There’s nothing like a good bag that can hold everything you need and still remain small enough to tuck under your coat, should the need arise. I’m always on the hunt for a great bag, and since I travel a lot for work, I have a specific set of features that I’m looking for. The EcoSmile Messenger Bag checks every box.
First and foremost, the bag has to be inexpensive. I get it; quality costs. But there’s a weird part of my DNA that won’t let me drop hundreds of dollars on a bag. Fortunately, this bag meets this low price qualification.
Second, I want pockets so I can put everything in its place, but I don’t want so many pockets that they seem extraneous. So many bags and travel backpacks have tiny little storage pouches everywhere that are designed to hold tiny things, like pencils or memory cards. In my experience, you’re going to get to your hotel and everything will have been dumped out into the main pouch anyway. Unless you go to great lengths to ensure that your bag stays perfectly upright your entire trip (and spoiler alert: it won’t), you’ll soon find that all the organization you did was for nothing. So give me a few larger pockets and I’ll be fine.
Finally, I need a bag big enough for at least a 13-inch laptop. I don’t like working on anything smaller. My primary laptop is the Lenovo Yogabook 9i, which just barely fits in this bag, but it does indeed fit.
I also enjoy a few nice-to-have boxes that this bag ticks, but those were the primary criteria I looked for when researching a new bag. Indeed, I set out deliberately shopping for this bag, and I’m very happy with the results. Let’s break it all down.
The Ecosmile messenger bag is large enough to serve as a laptop backpack, slim enough to hide under your coat and designed with a few extras that make it a perfect travel companion. These perks include a pass-through USB-A charging port, anti-theft features and an adjustable shoulder strap that can fit bigger people.
How I found the EcoSmile Messenger Bag
As I mentioned, I deliberately went out shopping for this bag. My old shoulder bag was getting a little long in the tooth, and it didn’t quite meet all my needs. The main pocket was large enough for a laptop, but it only had one smaller pocket in the main area. The small pocket on the front was spacious for a few cables, but the fit wasn’t quite right. It could be difficult to get a cable or out without a struggle.
So I set off to find a replacement and researched a couple dozen bags before I was able to settle on the Ecosmile messenger bag. I’m a bigger guy — on the wrong side of 300 pounds — so my biggest concern was whether the shoulder strap would get long enough to wear comfortably. Fortunately, not only is this crossbody shoulder strap long enough, but it’s also padded up by the shoulder, which is a feature my last bag did not have.
Additionally, this bag’s shoulder strap has an attachment loop near the top of the shoulder where you can attach a carabiner, a portable speaker or something similar. The attachment hook is at the top of the shoulder, so you’ll have to experiment with accessories to add there (or don’t add any — also an option).
The satchel bag is advertised as made of an anti-rip/anti-cut fabric; I have not tested that aspect for obvious reasons, but that fabric should make the bag hard to steal. Additionally, there is a front pocket big enough for a phone or two or a passport with a recessed zipper, which is also hard to access on the sly.
Inside the main bag, there are four separate pouches that are all fairly large. One has a zipper at the top and is good for storing smaller items. The pouch in front of that is not as deep as the others — this is where you can put a shorter item while keeping it accessible without having to dig. The last pouch is separated from the main pouch by a padded sleeve, making it appropriate for carrying a 10.2-inch iPad. Finally, the main pouch is large enough to carry most 13-inch laptops. I have used some laptops that size that would not fit in there, including the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, which admittedly has a 14.6-inch screen, so that’s not surprising.
As for the rest of the bag, the back and shoulder strap are padded and should be pretty breathable, but I’ve only had this bag for a few weeks, so I can’t speak to how it’ll be to carry on a hot day. The shoulder strap can also be attached to a hook on the left or right side of the bag, depending on your preference.
Why the Ecosmile Messenger bag is a score
I searched through dozens of bags to find the one that would work for me, and this is the one. It can carry my laptop, iPad and Kindle Paperwhite plus a few phones, batteries, cables and even a phone holder or two, which means it’ll carry everything I need for a plane or car trip. It’s also super compact which was a big deal for me. Most of the bags I looked at expanded out unnecessarily — I didn’t need or want to carry what those bags could carry.
Meanwhile, this bag carries just enough to keep me traveling light, which is crucial when you hit a trade show floor or have to walk through the unnecessarily long hallways of an airport. You can flip it around and wear it in front and add a backpack if you absolutely need to carry more, but honestly, you shouldn’t have to — unless you need to make videos or shoot photos on-site (there’s a reason I’m a writer).
So the next time you’re ready to head out on a road trip, plane trip or even a bike trip, the Ecosmile messenger bag will be a great companion and carry exactly what you need, nothing more, without taking up a ton of room.