Review: Chrome Vega Brief

When it comes to work bags, I am a ride-or-die backpack person. With a backpack, the weight is carried evenly across your shoulders. Backpacks have a more boxy main compartment, which is useful for carrying oddly-shaped items, like running shoes and my lunch. And they’re usually (but not always!) more affordable.

Nevertheless, there are certain situations in which a backpack isn’t appropriate—for example, if I had to wear a blazer or a suit to work, or if I had meetings where looking professional could sway the outcome. In those cases, the Chrome Vega Brief is a good compromise. The glossy, black ballistic nylon looks subdued and professional in a work setting, but it's tough enough to get kicked around on a daily commute.

If you bike commute with a messenger bag, let me explain to you why you may be mistaken: Messenger bags drool, backpacks rule. I say this as someone who commuted with a Timbuk2 messenger for years.

Even if you ignore the consequences of chronic twisting and uneven weight distribution, messenger bags slide all over the place. An extra waist strap doesn't always help. If the shoulder strap is cinched tight enough to ride comfortably on my back, I can’t take the bag off or put it on without also removing my helmet. Nothing ruins an aura of easy professionalism quicker than getting your bag stuck on your head when you get to work.

In fairness to the many people who do prefer messenger bags, I did try bike commuting with this bag in its optional messenger mode. The bag's messenger strap, which is made of seatbelt webbing, has a foam shoulder pad covered with breathable mesh, and cinches tight enough to ride comfortably on my short torso.

But I quickly became so frustrated by having to ride with a messenger bag that I turned to the bag’s nicest-to-me feature—it has hideaway padded backpack straps! The Duraflex plastic buckles are light and easy enough to use that I was able to pull off the side of the road, unclip the messenger strap, shove it into the hideaway pocket, clip on the backpack straps and carry on, just as God intended.

There is also a loop that can hold a bike lock. It was too big to hold my Kryptonite U-lock, which didn’t particularly matter to me because I mounted my lock on my commuter bike.

I have to admit that the messenger bag back sitch is mitigated by the fact that it’s impossible to overstuff the brief. It has a small 15-liter capacity, with a padded laptop compartment that fits a 15-inch MacBook and main compartment lined with soft polyester faille.

A small front zip pocket has a key strap and is just the right size for a wallet, phone and set of keys. The main interior compartment has two mesh zippered pockets, five small open pockets for pens and lip balms, and one main open pocket. I was able to fit in my laptop, chargers, pens, a small notebook and planner, a hat, and my water bottle. It's when I needed to carry much more than the essentials when I ran into problems—even stopping by the library to pick up books was a bit of a stretch. This is definitely a work bag, not a stop-by-the-gym-after-work bag.

Backpacks are also inadvisable in highly charged professional situations, unless you want a crinkled blazer, a wrinkly suit, or a sweaty back to distract from the Totally Important Business Points you are about to make. That’s why, in addition to a messenger strap, the bag also has two grab handles, like a briefcase, that are held together with a buttoned leather strap.

As befits a company founded in Portland, Oregon, the nylon has been treated with DWR and the laptop compartment has waterproof zippers. This is a real concern for bike commuters, so I stuffed both compartments with towels and ran the shower on them for ten minutes.

To my dismay, the towels in the laptop compartment were damp—but then I realized it was because enough water had seeped through the zippers in the main compartment to form a pool. In the laptop compartment, the towels were dry on top and wet beneath, but no water had pooled. If you’re going to bike commute in rain with the bag, I’d suggest putting your electronics in a plastic bag, but your laptop should be fine.

I can understand people being put off by plastic hardware--especially if you associate Chrome with that big, shiny, seatbelt buckle--but I appreciated the opportunity to drop some weight. Finally, after a week of casually tossing the bag next to my desk at home and at work, the buttons on the leather grab handle started to show some wear. Luckily, the black paint scratches off and leaves you with a nice bronze patina.

This is not a good work bag for me. Once I leave the house, work is just one stop among many—the grocery store, the gym, the library. 15 liters just isn’t enough room, especially if you like to pack a few extra items, like an extra shirt, pair of shoes, or toiletries case, in your hand luggage. This is also not a particularly outdoorsy bag. Chrome’s messengers are easily more weatherproof.

However, if you are a businessperson who doesn’t need to carry much more than a laptop, a few pens and some papers to and from the office, then this would be a great bag. The loop on the back slides perfectly on the handle of my Briggs & Riley roller carry-on. A few rough-and-tumble scratches on your briefcase, with that distinctive rubber-coated Chrome logo, might very well add intrigue to your professional persona.

At least it would here in Portland, Oregon. Like having a discreet wrist tattoo poking out from under a suit sleeve, it says, “I make a decent salary, but I can also party!” Or does it? Maybe someone who has a different job should answer that.