We seem to be adding to our bag collection here at the studio at a rapid rate. We're definitely not complaining though. We love having new solutions to keep our belongings safe and secure.

Durability

The Bluelounge Messenger Bag was swooped upon when it landed in the studio. The reason for our enthusiastic intrigue is because it claims to have a very strong and durable design, but the process that goes into making the material is very unconventional. The bag is environmentally friendly because Bluelounge have woven recycled melted post-consumer PET bottles. This material also serves as being practical too; the exterior of the bag is hard wearing and copes very well with day to day usage, like being dropped onto concrete or rubbed against a brash brick wall. Also, a water resistant coating has been applied to the bag and works a treat; raindrops bounce and run off the bags body keeping it and your belongings totally dry.

Design & Comfort

The Bluelounge Messenger Bag is available in three colours: bonobo black, grey and a rusty orange which is the colour of our bag. It's an attractive messenger/satchel styled bag, with definitive lines and hangs on the body in a youthful laid back fashion. Even with heavy and bulky items packed inside, the Messenger Bag remained comfortable to wear as the weight is evenly distributed via the well padded strap (with quick release adjustment of its length) across the body. We have deeply inspected the body of the bag from up close and you'd be easily forgiven for thinking it looks and feels as if it's made from a brushed cotton. Of course, the origin of its material is like polyester, but doesn't seem to inherit its appearance in this scenario.

Storage

This bag caters for all notebook sizes, a medium sized bag will fit 11"-15" MacBook, MacBook Pro or MacBook Air notebooks. The large bag which we have will take a MacBook Pro 17", but we didn't need the large variant because of this, as we actually used the bag with 13" and 15" MacBook Pros. We wanted it because it can also facilitate large sketchbooks. Along the front of the Bluelounge Messenger Bag we have a large zipped pocket, ideal for storing large items you need quick access to, we used it to store a MacBook Pro charger.

To gain access to the other storage compartments you need to open the bag up. It is kept shut and easy to open via Velcro. However, if you'd like greater security and reassurance of your valuables within, two aluminium buckles can be tucked into a choice of six slots which are located underneath the strips of Velcro. The reason for a choice of slots is to enable the bag to be closed securely with large bulky items within, which we really appreciated. The aluminium buckles both point to the right, making them easy to undo by pulling the flap of the bag to the left.

The first compartments greeting you when opening the bag are two open mesh pockets, ideal for putting things like keys, smartphone, USB sticks, earphones, battery packs and ID within. Under these is a larger pocket, which you could store a compact pair of headphones or mini speaker in. Then we have the main compartment which has tight padding along its sides keeping notebooks secure. Of course, lots of additional space surrounds a thin MacBook Pro, so you could keep some other items in here like a tablet, but we'd recommend having a case on your MacBook Pro if you choose to do this.

Overall

The excellent amount of storage options offered keeps key and frequently used items organised, making the stylishly and well made Bluelounge Messenger Bag ideal for frequent commuters who want to travel in comfort.