Bag Week: Sumo Messenger Bag

Short Version: Sumo is fairly new to the bag game but this is a strong showing for the company. For $79.99 you get a 17-inch laptop bag made of waterproof ballistic, rip-stop nylon. Sadly, a lack of internal organization pockets hampers the overall storage capacity.

Info:
* Sumo
* Messenger Bag
* Fits 17-inch Macbook
* Ballistic Nylon
* Waterproof
* MSRP of $79.99

Pros:

* Cool styling
* Plenty of internal storage
* 3 colors

Cons:

* Three massive pockets don’t lend to organization
* Sideways pockets cause things to drop out
* “Bulking” when full

Oh, the bulking. The bulking. It always happens: you start packing to travel and you stick in some laptops, some cameras, some cables, a book or two, and your laptop bag turns into a balloon. I may be a special case, but I always bulk out my messenger bags. It happens as soon as I start packing and it, sadly, often ruins a bag.

So far the Sumo Messenger Laptop Bag has taken a beating and kept on carrying, although there is plenty of bulking in evidence. Of course if you’re a sane traveler, you can definitely get away with putting a magazine and a laptop in here without issue.

My second issue? There isn’t enough organizational structure to this bag. There are three peripheral pouches, three laptop-sized pouches, and a few zippered areas. There is also an easy access front pouch with Velcro along with three zippered pockets on the front, back, and top flap. You can put a lot of stuff into this bag, but it’s hard to find a lot of them once they’re in there.

But, again, this is a messenger bag. You’re supposed to ride a bike with this thing on, not schlep around airports. So with that in mind I can safely report that the Sumo Messenger Bag is spacious but dangerously overstuffable by the average geek.

Read more Bag Week reviews here.

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