REI Commute vs Commute on Timbuk2 site.

Thanks! The new Commute looks really nice, I need to pick one up,

What colors will the large be available in?

Hi. Also saw a Commute Slim at REI....similar to the commute but not as bulky. And, a Commute backpack. Both looked really cool. Assume these are new as well? They had the Commute Slim listed as a woman's bag. Is there a man's and a woman's or was this mislabeled?

The large will be in Black only.

You have uncovered the "commute All-Stars" expansion to the Commute line up. All really great bags. The slim is not exclusively women's but it it's slim nature and magnets instead of velcro were requests from women as improvements to the original commute....

Great. Both look really cool. These will also not be available elsewhere until mid-Feb?

I noticed on the large Commute at REI that there was a back zippered "thru" pocket -- like to use for attaching the bag to a suitcase handle. Is this also on the new Commute medium and/or going to be on the Laptop Messenger this year?

Yep. It is a luggage pass-through and is on the new commute in medium and large. It will not be on the LTM or any Messenger since these are primary made for on the bike and on the back... The commute series is meant for airport lounges and security lines, offices and buses... so more likely to see action with a roll aboard... oh yeah!

Yep. mid february...

My laptop measures 12.3 x 10.3 x 1.3. Will it fit into the new medium sized commute (the large looks too bulky for my taste). It looks like the laptop compartment with the zipper on the new ones is smaller than the older commutes. Also, is REI still the only retailer carrying these new commute bags at this time?

Does the new Commute available at REI come with a cross strap like the previous model?

What is the approximate size of the main internal compartment of the new medium sized Commute (assuming a 1.33" thick 13.3" laptop in the laptop compartment)?

Just in black? The REI site shows it in a grey/rusty option as well.

I was about to buy a chestnut/dark brown Commute, but then realized that all the colors were for the smaller version. (I need the bigger for my 17" Macbook.)

I was really hoping for some more colorful options for those of us with bigger laptops.

check this out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Timbuk2-Commute-M...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Timbuk2-Commute-M...

Nick: This might get more notice if it's phrased as a new question.

for anyone who is curious, my laptop is about 12.3 x 10.3 x 1.3. It would not fit in the laptop compartment of the new medium commute because it stuck out of the top just a hair and I could not close the zipper :-( However, it does fit in the older medium commute because the top of the laptop compartment is open rather than closed by a zipper. So it sticks out slightly from the laptop compartment but is still secured by the velcro strap and there is still plenty of room.....although it's not quite as cool as the new ones!

Just got back from REI and compared the new and old commutes. The biggest difference, of course, is the location of the laptop compartment. The new medium commute appeared to have more storage in the main compartment and also reorganized the organization pockets (it doesn't flip out and faces the outside of the bag rather than the inside). The bag I looked at also came with a padded shoulder strap unlike the previous model. The other noteworthy change is a redesigned padded back panel (two little pads rather than one large pad) which contains a luggage pass through. To answer my own question I posed above, the bag does come with a waist strap just like the old commute (neither have a cross strap).

I like the looks of the new Slim Commute. I just wish REI would not label it as a women's only bag. After looking at it at the store. The slim is completely unisex. Having owned a classic medium commute for years and a classic messenger bag, I gotta get a new Slim Commute.

Also eBags is also offering the Slim Commute. It is not labeled on their site as a women's only bag. Timbuk2 bags rock.

What are the dimesions on the laptop compartment for the large Commute? My laptop would need a compartment of about 11" high. I know it would fit in the old Commute XL, but I think that the new one is better designed and would rather get that one instead!

Been eagerly awaiting the new Commute and just picked one up at REI yesterday! I gotta say its friggin awesome except that I had to move up to the large size. My 15" HP laptop (w-14" h-10" d-1.5") wouldn't fit in the medium's compartment. The laptop sticks up too far and prevents the zipper from closing, just like Scoot's above. Even if your laptop was just under 10", it wouldn't be very protected since the top edge would be pressing up against the top of the bag. The large isn't too big though so the only real negative is the extra $20...

Otherwise, the bag is great! I like the added space to put books or whatever else needs to come with me, like the included strap pad. The grey/rust/grey color scheme looks slick too.