Review: Larga Commuter

I had the chance to test the prototype of Larga's new commuter pack. It's a roll-up bag with 2 major pockets for your clothes, laptop, or shoes and one smaller pocket for smaller items. The material for the major pockets are fairly lightweight and I love the double zippers. Unfortunately, they aren't waterproof.

Carrying capacity 

It can fit everything. I stuffed it with my laptop, my baon, two extra sets of clothes, a rain jacket. I love that there are two separate large pockets -- one supposedly for your clean clothes, the other for your dirty clothes/shoes/whatnot. The past few days, I've used one major pocket to carry my laptop and the other to carry my clothes. 

Change of clothes, rain jacket, bike lock, lunch, wallet, laptop. Check!

On the Bike

On the road, the bag felt wonderful. I was initially apprehensive when I saw the non-padded shoulder straps. Experience has taught me that overstuffed bags and non-padded straps have a habit of digging into your shoulder. Ouch. I thought I'd have the same problem with the Larga Commuter when I saw the non-padded straps. Surprisingly, when fully loaded, I barely felt the strap on my shoulder. On the other hand, when the bag was less than stuffed, I could feel the lock digging against my shoulder. Other messenger bags would add a stabilizing strap to prevent the bag from swinging, yet surprisingly, I had no swinging sensations when using the solo strap.

Surprisingly, the non-padded shoulder straps weren't much of an issue

The outer lining was also wonderful. The soft material provides enough cushion between your back and whatever hard material (in my case, my laptop) from digging into my back. 

Ultra soft outer lining

But wait! If the bag gets too heavy or you just don't want to lug anything on your back, the Larga Commuter has another option: strap it on your handlebars. Two additional clips attach to the handlebars, while a velcro strap wraps around the headset/stem. I tried this set-up on an 80km ride to Taal and there were no issues. Looks like this would be my default when using the Larga!

The only issue I had was the compression straps were too long and I was scared that they might snag in my tires. Thankfully, that hasn't happened.

Sweaty back and bags not your thing? No problem!
Strap the bag on your handlebar!

Off the Bike

It was off the bike that I saw some of the Commuter's limitations. For example, getting your lock (or wallet or phone.. you get the picture) out of the bag may prove to be quite a task, where you would have to unroll the bag before removing your lock. An extra quick-access pocket along the outside for your keys/lock/cellphone/purse/water bottle would solve the problem of last-minute packing/easy access to essentials. The quick access pocket means you don't have to unroll the bag in case you leave something at home. 

The roll-up system off the bike can either be an advantage or a disadvantage. If you have a place to hook it on, then your belongings will be neatly arranged. If not, an unrolled bag can take up a lot of space. 

Final Thoughts

The roll-up system is a novel design. It's something that I'll have to get used to instead of using traditional large main pockets attached by velcro or a roll-top design. I do like that the main pockets make organizing a breeze. The Larga bag still has some ways to go (e.g. a quick access pocket for a water bottle/lock/keys/etc, reflective strips, a blinker loop, and a waterproof liner) that would make the Larga commuter my go-to bag.