Pacific Outdoor Equipment Vancouver Messenger Bag

Courier bags like this Pacific Outdoor Equipment Vancouver have a couple of advantages over backpacks for short journeys. One is - theoretically - ease of access: you can swing the bag around on your shoulder to delve into it. Another is that the bag sits lower on your back, so you don't get as sweaty. (For me there's a third advantage: I can carry heavier loads as there's no strap running over the raised metal plate holding my broken collarbone together.)

Every courier bag needs a stabilising strap running from the shoulder strap to one corner of the bag to prevent it swinging around as you ride. The Vancouver has this, and like most bags you can clip the stabilising strap to either corner so that you can carry the bag on your preferred (in my case, non-bolted) shoulder. It won't swing around in front of you even when pedalling blurry-fast on a fixed-wheel bike.

The main strap is wide and padded, and there are ribs of foam on the back of the bag to keep it comfortable there - especially if you're carrying something angular inside. Combined with the internal stiffener along the base of the bag, the Vancouver keeps its shape well, enough to stand up when it's empty. The disadvantage is that the shape won't contour to your back as you tighten the stabilising strap, so it doesn't hug your body as well as unstiffened bags.

It's made from welded-seam waterproof fabric – mostly a hardwearing, 420-denier nylon. Rain might get in via the zips in a downpour; they are covered but they're water resistant rather than waterproof. I only got caught in showers with the Vancouver and everything in the bag stayed completely dry. But I do have an issue with the main compartment zip: namely, that there is a zip.

To open the Vancouver, you have to undo the main buckle, lift the flap, and then undo the full-length zip. That sounds trivial. And yet whenever I used the bag I found myself missing the ease of access granted by a flap and a bit of Velcro, whereby you can add or remove items, throw the flap over, and carry on riding – maybe doing up a supplementary buckle or two if the bag has them.

It's only a few seconds difference but it's a few seconds every single time, and as often as not I'd head out with my old cotton duck Carradice courier bag instead because I found the Vancouver frustrating. Like the Chrome, Bugaboo, Soma and Banjo Bros messenger bags I've used in the past, the £49 Carradice bag gives you pretty much instant access.

Whether the access issue will bother you depends how you plan to use the bag. If you're just travelling from home to work and back, it's not a big deal. If you're running errands around town, stopping off at the library, bike shop and bakery, it starts to grate.

Commuting is where the Vancouver would be most at home in any case. It is pretty much waterproof, so it'd be handy for carrying a laptop; you'll want to add a laptop sleeve, as the only significant padding is on the back of the bag. There's a wide reflective strip across the flap for night-time visibility, and the carrying handle is comfortable.

Inside the main compartment are four organiser pockets, one of which is zipped. There are also three good-sized outer pockets: one in each side of the main flap, and one in the front of the bag underneath the flap. The latter has dividers inside it too. The outer pockets are great for items you need easy access to, such as lights, tools or a lock, and for anything soggy you need to carry, like gloves or waterproofs.

If you're after a short-distance shoulder bag with plenty of pockets for commuting, especially if you're carrying something like a laptop, this could be just what you're looking for. I'd probably get an Ortlieb Sling It instead: it's roughly the same price, is even more waterproof, and offers the fast access that makes a courier bag so convenient.

The Vancouver is available in green, brown, yellow, red, and dark blue as well as this light blue. Capacity is 23 litres.

Verdict

A well-made, weatherproof courier bag that lacks ease of access compared to flap-only bags.