Outdoor Retailer: Timbuk2

We're coming to the end of the posts from the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market show. 

My stop at this booth was without a doubt the best one of the entire show. Why will be made clear at the end of the post.

I am not ashamed of professing my love of Timbuk2 messenger bags, and I always make a point of stopping by their booth to see what new items they have. This time, I was contacted in advance and actually had an appointment to get the grand tour.

I was met at the booth by Jordan, who took some time, and did an excellent job of showing me what Timbuk2 was working on for 2011.  Here are some of my favorites.

I love messenger bags, and I love camera equipment. The Snoop Camera Messenger bag combines both. It comes with a removable padded insert to hold all of your camera gear.

Backpacks are becoming more poplular, with their ability to more effectively distribute the load. Newer backpack models have their trademarked Swing Around laptop access so you can retrieve your laptop without taking your pack off your back. Here Jordan is showing how easy it is to access your laptop.

I really liked this iPad case which doubles as a stand.

With Timbuk2's bag customization process, you can let your individuality show. They have some unique fabrics available (I like the zebra stripes), and you can go from mild to wild!

The backside of the Shift Pannier Messenger bag showing the mounting hardware. From the front, it looks like a standard messenger bag. The mounting hardware allows it to attach to any standard bike rack, like the picture below (from last year)

note: this picture is from the 2010 show, I include it because I didn't get a picture of the display from this year.

After Jordan showed me the bags, he asked if I would like to take the tall bike they display the panniers on for a spin.

What do you think my answer was?! 

We unloaded the bike and he rode it to the back aisle - where there wasn't any foot traffic, and gave me a few lessons in how to mount and ride a tall bike.

First, the glamour (whatev!) shot proped against the wall.

Time to ride!

This was my first time riding a tall bike. It's just like riding a regular bike, except the ground is farther away. I was a little nervous, and right after Justin took this picture, I fell and landed on my hip. He asked if I was done. I told him that I rarely learn from my mistakes, and I wanted another go. Jordan offered to let me take it out on the roads after the show, considering I fell after only 20 feet, I declined the most generous offer.

Like I said, this was my favorite booth to visit. I would like to thank Jordan and Timbuk2 for taking the time to show me around, and especially for letting me injure myself (just kidding, no permanent damage done, just bruised my hip).

You can see more of their bags and accessories at http://www.timbuk2.com/.