Black M-51 Engineers Field Journey Bag

Not just for men--I'm a woman in my mid-twenties and I LOVE THIS BAG! It was given to me as a gift and the first thing I noticed was the nice, simple style. The heavy-duty canvas exterior is lovely left plain, but is also a great canvas for personalization. The next thing I noticed was the quality of construction--it's quite well-made. I love the reinforced back zipper pouch--it's actually the perfect size for my 13" Macbook Pro in its sleeve, and the solid construction of the bag makes me feel secure about carrying my laptop in it. The third thing I noticed is all the different pouches and pockets--some I haven't even used yet! It makes my little geeky heart very happy knowing that there is a place for all my stuff in this bag. The strap is well-constructed and solid, highly adjustable, and comfortable to wear. This is the perfect bag for classes, everyday use, and travel. I absolutely love it.

I bought this bag because I needed something to carry my medical supplies in...what I got, was a HUGE surprise as to just how much this bag actually holds.Before buying this bag, I would carry 2 - 3 separate bags; 1 for medical supplies, 1 for personal items, & sometimes 1 for clothing items.Having bought this bag, I now carry only one bag for everything.This is a very well made 100% 22 oz cotton canvas bag.The flap that covers the front of the bag has a large pocket on both the inside AND the outside; when you open the flap, there are pockets for a small note pad & pens/pencils; a pocket for cell phone/keys/ what have you; there is a LARGE inside pocket that can hold a pair of blue jeans, a T-Shirt, underwear, socks & an extra pair of shoes.On the back side of the bag there is a zipper that goes from the left side all around to the right side; inside this is a medium sized pocket; across from that(also on the backside of the bag) is a medium sized pocket along with some small pockets for various goodies you may wish to carry.I know that some women use this for a purse & now that I own one, I can understand why. There is very little that this bag can not hold, including but not limited to, a 17 inch lap top computer.I highly recommend this bag, you will not be disappointed.

The hasp that holds the front flap closed immediately broke off when I lifted the bag by the top handle. I was outside and in a place where the recovery of the lost item would have occupied the rest of my morning. Poor design or poor material...maybe both. The shoulder strap is secured with metal rings and clips, so that should not give way. The top handle is attached to the front flap, so without the flap being secure, the top handle becomes awkward to use. I liked the size and the overall functionality. A two point closure might be better then the current one point on the front flap, but bag design is not my strong suit.

So, being the guy I am, I like a good, manly bag. None of this purse crap, right? So I did some research, and this is the bag that won. I've owned a couple messenger bags in the past, but felt like nothing really fit correctly in them. My laptop bag is the same style as this bag - instead of the "landscape" orientation that you get with messenger bags, this is a "portrait" orientation. I've owned this bag for a little over nine months now, and it's more durable than any bag I've ever had before. When I bring it to work, I can fit any tools I need, a coffee cup, an ipod, and headphones in it, along with various pens, my phone, and a charger. When I'm out and about, I can carry a sweater, my tablet, a notebook, and anything that I might come across in my journeys. The bag holds just about as much as I can comfortably carry around in a day without being overly uncomfortable or heavy. It seems to be the perfect size, and due to its slimmer, longer profile, doesn't seem to get caught on anything or anyone while on an airplane or public transportation. I do have few complaints, though. One of which is the strap. It's attached to the bag via the top - and many other reviewers complained about this. The strap on mine has come off twice. I took this bag to a tailor, and they fixed it for about $22.00 dollars the first time, and after the strap came off again, they repaired it for free. My other complaint - the large pocket on the outside of the main compartment, inside the flap has a sharp edge that I have cut my finger on a few times. There's a learning curve to this bag.Update: Two years later and the bag is still ticking. It fits everything. I love it and when fails (not in foreseeable future) I intend on rebuying.Update 2: This bag finally failed. The clasp on the bag gave out, and I tried to replace it myself but was unsuccessful. I purchased a new one immediately and received it today. I believe the first one I received was a knock off - the build quality of the new bag is top-notch and it has Rothco labels sewn onto the inside. Also, the clasp is a different build - similar in function but not cheap looking. Neither of which applied to the original, might I add. I haven't had a chance to test the new one out, but I'll post a review of it. I'm demoting a star from this because of how the new one looks and feels and because the original just didn't cut it.

I returned from an outing the other day and set my trusty bag down as I have often done. At that time I decided to return here to Amazon and leave a very positive review based upon long term usage. I purchased the bag in February, 2014, more than a year and a half ago. Since then it has served me exceedingly well. It is an extremely versatile bag with a variety of large and small compartments. It holds a variety of my objects from ponchos to note folders, tools to water bottles. It is rugged and after all this time, basically unworn. The strap and its hardware are as good as day one.Good work Rothko, whoever you are!