5.0 out of 5 stars Great quality bag, lots of pockets!

2026-01-06    -abarbe

Day 1 Review: Lots of pockets, and nice looking too!CONSTRUCTION: The bag is made from a tough canvas material with leathery accents. I don't see any loose stitching, and the zippers are pretty well-constructed. The inside of the bag is lined with a smoother fabric, with light padding for the laptop section. The front panel, with two plastic clasps, has an insert that makes it a little stiff, but considering that it's meant for transporting a laptop that's not a bad thing. I think this bag can take a beating and would be a good choice for travel.SIZE: The front panel is about 38.5cm (about 15.16 inches) wide and 29cm (11.4 inches) tall; the side panel is about 11.5cm (4.5 inches) thick; flattened out, the bag does meet the 18.5 inches by 13.78 inches that the item description lists. I don't have a 17.5 inch laptop, but it fits my husband's 17 inch laptop with room to spare.POCKETS: The other good thing that makes this worthy of travel is the pockets. There are two side pockets for water bottles or umbrellas. There's a zipper in the front flap to put things in.There's a large front pouch, also zippered, that has a hole with a grommet for a wire (presumably for a headphone jack to fit into, maybe a charging cable; I can't fit my USB-C cable through it unfortunately). This pouch has a built-in organizer for 6 cards, two pens, and a sewn-in metal loop for a keychain. Behind the card organizers are two larger pockets just under 10cm wide and 9.5cm deep.The main compartment is split into two sections: the rear section is padded for the laptop, and the front section has two additional pockets on the "front wall" of the compartment. The main compartment is also zippered, so the contents aren't secured by just a flap.There's also ANOTHER zipper pocket in the back of the bag that's pretty roomy.OTHER THINGS: The bag has two ways of carrying it: there's a leathery-lined handle sewn at the top of the bag so you can carry it like a briefcase, or you can use the adjustable strap. The strap is a softer thick canvas material, and there's a padded leathery shoulder cushion. I appreciate the extra details, like the leathery zipper pulls (this came with two extra zipper pulls, which is nice!), I'm not going to pour water on this thing to test its water resistance, but I'll update this post if I use it while it's raining.VALUE: Considering the quality, I'm pretty happy with the bag! I think I might have to buy a second one to make sure that my husband and I don't fight over it.OVERALL: I love the muted colors and the look of this PPOBOW Messenger Bag; it seems sturdy and I'm looking forward to using it!

5.0 out of 5 stars Stylish and Functional for Work or School

2025-12-30    -Kermit “Indieviewer” Jones, Jr.

This bag didn’t even last a day in my hands—it was instantly claimed as a college graduation gift for a young engineer stepping into a graduate teaching assistant role. And honestly, I can’t blame them. The muted canvas with faux-leather accents makes it look sharp and professional, while the sturdy build suggests it can take on both classrooms and cross-country flights. It’s the kind of bag no one would be embarrassed to carry into the lab or onto a plane.The bag balances practicality with style. The compartments are thoughtfully laid out: padded laptop sleeve in the main section, organizer slots for pens, cards, and keys in the front, and extra zippered pockets both inside and out. Even the side pockets fit water bottles or umbrellas. The strap is thick and comfortable with a padded shoulder section, and the hardware is all metal except the front buckles, which still clip solidly.Highlights:- Dimensions about 18.5 x 13.8 x 4.5 inches, fits laptops up to 17 inches- Canvas body with faux-leather handle, zipper pulls, and strap pad- Metal zippers, loops, and hardware add strength and durability- Padded laptop section with strap for secure carry- Multiple compartments for cards, pens, accessories, and chargers- Two side pockets for bottles or umbrellas- Adjustable shoulder strap with padded section for comfort- Includes two extra zipper pulls for backup- Professional style in muted tones, looks sharp in academic or work settings- Priced under $50, excellent value for features and buildOverall, this messenger bag is a winner. It looks great, feels durable, and is loaded with useful compartments. The only long-term question is whether the stitched handle design will hold up under heavy loads, but for everyday use at this price point, it’s hard to beat. Stylish, functional, and gift-worthy.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent bag for your computer

2026-01-19    -Andrea C.

We love the bags

4.0 out of 5 stars Very BIG ... except the side pockets!

2026-02-17    -FBachofner

While I prefer the smallest possible laptop sleeve (with a handle and strap for those times I don't carry it in a backpack), my partner is always over-stuffing her laptop bag(s) in a (largely failing) effort to avoid carrying a purse or other bag.Well, this looked even larger (and arguably more stylish) than her previous "big" laptop bag, so I got it for her in an effort to address her desires.Success! With this, she now has a large enough bag (with room to spare!) to carry all her things in addition to her largish (16") laptop and some books.Her only "gripe" is that the side pockets are not big enough to carry anything larger than something like a typical small bottled Water ~16.9 fl ozThat said, she easily fits her 30 or 40 oz metal bottle(s) inside the main bag -- but wishes there were a separate, externally accessible pocket or two for this, since "separation" between a water bottle and laptop would be beneficial in multiple regards (keeping the bottle upright, minimizing and transfer of possible leakage, better at avoiding "collisions" with stuff in the main compartment, etc.).This sad design choice brings this bag (in a day and age of ever increasing-in-size water bottles) to a loss of one star.It's nice, though, that the bag includes a leather patch which could be embossed with initials, contact info, logo, whatever. All the leather used in the bag matches nicely and is complementary to the canvas color. Speaking of the canvas, it is described as "grey," but "aged brown" would be equally descriptive, at least to us. Color is fairly subjective, so you might not agree.The bag does indeed come with additional leather pull tabs as indicated by other reviewers (but that seems to be missing from the official product description).

5.0 out of 5 stars Great quality bag, lots of pockets!

2026-02-15    -abarbe

Day 1 Review: Lots of pockets, and nice looking too!CONSTRUCTION: The bag is made from a tough canvas material with leathery accents. I don't see any loose stitching, and the zippers are pretty well-constructed. The inside of the bag is lined with a smoother fabric, with light padding for the laptop section. The front panel, with two plastic clasps, has an insert that makes it a little stiff, but considering that it's meant for transporting a laptop that's not a bad thing. I think this bag can take a beating and would be a good choice for travel.SIZE: The front panel is about 38.5cm (about 15.16 inches) wide and 29cm (11.4 inches) tall; the side panel is about 11.5cm (4.5 inches) thick; flattened out, the bag does meet the 18.5 inches by 13.78 inches that the item description lists. I don't have a 17.5 inch laptop, but it fits my husband's 17 inch laptop with room to spare.POCKETS: The other good thing that makes this worthy of travel is the pockets. There are two side pockets for water bottles or umbrellas. There's a zipper in the front flap to put things in.There's a large front pouch, also zippered, that has a hole with a grommet for a wire (presumably for a headphone jack to fit into, maybe a charging cable; I can't fit my USB-C cable through it unfortunately). This pouch has a built-in organizer for 6 cards, two pens, and a sewn-in metal loop for a keychain. Behind the card organizers are two larger pockets just under 10cm wide and 9.5cm deep.The main compartment is split into two sections: the rear section is padded for the laptop, and the front section has two additional pockets on the "front wall" of the compartment. The main compartment is also zippered, so the contents aren't secured by just a flap.There's also ANOTHER zipper pocket in the back of the bag that's pretty roomy.OTHER THINGS: The bag has two ways of carrying it: there's a leathery-lined handle sewn at the top of the bag so you can carry it like a briefcase, or you can use the adjustable strap. The strap is a softer thick canvas material, and there's a padded leathery shoulder cushion. I appreciate the extra details, like the leathery zipper pulls (this came with two extra zipper pulls, which is nice!), I'm not going to pour water on this thing to test its water resistance, but I'll update this post if I use it while it's raining.VALUE: Considering the quality, I'm pretty happy with the bag! I think I might have to buy a second one to make sure that my husband and I don't fight over it.OVERALL: I love the muted colors and the look of this PPOBOW Messenger Bag; it seems sturdy and I'm looking forward to using it!

4.0 out of 5 stars Very BIG ... except the side pockets!

2026-01-11    -FBachofner

While I prefer the smallest possible laptop sleeve (with a handle and strap for those times I don't carry it in a backpack), my partner is always over-stuffing her laptop bag(s) in a (largely failing) effort to avoid carrying a purse or other bag.Well, this looked even larger (and arguably more stylish) than her previous "big" laptop bag, so I got it for her in an effort to address her desires.Success! With this, she now has a large enough bag (with room to spare!) to carry all her things in addition to her largish (16") laptop and some books.Her only "gripe" is that the side pockets are not big enough to carry anything larger than something like a typical small bottled Water ~16.9 fl ozThat said, she easily fits her 30 or 40 oz metal bottle(s) inside the main bag -- but wishes there were a separate, externally accessible pocket or two for this, since "separation" between a water bottle and laptop would be beneficial in multiple regards (keeping the bottle upright, minimizing and transfer of possible leakage, better at avoiding "collisions" with stuff in the main compartment, etc.).This sad design choice brings this bag (in a day and age of ever increasing-in-size water bottles) to a loss of one star.It's nice, though, that the bag includes a leather patch which could be embossed with initials, contact info, logo, whatever. All the leather used in the bag matches nicely and is complementary to the canvas color. Speaking of the canvas, it is described as "grey," but "aged brown" would be equally descriptive, at least to us. Color is fairly subjective, so you might not agree.The bag does indeed come with additional leather pull tabs as indicated by other reviewers (but that seems to be missing from the official product description).

5.0 out of 5 stars Stylish and Functional for Work or School

2026-03-05    -Kermit “Indieviewer” Jones, Jr.

This bag didn’t even last a day in my hands—it was instantly claimed as a college graduation gift for a young engineer stepping into a graduate teaching assistant role. And honestly, I can’t blame them. The muted canvas with faux-leather accents makes it look sharp and professional, while the sturdy build suggests it can take on both classrooms and cross-country flights. It’s the kind of bag no one would be embarrassed to carry into the lab or onto a plane.The bag balances practicality with style. The compartments are thoughtfully laid out: padded laptop sleeve in the main section, organizer slots for pens, cards, and keys in the front, and extra zippered pockets both inside and out. Even the side pockets fit water bottles or umbrellas. The strap is thick and comfortable with a padded shoulder section, and the hardware is all metal except the front buckles, which still clip solidly.Highlights:- Dimensions about 18.5 x 13.8 x 4.5 inches, fits laptops up to 17 inches- Canvas body with faux-leather handle, zipper pulls, and strap pad- Metal zippers, loops, and hardware add strength and durability- Padded laptop section with strap for secure carry- Multiple compartments for cards, pens, accessories, and chargers- Two side pockets for bottles or umbrellas- Adjustable shoulder strap with padded section for comfort- Includes two extra zipper pulls for backup- Professional style in muted tones, looks sharp in academic or work settings- Priced under $50, excellent value for features and buildOverall, this messenger bag is a winner. It looks great, feels durable, and is loaded with useful compartments. The only long-term question is whether the stitched handle design will hold up under heavy loads, but for everyday use at this price point, it’s hard to beat. Stylish, functional, and gift-worthy.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent bag for your computer

2026-01-30    -Andrea C.

We love the bags