Available at sfbags.com

I wanted to start off the first gear review by talking about my old and faithful friend, the Waterfield Cargo Bag.  I’ve carried this bag five and six days a week, every week, for about 8 years now and it still looks brand new.  The only problem with this bag is that it’s never going to wear out, ever.  That’s a problem because I don’t need another one, but I want another one.  They now have a muzetto brown leather bag that could be my next purchase if I can find a way to justify it.

The review:  I got the cargo mambo combo, the largest they make.  I also got an internal sleeve case with carrying strap to fit my mac at the time, the 15″ macbook pro.  Colors are  black and taxi.  I’ve spilled coffee and soft drinks on the bag, had cats throw up on it, and it still looks brand new.  Things just wipe off.  Construction is top-notch, everything is put together like a tank.  The bag is large enough to carry a laptop, plenty of external USB hard drives, cables, ethernet cables, flash drives, pens, pads, you get the idea.  In a pinch it’ll also hold a change of clothes.  One of the most important and sometimes overlooked features is the carrying strap.  It is sewn on, extra wide, with a sliding shoulder pad.  This strap is not going to break or wear out, unlike some bags I’ve had with plastic snaps or thin leather straps.

I originally ordered the bag with an external buckle in the seatbelt style, but that proved to be too bulky for me.  I contacted Gary (the owner) and they quickly replaced that buckle with their current quick-release type snap.  Another great thing about this bag is that the inside is lined in yellow which makes it easy to find stuff that’s hiding in the crevices.  I could go on and on but that’s probably enough.

Top rating:  5 / 5 mice