The story so far: I planned to retire my 10 year old timbuk2 messenger bag, and get a new custom Bedlam Bag, complete with DC flag embroidery and beer opener. Shittily for me, the chick who makes the bags is pregnant now, and can’t risk her baby by sniffing the waterproofing chemicals. After visiting every DC bike shop of repute, and finding only the Hot TopiCore style of Chrome, and the East Asian Bag Commodity style of the new Timbuk2s, the only solution was a Reload.

And since, as I said, no (FUCKING OBVIOUSLY RETARDED) DC bike shop carries them, and I don’t have enough time before I move to order custom, and didn’t want to order from the website without seeing it first, I had to go up to the Reload store in Philidelphia for the day, on the Chinatown bus. So $28 round trip has to be added to the price of the bag, along with a bottle of water and a magazine.

The picture’s not great, but I ended up with a “small civilian” size, blue and brown, “right shoulder” (for left handers) model. It’s a little smaller than I wanted, but about the same as my old bag. Even though it looks way kewler, I still hate being the n00b with the brand new bag.

Also: At the store I picked up a sweet brown with turquoise trim 15″ mac laptop sleeve. Suffice it to say, it does not fit my 15″ sony laptop, so I’m going to return it unless one of yous wants it. $35.