How else can I roll with the fixie set?

June 11, 2008 5:30 PM

Must messenger bags be the purview only of the flat-chested?

I need a messenger bag that is compatible with my ample bosom. The bag I have now (Timbuk2) basically cuts my chest in half, either uncomfortably or unattractively. Is there a messenger option of the large-chested lady?

posted by liketitanic to shopping (11 comments total)

I know the feeling, so I'll be watching the answers closely.

I wear mine with the strap above the chest. It puts a lot of the weight on the side of the neck, so it only works if the strap has a well-padded part or if you can add padding, but it does kinda work.
posted by carbide at 5:58 PM on June 11, 2008

Chrome makes real messenger bags with two shoulder straps, like a backpack.
posted by nicwolff at 6:05 PM on June 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

When I got fitted for a bag at Courierware, they told me the strap goes above the boobs. (If you're wearing it while biking, that is.)
posted by The corpse in the library at 6:10 PM on June 11, 2008 [1 favorite]

I think so, I sure can't wear one. I have a BBP pack which is sort of a messenger/ backpack hybrid and it's works fine for me.
posted by fshgrl at 6:14 PM on June 11, 2008

I have a Timbuk2 and a fairly ample chest if I do say so myself. ;) I usually wear the cross strap so that it comes up on the side of my rib cage and sort of hooks at the collarbone. The main strap goes above my boobs as well, so the effect is a subtle squeezing more than the cutting in half you are describing. So it is more like The Corpse's situation with the Courierware bag.

It is unfortunate that the weight is distributed more to my collarbone, but I also wear the bag quite a bit higher on my mid-back than I have seen some dudes wear theirs. I've been bike commuting for years, and with a laptop for the last year, and the extra weight isn't a huge burden on my collarbone/upper back over short (5-10 mile) distances.

Good luck, and I'll be interested to hear what the chesty ladies (or gents) have to say on this.
posted by sararah at 7:14 PM on June 11, 2008

It does have to go above the boobs, which is probably better for your back anyway. (And you're right: that whole strap-between-the-boobies thing that some women do with some purses/bags looks truly awful indeed.)
posted by rokusan at 9:23 PM on June 11, 2008

Freitag make a messenger bag called the F33 Bonanza which has two straps like a backpack. I have the F12 Dragnet which has an awesome hip strap, putting more or less pressure on your front by adjusting it until comfortable. It also stops the bag moving from side to side when you ride.
posted by stackhaus23 at 11:49 PM on June 11, 2008

If you are big and ample bosom'd you can probably wear the strap above your boobs.

If you're small and ample bosom'd you are probably better off finding an alternative bag situation. Unless you relish the feeling of squished boobs.
posted by shownomercy at 6:24 AM on June 12, 2008

I rode with it above my boobs today and you are right about the collarbone pressure, sararah, but the squeeze is better than the bisection.

I might look into the Freitag F12 Dragnet or a Chrome bag, which seem to be designed to sit higher on the back?
posted by liketitanic at 11:36 AM on June 13, 2008

No useful advice, was watching to see if I could find any useful answers for msyelf. Just wanted to add that backpacks just frame your boobs. I'm annoyed by the whole thing. Stupid breasts.
posted by 100watts at 12:42 PM on June 13, 2008

I tried the Chrome bag today and liked it a lot. The weight sits a lot better and the design of the bag is way way better in terms of how it fastens (above the boobs).
posted by liketitanic at 4:04 PM on June 13, 2008