Review: Pacific Design Evolution Messenger Bag

I have gone through many, many, MANY laptop cases over the years. The one I presently use most often is the one that shipped gratis with my late G3 WallStreet, acquired FAR back in the last millennium and long since transcended. The laptop itself may be gone but the case has carried a long succession of Mac laptops since, and now houses my current MacBook Pro. It’s a messenger bag format, with a really neat elastic sling that holds the laptop above the ground in case you put it down hard. Though a bit worn here and there, the case still does the job, and I haven’t found anything appreciably better in all the years I’ve had it.

As such, that old, giveaway, messenger-bag style case is my baseline, what I compare all other laptop cases to. Well, when I don’t have my oh-so-heavy Pelican laptop case in service.

Pacific Design sent off one of its Evolution Messenger Bags for me to look at and at first shake I found a few quick plusses.

Firstly, the company most certainly did not scrimp on the zippers. I have been frustrated all too often by a piece of design ruined by saving money on a little detail like the zippers. Cheap zippers can’t save that much money, can they? I guess they do, based upon just how many otherwise expensive cases I’ve seen that have had flimsy, or worse, zippers.

So, the Evolution Messenger Bag has nice, sturdy, chunky zippers with big, easy to grab toggles. Something you’d be looking for if you weren’t just using the free case that shipped with your laptop.

Secondly, the material used is a very heavy, durable 1680D Ballistic Nylon. It won’t stop bullets, but it will resist scratching and tearing and general heavy use. The case itself is heavily padded around the laptop sleeve, which is always sensible but not always done by some manufacturers.

Thirdly, well, it looks very nice. Look is something Pacific Design obviously thought about here. This is a laptop bag you won’t find yourself embarrassed by when carrying it from trendy ad agencies to corporate boardrooms. Looks aren’t everything, but the Evolution Messenger bag has looks covered very well.

Other details.

In terms of the all-important carrying around part of a laptop bag, the Evolution’s handle is well-padded and seems very comfortable while hefting about a laptop (it supports laptops as big as the 17-inch MacBook and PowerBook form factors), power adapter, cell phone, papers, magazines and other assorted small electronics.

The shoulder strap is sufficiently wide and comfortable for frequent use, and all the nice pockets and enclosures for your work stuff means you won’t have to cram things in too much, leave things behind, or find another bag, in most cases, to carry all your stuff. It measures in at 775 cubic inches, or 1150 cubic inches with the expansion section opened. Loads of space without looking like a big case. I don’t need enough to fill a legal-size case, but I like a bit more room than few a simple skin is able to carry.

If you do like skins, it supports the Nucleus PC Portfolio, Pacific Design’s laptop portfolio case. Just take your slim Nucleus case loaded with your laptop and slip it into the Evolution Messenger Bag and you have the best of both worlds.

So, would I ditch my old six-colored logo Apple bag for this case?

Oh, yes.

The Evolution Messenger is a well thought out, nice looking case that has enough room for accessories and papers and such, and doesn’t cut corners in some very obvious areas like protective padding, zippers, metal hardware, and design.

It is ‘a good thing’, and after many years of lugging around my tattered, old, but much loved G3 case, I’m definitely considering making the switch.