application
Let's start right away with the point where Brooks has almost traditionally collected top marks. Whether saddle, clothes or – as here – messenger bag: the products from the English company are a real feast for hands and eyes. For the Brixton's outer material, Brooks uses a mixture of cotton and leather. Cotton may seem out of place in a messenger bag, but that's far from the case: the universal fabric of the Brooks bag is waxed, which not only makes it very strong and durable, but also makes it rain and snow proof.
The Brixton Tote & Shoulder Bag doesn't show any weaknesses when it comes to the seams and straps either: no matter how hard we look for it, we can't find the slightest weakness in the workmanship. The straps are neither too tight nor too soft and the solid metal buckles make adjustment a breeze. The leather of the flap and the bottom is of high quality, as is typical for Brooks, even if it is a bit stiff at first - but that goes away after a while.
Seat
Let's come to an extremely exciting matter: How does the visually sophisticated but not very sporty bag fit? From the outside, it has very little in common with a traditional messenger bag, but we are pleasantly surprised. Two straps make it possible to securely fasten the bag to your back while driving. In addition to the obligatory shoulder strap, Brooks has fortunately also thought of a waist strap. The latter has a rather idiosyncratic clasp, which holds very well, but can only be closed with a lot of force, especially at the beginning.
Unfortunately, the bag was a bit negative in terms of comfort: There was no padding here at all - while this is still tolerable on the back, the padless shoulder strap becomes uncomfortable after a short time when the bag is full, especially if you are only wearing a thin shirt or shirt .
Organization
The Brooks Brixton is a bag with two faces: In addition to the classic messenger bag, it can also be used as a tote bag with additional volume. However, we are concentrating exclusively on using it as a messenger bag on a bike. And as always in our tests, our "test charge" is used here, consisting of:
- A 15″ notebook
- A Tupperware
- A notebook
- Two pens
- A full 1l bottle
Unfortunately, the Brooks bag has to give up feathers here - inside we only find a large compartment and a small organizer. There are therefore almost no options for arranging the content - there is also no (padded) compartment for laptops or tablets. While we fit our stuff in pretty quickly and easily, apart from the notebook and pens, everything inside is a mess, including the laptop. Here you also need a laptop bag and you should certainly not be a fanatic about order.
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