POSTED BY

Steven Leckart

AT 8:00 AM
Thursday August 20, 2009

Accessories • Airports and Travel • Fashion • Sports and Survival

backpack • bags • chrome • cycling

Review: Chrome Warsaw [Verdict: GINORMOUS]

warsaw collage.jpg

Chrome's Warsaw bag is made from 1000-denier Cordura, lined with a weather-resistant PVC liner and features a super-padded back panel, making it one of the toughest and most comfortable packs I've slung on my back. Also, the most enormous non-touring backpack I've ever traveled with.

When opened up and fully-loaded, the Warsaw is an awe-some 5400 cu. in. The inside pockets, smaller compartments for clothes, laptop, etc., and the comfy straps/backing are helpful, sure. But really, the big sell here is the massive main compartment.

I once carried a 16-quart cooler in the Warsaw for a picnic at the park. All this week, I've been loading up the bag with product boxes to drop off at the Post Office and Wired. It's fair to say I've pushed it fairly close to the limits...

warsaw2.jpg

...and yet, riding with that sucker on my back never got uncomfortable.

I've also flown with the Warsaw to Portland, OR, Denver, CO, and Los Angeles, CA on two different airlines and had zero trouble carrying it on. Best of all, it crammed into the overhead compartments without much elbow grease.

I realize messenger bags are "hipper." People complain that backpacks make you sweatier. This HUGE backpack has the tendency to make me look tiny.

1) Hip is showing up to the picnic with cold beer, in a cooler, you pulled out of your backpack, Mary Poppins-style.

2) Yes, you get sweatier. Still, I prefer the weight distribution of a backpack when cycling. Messengers have the tendency to pull on one shoulder or slide around.

3) As big as the bag is, it's not nearly as ludicrous as this TITAN.

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7 Comments

justdom80

#1 – 8:47 AM August 20, 2009

This does look awesome, but $280?!

I just can't rationalize a backpack that costs nearly as much as my xbox 360.

Steven Leckart

#2 – 8:51 AM August 20, 2009

Yeah, it's mega-roomy but mega-pricey.

Patrick Austin

#3 – 8:57 AM August 20, 2009

Chrome, I believe, makes their stuff in the USA. The xbox 360? Not so much. $280 for high quality luggage made in the 1st world is pretty reasonable.

In my mind, a messenger bag is fine when riding, because you're leaned over enough that it sort of rests on your back rather than hanging by its strap. Walking, nothing beats a backpack.

ianturton

#4 – 9:12 AM August 20, 2009

Shame their site has crashed now so I can't check it out in full. But that looks good and the price is actually quite good for that sort of thing.

What size laptop does it take?

Michiel

#5 – 9:16 AM August 20, 2009

The Ortlieb Messengerbag Pro is very roomy as well, but not as expensive. Has space for your personal ads as well :)

http://www.ortliebusa.com/CartGenie/prod-54.htm

Steven Leckart

#6 – 9:36 AM August 20, 2009

@ianturton:

Any size you want. There's no specific padded pouch/slot. I keep my laptop in Tom Bihn's Brain Cell:

http://www.tombihn.com/page/001/PROD/300/TB0300

Ahoj

#7 – 10:24 AM August 20, 2009

While chrome bags are really really pricy they are well worth the value.

I have one of the larger messenger style ones and couldn't be happier. It was 150 dollars but the water proofing latex-covered-nylon inside has paid for it's self a few times over. I've broke beer bottles in my bag and none of the beer dripped out. The worst thing was the glass shards I had to get a pair of tweezers for.

I'm definitely considering this for good travel bag. Though, I should note that when biking with the messanger chrome it has a second strap that connects to the main strap that when clipped in and everything tightened it moves all the weight onto my back (rather than one shoulder) and it doesn't slip.

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