It's Not a Purse!!!

Unfortunately, my new Timbuk2 Metro isn't European so I can't scream the other half of that famous Seinfeld line. Luckily, my new "man bag" is so cool that I really don't give a rat's posterior what anyone thinks. I've been resisting the idea of carrying some sort of bag or pack for awhile now. Instead, I had taken to clipping all of my gadgets onto my belt. This was, to put it mildly, not cool. One of my Australian friends used another word... Daggy. Being insulted in languages I barely understand was the final straw. Something had to be done.

I thought about a fanny pack for about three seconds. Then I started looking at backpacks. All of them were either too big or too small and not quite what I was looking for. Then I found the Metro on display next to the backpacks. I've had a Timbuk2 messenger bag for almost 10 years now and it's still going strong. My current bag is a bit bigger than what I need but the Metro is just right.

The Metro is about the size of a largish purse and easily swallows my Treo 650, 60 GB iPod, Nintendo DS Lite and all of their cases and accoutrements easily. The best part is that you carry it messenger-bag style (slung across your chest and riding on the small of your back) so it doesn't look too pursey. The only time I feel slightly effeminate is when I swing it around to remove my wallet or keys or something without taking it off. My wife insists that it looks fine and not girly at all. Then again she's used to all of my cycling friends and has seen more than her fair share of Timbuks over the years. It's fairly waterproof and judging from experience, I'm sure it will last for many years.

I bought the bag from a local Easter Mountain Sports store for 20% off. Mine is black with a red stripe. That style isn't available on the Timbuk2 site so I assume that mine was ordered in that color especially for that chain of stores or is a discontinued color. There are several color schemes available on the site ranging from basic black to hot pink to high vis orange. If you're a gadget addict like me, I highly recommend one. More info at Timbuk2's site.