This time last month I had the opportunity to take a trip out west for Ford Motor Company’s “Further With Ford 2015” Convention, I needed a bag that would house all of my items without wearing down my back and be comfortable at the same time. Luckily, thanks to Timbuk2, they sent me over their Limited Edition bag to review.
The Bianchi 130th Anniversary Prospect bag is nothing that you’d expect from a random backpack you’d see out in public, but it’s certainly enough to catch someone’s eye, especially where I was in San Francisco. It felt nice to be using something made IN San Francisco, by a well-known company there. Now to be honest, when I looked at the photos online of the bag I thought to myself ‘hey it looks a bit bulky.’ I’m a bag snob and I have strict rules when it comes down to it. I only actually carry a backpack when I travel, and it is not only my carry-on, but my daily driver for business trips, so it has to not only be stylish, but not make me feel like I’m gearing up for the first day of school. Timbuk2 understood my plight in this.
Commemorating 130 years, the Bianchi Prospect is water-resistant and can virtually carry all of my crap. Here’s a few things that I carried on my trip. The unique shape of the bag from its foldable flap at the top that not only extends the size of the bag to fit 17″ laptops, but also reminded me of one of my favorite Nintendo games “Paperboy.” These are the following thing I was able to fit in my Bianchi Timbuk2:
- MacBook Air 11
- MacBook Laptop Charger
- 6 bags of small fruit Snacks
- Two Cables for iPhone 6 Plus
- Two Micro USB cables
- Notepad
- Pen
- Two External Battery Chargers (15600mAh and 15000mAH)
- Dual Port USB Wall Plug
- Hotel Room Lotion (Stolen)
- Pack of 5Gum
- Water Bottle
- Glasses
All of these items fit perfectly in my bag without weighing me down. Now sure, I wasn’t carrying around textbooks, and binders, but the good thing about the Timbuk2 Prospect is that it will fit that. And with enough pockets in the front, you can fit extra pens, pencils, and annoying knick-knacks like loose change that frustrate you when they are in your pocket. The Velcro itself holds up pretty nicely and doesn’t catch onto a lot of hair or extra lint which is something I’ve had a problem with in other bags, which made me switch to a messenger bag on my work commute.
Overall if you are a fan of backpacks over satchels, or you want to not be like everyone else with the tired looking backpack that sags at the bottom, and hurts your shoulders, the Prospect is a good bag to have. If I could change one thing about it though, would have to be the extra sleeve at the back of the bag that allows you to reach your laptop faster, I wish it was a BIT lower on the bag. Since the inside of the laptop had its own section for the laptop from the rest of your belongings, you would think it would be easier to access. Me personally, I grew frustrated when in a hurry to scramble for my laptop and reaching in with those said belongings. I was looking more for a completely different section, maybe separated by a zipper, that would allow you to just access your laptop without looking.
Besides this Timbuk2 has themselves a great bag in the limited Edition Bianchi and you can get one today for a special price of $95.30 in the black reflective colorway. This is a perfect bag for bike riders and messengers as well! GET YOU SOME!
Source: Manufacturer supplied review unit
What I like: The Bag has enough pockets to house everything I need, and the back padding is VERY comfortable.
What Needs Improvement: There should be more separation between the laptop portion and the rest of the bag.
