Review: Powerbag Messenger Bag

The Powerbag Messenger Bag is a bag that has an integrated USB charger to keep you powered up on the go. We were sent a bag to review and have been very impressed with it. The first thing you want in a bag is for it to look good. The Powerbag lives up to that with attractive diagonal cross-stitching across the front in an all black color scheme (also available in grey). It’s design by fūl. The second aspect to look for is comfort.

The bag’s detachable shoulder strap fit comfortably without digging into our shoulder. The back of the bag, as you can see above, has pretty thick padding to both protect both the contents of your bag and prevent it from banging into you every step you take. The outside of the bag has a lot of small pockets of various sizes to hold all your things and keep you organized. There’s even a water bottle pocket on the side. But what about the inside?

The inside has a dedicated laptop compartment rated for up to a 16″ laptop with a wide u-shaped velcro strap to keep it from falling out (shown open above). The laptop compartment easily fit our MacBook Air and would likely fit it with a case too. We didn’t flip the bag upside down with our laptop inside, but we probably could have and it would have stayed put. It feels well protected in there. The main compartment has plenty of room and it too is nicely lined. A zippered pouch inside the main compartment holds the battery pack for the charger.

The battery pack? Yes- we saved the best part for last- the built-in charger. The aptly named Powerbag is designed to keep you powered up. Each of the two pockets shown above is wired directly into the charger. Just slip your device in the pocket and plug it in and you’re charging on the go. Nothing to think about, nothing to bring along, you’re charging. To tell how much power you have left in the bag, you just press the button next to the power meter. It’s a little hard to see in this daylight photo but there are 4 little white lights that are lit up to indicate that the bag is fully charged.

The battery included is a removable 3000mAh battery which includes Apple, Micro-USB and Mini-USB connectors and a USB port to charge anything else you can think of. The manufacturer says it will charge most mobile devices two times fully which seems pretty close to accurate based on our unscientific testing (and most likely you can charge it more than twice because realistically you’re not going to let your phone run down to 0% before charging). A water resistant AC port on the outside of the bag makes it easy to juice up the bag.

The verdict: an excellent laptop bag suitable for everyday use or travel. It looks good, has lots of pockets, good padding and protection, comfortable and the best part is the integrated charger. The bag costs $139 and also comes in tablet, backpack, and briefcase sizes. Available from Powerbag directly.