Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Timbuk2 Q Backpack Review

NikFinn

NikFinn

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 22, 2009
646
0
MA
Today I received my Q backpack, by Timbuk2. Found here.I ordered it on the August 5th, and it arrived today, this was with the standard ground shipping which was $9.95. I ordered it to use for college with my 13" MBP.

First thing I noticed was the package it came in, the bag they ship it in itself has a bike map of SF right on the bag that you can cut out. I do live 3,000 miles from SF, but it's still cool. Ripping the bag open, the Q bag itself seemed smaller than what it looks like online. I said to myself, at the most all I'll need to carry is a few books so I'll be fine.

Next, I decided to I try it on, the straps seemed a little skinny which worried me. I tried the new "Swing around access" which allows you to get your laptop out without taking the bag entirely off. It works, and there's even a strap on the side of the bag, as well as the top if you wanted to carry it, which are a nice touch. The whole bag is made of a durable feeling nylon with zippers with big pull tabs to ensure easy access. The bottom section is made of a tougher material (perhaps rubber) that acts as a sole for the bag. The bag as a whole feels like it could last a while, but I wondered what would happen if I were caught in a sudden downpour walking across campus. I turned on the shower, and held the bag under there for a good 45 seconds, which might not sound like a lot, but that's a lot of water. I shook the excess water off and checked all the pockets, all bone dry. Good to know my MacBook Pro and books will be safe and dry.

I decided to see just how much this bag could hold. It's designated on Timbuk2's site as a medium size bag, holding a 15" laptop and has a "solid internal volume for carrying your daily goods". I decided to take a couple of pics of what it can hold...

2vd1ncx.jpg

My 13" MBP

and..

57cwk.jpg

All these books :eek:
For the record there's
An SAT Prep Book
4 Medium thickness magazines/catalogs
3 subject five star notebook
2 smallish books
1 small phonebook
mag safe charger

In regards to storage, color me impressed. There was even more room in the front pocket as it includes places to put little things such as pens, pencils, adapters cables etc. Also there's a "secret" compartment on the bottom right of the back panel, a great place to store your keys.

In conclusion, I'm pleased with my purchase. The build quality seems top notch. It holds a massive quantity of things while not looking big, or bloated. Can't wait to use this around campus.

The Q Backpack is available for $100 from www.Timbuk2.com
 
Empty:
2wfolz4.jpg


Full:
3442kg5.jpg


Main Compartment:
2qlahy9.jpg


Pockets:
126cxg3.jpg


There's also smaller pockets as well as another pocket on the outside of the front flap.

Hoped this helped,
Nik
 
Thanks Nik, looks cool. I almost bought that bag, I was so close. But I ended up getting the North Face Recon because I could get it at the local store, and wouldn't have to wait for shipping.

I love the Q though, and I love the Timbuk 2 company (I also love San Fran) but hey I'm not biased. :p

Congrats man, maybe we can both post some long term reviews later? Enjoy the new pack, and thanks for the photos. :D

Ken
 
Weird, I was so close to not getting this bag. Too bad crumpler doesn't even have their own bags in stock. But yeah def. I'm going to be using this bag daily.
 
NikFinn:

Thanks for taking the time to write this and post those pictures. I'm on the fence about buying this same backpack and was concerned about a couple of reviews stating the laptop compartment isn't well padded. Would you mind taking pics of the laptop pocket and sharing your opinion?

Thanks in advance!
 
moloukhya said:
NikFinn:

Thanks for taking the time to write this and post those pictures. I'm on the fence about buying this same backpack and was concerned about a couple of reviews stating the laptop compartment isn't well padded. Would you mind taking pics of the laptop pocket and sharing your opinion?

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

Here's the laptop compartment:
wu4ft3.jpg


The padding probably isn't as good as some other bags, but there is (what feels like) a peice of thick foam separating the main compartment from the laptop, and the laptop from the back panel. There's also a big pad on the bottom that is sorta visible in the picture (crappy iPhone pics). I think my MacBook will be safe as it doesn't seem to move around too much (although I could get a sleeve to put inside for extra protection). And if you had a 15" I think it would move around even less.

Edit- The bottom of the bag is at the top of the picture.
 
Wow, thanks for such a quick response. I think I'm going to grab one then, just wanted to make sure my laptop would be safe as I sometimes carry a hardcover book that's almost 3000 pages and nearly 12lbs lol.

Thanks again! :)
 
moloukhya said:
Wow, thanks for such a quick response. I think I'm going to grab one then, just wanted to make sure my laptop would be safe as I sometimes carry a hardcover book that's almost 3000 pages and nearly 12lbs lol.

Thanks again! :)
Click to expand...

No Problemo, but that's a big book haha. But yeah I was concerned if like the corners of the book would dent my MB or anything, but I think the padding is pretty sufficient.
 
Do you have a sleeve with your umbp when you put it in your backpack or no sleeve at all?
 
Nice action shots, they really help give a sense of the backpack's size.

Also thumbs up for the choice of gear... and magazine (evo) ;)
 
I currently don't use a sleeve for the umbp in there, but I did think about it. I find that as long as I don't keep the straps really loose then my mbp is generally not just wobbling about in my bag.

On an unrelated note, evo is great even if it's so expensive in the US :/
 
PolySciSurfer said:
Thanks Nik, looks cool. I almost bought that bag, I was so close. But I ended up getting the North Face Recon because I could get it at the local store, and wouldn't have to wait for shipping.

I love the Q though, and I love the Timbuk 2 company (I also love San Fran) but hey I'm not biased. :p

Congrats man, maybe we can both post some long term reviews later? Enjoy the new pack, and thanks for the photos. :D

Ken
Click to expand...

I'll give you a long term (2yr) review of the recon, because it's lack of build quality is what led to a google search of q reviews leading further to this post.

The recon is insanely popular, I see them all the time. It has a good laptop pocket, also well suited as a water bladder pouch. The headphone port is of little use to me because it's above the laptop but it's well suited for use with a water pouch. It's a great pack for day hikes, especially if you use the waist strap.

Which brings me to the point of this post -- all the things wrong with my recon. For one thing, one of the buckles for the waist strap has decided to shatter. The netting in the main compartment is ripping after a couple years of holding a magsafe cable and a mighty mouse. Both bottle holders have also ripped, the cinches for them have snapped, the netting on the back has ripped, and the seems for the straps are going as well.

I'm hard on my gear, so I'm looking for something durable that will hold my charger, a HyperMac external battery, and hopefully some bigger "tech" pockets for my Shure SE 210s and the case I keep 'em in and for my Logitech VX Nano (AMAZING mouse, even better now that it works on glass). I don't want the same sytem that I used with my mighty mouse (thrown in with a bunch of other accessories) so good organization is key.

Does the Q provide this?
 
dandaman2 said:
I'll give you a long term (2yr) review of the recon, because it's lack of build quality is what led to a google search of q reviews leading further to this post.

The recon is insanely popular, I see them all the time. It has a good laptop pocket, also well suited as a water bladder pouch. The headphone port is of little use to me because it's above the laptop but it's well suited for use with a water pouch. It's a great pack for day hikes, especially if you use the waist strap.

Which brings me to the point of this post -- all the things wrong with my recon. For one thing, one of the buckles for the waist strap has decided to shatter. The netting in the main compartment is ripping after a couple years of holding a magsafe cable and a mighty mouse. Both bottle holders have also ripped, the cinches for them have snapped, the netting on the back has ripped, and the seems for the straps are going as well.

I'm hard on my gear, so I'm looking for something durable that will hold my charger, a HyperMac external battery, and hopefully some bigger "tech" pockets for my Shure SE 210s and the case I keep 'em in and for my Logitech VX Nano (AMAZING mouse, even better now that it works on glass). I don't want the same sytem that I used with my mighty mouse (thrown in with a bunch of other accessories) so good organization is key.

Does the Q provide this?
Click to expand...

Hmm, sounds like you need something from Arc'teryx. They have bomb proof bags. I took notice of the Recon's mesh pockets before I made the purchase. Mesh in my opinion, is not good for a day pack, just think of all the branches it would catch on. But, I bought it anyway because for my uses it works fine. The Q is a good bag to, but the Recon has better ventilation in the back. Think hot days, sweaty back, moist laptop.

Plus, the Q has no water bottle pockets. I carry a water bottle with me every day. The North Face offers a lifetime warranty on packs, so you should be able to have yours replaced for free.
 
I've had a Timbuk2 Messenger bag that I used through my last 2 years of college and have used daily for work the last 3.5 years. I can vouch for the quality of their products. I also use one of their sleeves for my 12' PB.
 
dandaman2 said:
I'll give you a long term (2yr) review of the recon, because it's lack of build quality is what led to a google search of q reviews leading further to this post.

The recon is insanely popular, I see them all the time. It has a good laptop pocket, also well suited as a water bladder pouch. The headphone port is of little use to me because it's above the laptop but it's well suited for use with a water pouch. It's a great pack for day hikes, especially if you use the waist strap.

Which brings me to the point of this post -- all the things wrong with my recon. For one thing, one of the buckles for the waist strap has decided to shatter. The netting in the main compartment is ripping after a couple years of holding a magsafe cable and a mighty mouse. Both bottle holders have also ripped, the cinches for them have snapped, the netting on the back has ripped, and the seems for the straps are going as well.

I'm hard on my gear, so I'm looking for something durable that will hold my charger, a HyperMac external battery, and hopefully some bigger "tech" pockets for my Shure SE 210s and the case I keep 'em in and for my Logitech VX Nano (AMAZING mouse, even better now that it works on glass). I don't want the same sytem that I used with my mighty mouse (thrown in with a bunch of other accessories) so good organization is key.

Does the Q provide this?
Click to expand...
The Q like someone mentioned doesn't have water bottle pockets. But it does have a zippered section in the front with pockets that I have already found fits a mouse quite nicely. And headphones could surely fit in one of the other pockets designed for cables. I'm sure they'll be room for the hyper mac too even if you don't put it in the main compartment. Just the other night I had my MBP in the laptop sleeve, a full change of clothes in the main pocket, my Nikon FG SLR with a 50mm lens along with two rolls of film, my wireless mouse, my magsafe, with the extension, and a full iklear kit with more room to spare then I knew what to do with.

AMessy said:
I've had a Timbuk2 Messenger bag that I used through my last 2 years of college and have used daily for work the last 3.5 years. I can vouch for the quality of their products. I also use one of their sleeves for my 12' PB.
Click to expand...
Yes they seem like they make quality products made of a high quality materials.
 
hmm... arc'teryx, I'll see what they offer, thanks. I've heard of them, big outdoors brand. I was looking for something to just use for school though, so it gets less wear. As I've mentioned, I'm hard on my gear. And I keep hearing stories about Timbuk2s lasting at least five years.

I didn't know about the warranty... I'll look into that, too. Thanks.
 
I like this backpack... just bought it. Fits my unibody 15 nicely. Good upgrade over my old timbuk2 hacker backpack. Secret compartments and place to hold charger is cool.

$70 bucks shipped from ebags with bing cashback!

Only grudge is no place to hold my water bottle.
 
Mikebuzzsaw said:
I like this backpack... just bought it. Fits my unibody 15 nicely. Good upgrade over my old timbuk2 hacker backpack. Secret compartments and place to hold charger is cool.

$70 bucks shipped from ebags with bing cashback!

Only grudge is no place to hold my water bottle.
Click to expand...
I love all the compartments. They seem to baffle the security officers that check bags at my dorm. And they never check the secret compartment on the back :eek:. And I put waterbottles in the outer most pocket. Seems to fit pretty good.
 
I love everything I am hearing about this bag. One piece of criteria I have though is...will it stand up on its own. I can't stand having to lay a bag down. Will it stand up?
 
I love Timbuk2 bags. And yes they are perfect in a downpour. Once I was waiting for the express bus and a downpour came out of no were. All the people around me backsides were soaked, except mine which was covered by my Timbuk2 bag. Everything in my bag was dry too. Definitely worth the investment.

I'm waiting for Timbuk2 to release new backpacks this year, so then I will have 4 bags :) to carry my gear

Nice review
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back