When I first started birding, I went out with a small backpack and a small camera. That quickly changed to carrying a large camera and lens, and wearing a cross-body Black Rapid strap to support the weight. That made wearing a backpack more complicated, since my Black Rapid strap needed to sit on top of the backpack straps. In the field, that meant taking my camera off, to take my backpack off, to get to anything I brought along, like a drink of water! A bit too complicated in the best of circumstances!

I started looking at shoulder bags, sling bags, even “fanny packs” to try to find something that I could wear comfortably and still have easy acces to while wearing my camera strap. I tried a fanny pack first, for sleekness - that didn’t work out well. It felt a bit awkward to wear, but also didn’t hold much. I considered a sling style bag, but I skipped that because it didn’t seem like it’d be comfortable. Feeling too picky and like “the right” field bag might not exist, I quit looking for a few weeks.

Then I noticed that a bunch of Timbuk2 bags were on sale. It seemed like a good time to try to find a birding bag again! I have a larger Classic Messenger from Timbuk2 that is at least 6 years old, and it’s been a great commute bag (back when we did that). Browsing their bags, I noticed the Lightweight Flight Messenger simply because of the style and the lightweight descriptor. Being familiar with Timbuk2 messengers already, I felt confident in this bag to be very well made, durable, and still great looking. It ended up being the right bag, almost right away.

I ordered an extra small thinking smaller would be better and easier to handle with the heavy camera in tow. Turns out, it was really small, so I sent that one back and swapped it for the next size up - small. This is a great size for what I need in a field bag for a long (or short) birding walk.

First off, the bag comes in unique and great colors - I went with a slightly blue grey, with bright red trim (Granite/Flame), and I really like it. The fabric is different than my Classic messenger - what they call a lightweight fabric. It’s tough and seems very durable, but it is slightly softer than the Classic. The Flight is very similar in styling and features to the Classic. The flap is attached by Velcro and two clips. I rarely use the clips, and the Velcro is ridiculously loud when trying to be quiet with a bird or wildlife in the field, so I put two little strips of Velcro on one side, to make less of it stick together with the bag is closed. Makes it a lot more discrete to open in a quiet place!

The inside has great pockets and organization. On the main panel, under the flap, there are two zip pockets great for keys or wallets. A small open pocket is great for a small item for quick access. On the inside, there are two skinny slots for pens, etc. and two wider slots that fit a snack bar or small notebook. Behind those pockets is a large zipped pocket. Inside the bag, on each end, there are small stretchy pockets. One is mesh, one is solid. I use one to keep a small water bottle upright and the other for small items. The interior of the bag is lined in a waterproof liner, which also happens to be bright red.

At the back of the bag is a lightly padded sleeve which holds paper or a tablet. A 13” MacBook Pro fits nicely in this sleeve, or an iPad. It also holds a 15” MacBook Pro, but it is a bit snug. The photos show all three, so you can see how they fit:

There is a strap in the top of the bag that connects the front to the bag, to keep it a little more secure. I don’t use this strap very often since I tend to want quick and easy access to what it in my bag. I could see that being handy in other situations, though.

The body strap is a typical strap but comes with a padded cover, which makes it a lot more comfortable to carry. It also has a quick adjustment clasp on one end to make adjusting the strap length easy, fast, and one-handed. A second crossbody strap is included, not attached, and can be added for a bit more stability, such as while riding a bike.

The Timbuk2 Flight Messenger bag has become a regular part of all of my birding hikes. It holds and organizes the smaller essentials. It also carries binoculars, water, small camera accessories, and even a small camera. It is comfortable on multi-mile hikes and allows quick access to items without having to remove my camera.

It’s a perfect field bag for a day of birding or a short walk, and probably for a commute or airplane carry-on.