Ever wait for a product so long you felt it could never live up to your expectations? That’s how I felt when I finally received my Anvanda Bag in the mail, nearly a year after I supported the campaign through Kickstarter. My Timbuk2 messenger bag was showing its age, and I’d been lugging the poor guy around since I received it as a gift more than five years ago. It’s not that I’ve solely used the Timbuk2—no—I’ve tried plenty of other bags. But after constant disappointment with loose stitching, crappy zippers, and shoddy materials, I always came back to the Timbuk2. The Anvanda Bag seemed just too good to be true. Anvanda claims to deliver a high-quality bag for a reasonable price, which is what originally drew me to the project. So I waited and waited, and my bag finally came in the mail a few weeks ago. Was it worth the wait?
The Anvanda Bag is simply the best bag I’ve ever used as a daily carry. The bag itself is sturdy, well constructed, and made of high quality materials. This backpack messenger hybrid can be carried in almost any way imaginable. The bag has several strap clips and can be set up to be carried like a backpack, messenger back, or by the handle like a briefcase (although not sure why you’d do this). No matter what angle from which you approach it, it’s easy to grab the bag and get going.
Backpack mode
I purchased the smaller green version of the bag with a leather upgrade. Much to my delight, I unzipped the bag for the first time to discover the inside lining was bright orange. The brown/green exterior gives the bag a classic professorly look, but the orange interior livens things up a bit. Much like my favorite pen addict, orange is also my favorite color.
A laptop sleeve and two large zipped pockets on the interior (in backpack mode)
Pockets! This bag has just the right amount of pockets. I keep my Nock Co. Tallulah in a hidden pocket, easily accessible and tucked behind the front leather panel. The bag doesn’t go crazy with battery packs, bungee cords, robotic arms, or any of those other extras you see on a lot of the newfangled Kickstarter bags—and I prefer the bag for it. The Anvanda Bag does include a rain cover, which is easy to slide around the bag and tucks into a dedicated pocket at the bottom of the bag.
Sturdy snaps, clips, and zippers make this bag something special.
Nearly every component of the Avanda Bag feels custom. The zippers are sturdy, have handy keychain snaps, and are stamped with Anvanda’s logo. While many bag manufacturers source supplies from bargain basement suppliers, which becomes clear when zippers break within a week, Anvanda seems to have done their research, and the bag shines because of it.
My few issues with the Anvanda Bag are minuscule. The laptop sleave is accessible when unzipping the bag in backpack mode but not when unzipping from the messenger bag style zipper. This is a minor annoyance, and I’m not even sure how this could be manufactured in a reliable way without resulting in a flimsy insecure laptop sleave.
There’s no access to the laptop sleeve in messenger bag mode, but there is another secret pocket!
For the first time in five years, I’ve finally found a new bag that’s worthy of everyday carry status. I’ve been carrying the Anvanda Bag exclusively for the last few weeks and, dare I say, I like it more than my old Timbuk2. Capacity wise, I often find myself lugging around my 13-inch MacBook Pro, 12.9 iPad Pro, and a folder stuffed with paper, and the Anvanda doesn’t flinch. It’s just big enough without feeling bulky. There are very few products that live up to the hype of clever marketing techniques, but the Anvanda team has pulled off something special here. The bag is truly phenomenal and worthy of a glowing recommendation. If you’re looking for a durable bag that can be carried in several modes, the Anvanda may very well be worth a look. It’s currently available and shipping via Indiegogo.
Bonus detail shots!