Wearing the Imago

[pretzelb]

Just wanted some feedback on others wear their Imago. I was using mine on long dog walks to carry water, treats, and toys and I'm having some trouble getting comfortable. At first I tried down to the butt level but this was too bouncy and using the waist strap around my upper thighs was just too weird. I then adjusted it to be more near my lower back and that seemed to work better because the bouncing around while walking fast was eliminated with the waist strap (which wasn't as dorky now). But I then found myself fidgeting with the padding on the should strap. Am I the only one who finds how this moves around a tad annoying? It's nice that it adjusts but either my build is strange or I'm walking too fast because it seems to move on it's own.

I got the Imago because I wanted to have something I could access without removing (unlike a backpack) but I am starting to wonder if you are going to be walking a lot that it's worth going with a regular backpack.

[PM4HIRE]

Well, here's my $0.02: If you are carrying heavy stuff, and
water is heavy, it is best to use a backpack, as opposed to
a messenger bag. A backpack aligns well with your spin, thus
is better suited for carrying heavy stuff.

I carry my Imago across my left shoulder and high on the
middle of my back (near spin). I suggest you find a light
backpack made of packcloth material that has "no padding".
Unfortunately, Tom Bihn does not make such a backpack.

BTW, checkout the Packcloth Cayuga from Tough Traveler,
this backpack may be better suited for your application. I
now have two Tom Bihn bags, giving me more flexibilty since
not one single bag can meet all my day-to-day needs.

As Tom Bihn has noted in his post below, that's why I
have never purchased a backpack.

[Tom Bihn]

After toting my Imago all over Montreal in August of '06, I designed the Quick-Adjust Messenger (Q-AM) strap, pretty much for all the reasons you mention in your post: I wanted to get into the bag quickly and easily but hated it bumping around on my hip, especially when I was moving fast. The Q-AM strap allows the bag to rest at your side when you are moving slow, and then cinches up to ride high on the lower back when you need to make tracks, either on foot or by bike (push or motor). Some people use it along with a waist strap for even more stability, but I don't.
PM4HIRE makes a good point that a backpack is often the winner from an ergonomic standpoint, but I find the shoulder/messenger bag style trumps all in urban use, especially when I'm running errands.

[pretzelb]

Shoot.

You'd think with all the time I spent browsing the site prior to buying I would have noticed the Q-AM strap. I had seen it mentioned before but I never really browsed it. I think that might be an option for me. I guess that good for TB sales but I was hoping I was done for a while.

On the other hand I am considering a new theory that some people are just not shoulder strap people. Maybe I'll name myself as patient 0 for this new theory. I often find myself wanting the easy access that all non-backpacks have, but when I try such bags it always ends up being uncomfortable to me.

I'll think about the Q-AM. Thanks for the advice.

[Joy]

On the other hand I am considering a new theory that some people are just not shoulder strap people. Maybe I'll name myself as patient 0 for this new theory. I often find myself wanting the easy access that all non-backpacks have, but when I try such bags it always ends up being uncomfortable to me.

I'm like you. I really want to be comfortable carrying a shoulder bag, and I love my Imago and Small Cafe Bag. But, if I'm going for any kind of walk, I'm much more comfortable with a backpack. I finally gave in, bought a small backpack, and pretty much only use backpacks now.

[PM4HIRE]

As of September 1, 2007, I'm officially retired, but when I was workng as
a project manager in technology, I carried my Imago on the front mesh
shelf of my rollator, click http://www.ahlbergleber.com/Sidor/pr...lassic_eng.htm
to view my rollator. BTW, the Imago fits perfectly on the mesh shelf, then
I wrap the shoulder straps around the seat for added security.

I recently purchased a small cafe bag that I now use as my everyday
bag. I may ask Santa for a light backpack but have misgivings about
accessing my stuff as others have mentioned. The bottom line for
me is that messenger vs. backpack comes down to personal style
when traveling.

I can tell you from personal experience that you will pay dearly for improperly
carrying heavy gear later on in life, beyond the normal "wear and tear" on
one's body.

[Darcy]

I prefer messenger bags/shoulder bags to backpacks. I only carry a backpack when I'm hiking or traveling and carrying the Aeronaut with its backpack straps.

I like the Standard Strap on the Imago a lot for everyday use, but if I was regularly walking 1+ mile with the bag, I'd probably go with the Q-AM strap.

If I was carrying a lot of heavy stuff in my Imago, it would be between the Q-AM Strap and the Absolute.

I packed the Western Flyer protype last weekend with: my 15" Powerbook inside of my Brain Cell, power supply, camera cables, three notebooks, two books (one hardcover), wallet, two sets of keys, sunglasses in case, a magazine, a pound of coffee, Ritter sport bar and a bottle of San Pellegrino (last minute store stop), toiletries kit, a light sweater, and a few other lighter things.

All that stuff made the bag fairly heavy. I was pleased that the sling strap was still quite comfortable when the bag was that heavy. But since I wasn't walking far, I decided to hook up an Absolute Shoulder Strap to the bag. Man, that strap makes a difference! It's like it somehow suspends the weight from being flat on my shoulder. It's amazing.

[pretzelb]

I'm like you. I really want to be comfortable carrying a shoulder bag, and I love my Imago and Small Cafe Bag. But, if I'm going for any kind of walk, I'm much more comfortable with a backpack. I finally gave in, bought a small backpack, and pretty much only use backpacks now.

After thinking about it, I think most of my motivation for wanting shoulder style bags is derived from just a few situations. First is airports check in/out, which I don't do much of right now (thankfully). But I always get on edge for some stupid reason when I travel and having my stuff easy to access at that time makes me more relaxed. Second, is any time I'm carrying a camera. This mostly happens on trips but if I have the camera with me I want to be able to get to it easily and quickly. The backpack is the best solution for any SLR camera in my opinion and I have a Kata bag that is just bulletproof (not surprising since they make bullet proof vests too I think). But protecting my lenses comes at the price of having to take the thing on and off again all the time. This can really be a hassle if you are on a hike.

I should just stick with backpacks. They are cheaper in almost all cases and they are better for you. I guess I need some therapy to figure out why I get so frustrated with shoulder bags or the time it takes to get to a backpack.

[pretzelb]

I packed the Western Flyer protype last weekend with: my 15" Powerbook inside of my Brain Cell, power supply, camera cables, three notebooks, two books (one hardcover), wallet, two sets of keys, sunglasses in case, a magazine, a pound of coffee, Ritter sport bar and a bottle of San Pellegrino (last minute store stop), toiletries kit, a light sweater, and a few other lighter things.

Just a side note ... wow, I didn't think you'd fit that much into the WF. It will be interesting to see this when it comes out.

[Joy]

After thinking about it, I think most of my motivation for wanting shoulder style bags is derived from just a few situations. First is airports check in/out, which I don't do much of right now (thankfully). But I always get on edge for some stupid reason when I travel and having my stuff easy to access at that time makes me more relaxed.

For the airport I also prefer a shoulder bag -- I use my Imago which I love for a carry-on. It's small enough to fit conveniently under the seat in front of me without taking up too much feet room, it's organized enough to know where everything is, and it expands to hold my lunch and then shrinks down once I've eaten. I use the Cafe bag mostly now for a small bag for wallet, etc, when I am carrying my Brain Bag and don't want to lug it down to the cafeteria to breaks between classes, etc. But for any time that I am walking, it's my Brain Bag when I have a lot of stuff or my MEC Pika Plus if I don't have much.

(For $12, I find the Pika Plus to be incredible value for a light, small backpack. It isn't Tom Bihn but MEC is well known here in Canada to be fairly indestructible, and hey, twelve bucks!)

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441773119&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302699713&bmUID=1196702880303