps out of the way quickly.
Conclusion
In actual use, the Everyday Messenger Bag was very functional and comfortable. Using the folding dividers allowed me to store my entire gear set even if I had to do a bit of juggling to get access to certain lenses. I know using the optional Capture Pro clip system that Peak Design also sells can solve part of this problem, and I might invest in that system in the future, but I didn’t have it for this review.
Additionally, the low-profile design of the bag made it stylish to look at and wear. Sometimes I don’t want to look like a photojournalist on assignment, sometimes I want to look like an adventurer going about my day with a bag and a camera. I could see using this as not just a camera bag but as an ordinary travel bag and in both cases it would be extremely functional.
That being said, I would recommend this bag primarily for urban environments like the city or suburbs, but not for high-level or rigorous adventures like mountain climbing or camping. In those cases, I think a camera backpack would be more appropriate. I would also recommend a more standard shoulder camera bag if you need immediate access to every single lens and accessory in your kit quickly.
Overall though, this is one of the most well thought out and comfortable bags I’ve ever had the pleasure of wearing and I would highly recommend adding this bag to your collection and I will definitely be using it as my day-to-day around-town work bag, and as my go-to choice for taking on vacations.
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