Timbuk2 Especial Stash Review

The Timbuk2 Especial Stash is — hands down — one of the best messenger bags on the market. It's impressively water-resistant, laden with pockets and clever storage features, easy to use, great for electronics, and can be worn on either the left or the right shoulder. For the convergence of each of these factors, we highly recommend this bag if you carry multiple electronics.

Performance Comparison

Comfort

The Stash is well-conceived and comfortable, especially for activities like cycling, walking around the city, and taking public transit.

The Stash is decently lightweight, ergonomic, and the straps are fully ambidextrous. The attachment for the crossbody strap is confined to one small space, but we typically didn't find this to be constricting or annoying. The padding on the main strap can get folded under and bunched up if you're not mindful, so that's another small thing to pay attention to (and something that lowered its score a bit). However, we appreciate the length of the padded shoulder strap, as well as the extra padding in the electronics pockets — both of which contribute to greater comfort while wearing this bag.

Packing & Organization

No bag in our review outperformed the Stash in the packing and organization department. The pockets are plentiful but intuitive, which makes it easy to stash all your daily essentials and keep them well-organized.

On the outside flap, there is a roomy pocket with a waterproof zipper and a long key leash — as long as you remember to affix your keys to the leash, you'll always know where to find them. On the side of the bag, there is an external stretchy pocket for a water bottle or travel mug.

Underneath the front flap, there are two adjacent cargo pockets situated underneath another zippered pocket. Our one — minor — complaint is that while the cargo pockets do accommodate a small U-lock, the pockets aren't deep enough for the lock to feel secure in these pockets and it causes the front panel to flop around a bit.

On the inside of the front panel, there are several slots for pens, a wallet, a passport, headphones, or anything else small and in need of stowing. On the backside of the main compartment, there is a large zippered mesh pocket with a four-way stretch — perfect for your mouse or cords. Then, there is a fully padded sleeve for a tablet or laptop, in addition to another padded and fully zippered and waterproof laptop pocket. Short wonder, this bag earned our highest marks for packing and organization.

Electronics

As we just alluded to, the Stash provides exceptional protection, storage, and weather resistance for electronics.

There are not one, but two fully padded sleeves for a laptop and/or tablet in the Stash. One of the laptop sleeves is zippered, padded, and features a burly zipper flap to make the pocket fully waterproof. The sleeves can accommodate up to a 15" laptop, and they provide enough protection to store your computer naked. And while the zippered pocket is technically large enough for a 15" Macbook, that size is tight; a 13" is much easier to get in and out quickly. The stretchy pocket on the outside of the laptop/tablet sleeve is great for an external mouse, hard drive, or charger cords. We also love that all the laptop storage is secure and separate from the bag's main compartment, so if you need to bring your lunch, you don't have to worry about spilling food on your electronics.

Ease of Use

This is another category where the Stash is among the top performers.

The shoulder strap is fairly straightforward to loosen and tighten. However, we were a bit disappointed by the velcro strap-minder. If you need to cinch the bag down tight, there will be some excess webbing to contend with, which you can shove into this feature — but it isn't ideal. To loosen the strap, you pull up on a piece of webbing, and when you cinch the strap tight, you can secure the loosening strap in an upward position with a magnet. There is also an easily accessible bottle opener on the shoulder strap — which definitely makes it easier to transition out of the workday. The shoulder strap is fully ambidextrous and is easy to switch from left to right shoulder carry, as the strap secures to D-rings on either side of the bag with velcro.

The magnetic front buckles take some getting used to, as you squeeze each piece of the buckle to disengage. On the other hand, securing the buckles is so painless and easy that it makes up for fumbling through our first few attempts to disengage the buckles. Beyond the closure system, there are several webbing loops for affixing a bike light or other accessories, a low-profile briefcase handle for picking your pack off the ground without putting it on, and a bright yellow interior — which makes it incredibly easy to find your gear.

Construction Quality

The Stash smashes the competition in terms of wear and tear, as it's made out of an impressively durable material that is very weather- and abrasion-resistant.

Throughout the duration of our testing, this bag didn't show so much as a mark on the fabric. If it gets dirty, simply wipe it down with a wet rag to get it looking like new again. There is a four-way stretch mesh fabric on a zippered pocket inside the bag and on the water bottle sleeve on the outside of the bag — these are the only parts of the bag that could snag or attract holes on an otherwise ultra burly messenger bag.

Should You Buy the Timbuk2 Especial Stash?

If you're looking for a bombproof messenger bag that is extremely weather-resistant all around — and has a waterproof laptop sleeve — then this bag is likely worth the high price. The quality construction and fabric, coupled with the impressive design, will pay for themselves as you continue to use this bag for years to come. If you prioritize durability, intuitive design, and premium electronic storage in a daily commuter or messenger bag, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better bag than the Timbuk2 Especial Stash. We find this bag ideal for anyone who has lots of electronics and wants them to stay secure and dry, no matter the weather.

What Other Messenger Bags Should You Consider?

For another durable bag that can protect your gear from any scrape and bump, the Chrome Buran III is one of the most durable messenger bags in our lineup. The Timbuk2 Classic is another favorite among our test team, but is significantly less expensive than other options. It's quite durable and has some excellent organization features for your items. If your electronics are more designed for taking pictures than taking notes, the Peak Design Everyday Messenger has great features designed for camera equipment. It's weatherproof and ambidextrous, and it's helpful for stowing and accessing your camera equipment while on the go.