Hey folks, Valkor here. And I'd like to give a warm welcome to the folks at ThinkGeek for stepping into "The View" or "The Other View", where we have no shame in displaying our affections for what we love the most. And entering into the TechGear arena is a messenger bag that one mustn't do without - since it holds everything. I'm talkin ThinkGeek's "bag of Holding".
For Dungeons and Dragons geeks (or anyone into RPGs), you're well aware of what a "Bag of Holding" is, but for those unfamiliar with the term, let's hit up our friends over at Wikipedia to get the full answer:
A bag of holding is a fictional magical item in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game, capable of containing objects larger than its own size.
So how does this apply to us and ThinkGeek? Well their version of the Bag of Holding looks similar to that of a messenger bag. Wait a minute… upon closer inspection, it would appear that… yes… yes it is a messenger bag! And this bag can be used upon your daily travels... holding many things. On the outset, the bag is made up of a rugged, yet soft canvas material, with a nylon adjustable strap. The top part of the bag is locked into place with a magnetic snap; at the top is a zippered pouch (with no additional pockets). This main flap opens up to reveal three additional pouches; the first is held by magnetic snap and the second and third are zippered. The first and third pouch contain smaller pockets for holding miniscule objects (gotta have a place for your d20 dice). At the top of the bag, just behind the handle, there's another padded compartment that can be used to hold documents, books, laptop, tablet, anything. And finally at the back there is one more pouch with a magnetic snap.
My two initial impressions were 1) it's pretty big; bigger than most bags in my collection. 2) I dig the color, and as a fantasy nut, yea it totally works. But this is a bag of holding, capable of holding many things, so what did I put into it:
A laptop, plus my iGo power supply, 3 notepads (that I squandered from the recent Pepcom), three more larger notebooks, a bottle of water, pens, my cellphone charger, my Clear wireless modem, two shirts, two ties, my sweater vest, and a ham sandwich. And not only did I have space for more stuff, but the bag didn't look all that full. So for the heck of it I tossed in a Western Digital External storage drive, two PS3 games, a couple of DVDs, and a couple of Squeeballs I had lying about. And I still had extra room. I wasn't gonna go any further because then it gets kinda unwieldy. That's the thing about a real-life Bag of Holding – yea you can hold a bunch of stuff, but it's gonna weigh you down.
So after putting ThinkGeek's sack through all the pressures of the Val-Cave, you gotta wonder how well it did. Look no further than the TOV Breakdown.
The Bang:
What can I say; it's a Bag of Holding that does exactly what it says it can – hold a lot of stuff! I think the actual size of the bag helps in that sense, but given that you can hold a great deal, it won't give off the impression that you're carrying much. If you're carrying minor items such as notepads and documents, then you'll be pretty amazed how light and comfy the bag really is; I find that it makes a great rest for my arms when I'm on my commute. Now I'm a pocket nut and winner in this respect goes to Tenba and CaseLogic, but for storage The Bag of Holding wins hands down as their pockets are cavernous! Again, on the outset it doesn't look like much, but when you start to open things up, you'll be amazed. Finally the adjustable strap has an amazing length that pleases me (no homo).
The Slack:
If there's anything wrong with this bag, I have yet to find it.
Though ThinkGeek's Bag of Holding hasn't persuaded me to play D and D, I am proud to say that this is a must own bag, which works great for storage (lots of space), productivity (gotta keep everything in check), and comfort (its soft yet rugged), and I highly recommend it. So out of TOV 5 stars, I give ThinkGeek's Bag of Holding a perfect 5 and it's been Valkor tested, TOV Approved!