Two months ago, Pat from Pac Designs sent over an Ultimate Deluxe messenger bag in olive-green for me to test out and basically beat up however I’d like. Pac Designs is a small bag company based in Canada that makes messenger bags and accessories all by hand. Each of their bags is made with a 3-layer construction — DUPONT CORDURA PLUS on the outside, a truck tarp middle lining, and pack cloth innermost lining — to ensure that your stuff stays dry and safe. I bike a lot in the city and I’ve tested and owned plenty of messenger bags up until this point, but none so far are as comfortable, as innovative, or as great looking as this particular bag shown here. If you’re curious, please read on.

I know the claims in the last line are pretty substantial, so hear me out: As far as riding comfort is concerned, the Pac bag beats its competition by a longshot. Its standard cross-shoulder strap is padded and includes an adjustable shoulder suspension strap at both ends that allows you to either keep the bag closer to your body or further out if you’re carrying odd-shaped items. This simple mechanism alone makes riding with heavy loads more comfortable than say a Chrome or a Timbuk2, but Pac Designs didn’t stop there with the shoulder strap. The messenger bag also comes with a dual D-ring quick-adjusting strap that allows you to instantly elongate the strap for easy pull-around access to the bag’s contents or to easily take it off your shoulder. Tightening the strap is as easy as pulling the lower D-ring down toward the ground, and loosening the strap can be done by pulling the top D-ring away from y our body and then letting go (see video below).

Anybody who has ever worn an over-the-shoulder bag or messenger bag knows how crucial an easy-to-use release system is and all Pac Designs bags incorporate this same innovative strap system as standard. It is one of the features that sold me on this bag. The only thing I would change on this system however are the plastic D-rings. They seem a bit cheap to me when placed next to the amazing quality of everything else on the bag, and from personal experience, plastic stuff tends to break quickly on the road. Thankfully, these haven’t broken yet, but I suspect they will eventually and a simple change to metal/aluminum D-rings would probably fix that.

Oh, and if you don’t feel like using the D-ring quick-adjust strap, there is a 2-inch quick release buckle that will split the shoulder strap in half (think of the “Chrome seatbelt” button and you’ll get the idea).

One of the features on the Ultimate Deluxe messenger is the X-strap system that I have yet to see incorporated into any other messenger bag. Essentially, it turns the messenger bag into a backpack by simply attaching two belt clips onto the cross-strap. The X-strap is essential for equal weight distribution if you’re carrying a heavy load and it also adds a ton of stability to the bag itself. To say it simply, I wish every messenger bag company had this feature because it has saved my back and shoulders plenty of ache and pain.

On the inside of the bag is a plethora of storage space and compartments. But first, let me break down the main storage compartment into easy-to-understand space comparisons; I can easily fit two full-sized shoeboxes in there with space on the sides for additional gear. The main storage area also comes with 3 velcro dividers to make sure you can sort all your stuff in an organized way. The divider closest to the one that sits on your back when the bag is being worn comes with a cushion that you can take out if you need extra dividers for your stuff.

On the outside of the bag is another velcro pocket that holds a smaller zippered pocket. The velcro pocket is vinyl-lined and waterproof and for added protection, so is the inner zippered pocket (a bit redundant, but a great failsafe nonetheless). And let’s say you aren’t using the clips on the outside to hold the main flap down during travels, you can attach the clips to the inner clip holdings so that the straps do not dangle above your back wheel (I thought this was a nice safety feature).

It’s taken me two whole months of intense city cycling to find something truly bad to say about this bag and in the end, all I come up with is that I wish the plastic rings were metal instead of plastic. Seriously, I have not worn or tested a better brand of messenger bag than this (this includes all of my previous bag reviews) and if you have any idea of the amount of bags I’ve been testing lately, then you’ll know that says a lot. I know the $300+ pricetag is steep, but that’s for the deluxe version shown here and Pac Designs definitely stocks smaller sizes at cheaper prices (I almost definitely recommend the smaller sizes since the deluxe here is probably too big for the average consumer and meant only for hardcore messengers). You’ll still be paying a premium for hand-made goods, but believe me, your back and shoulders will be thanking you for spending the extra money and you’ll end up having a bag that looks fantastic and stands up to the toughest stuff you can push at it.

If you’re curious as to some of Pac Designs innovations in messenger bag tech, check out this page. It should sum things up nicely and give you a good sense of just how amazing these bags really are.