It’s probably a stretch to call the Peak Design Everyday Messenger part of my Everyday Carry these days, since I haven’t used it that much since my and my partner moved to the Swedish mountains three years ago. Back when I still lived in Stockholm, I used the Everyday Messenger to and from the office and client meeting every single day from when I picked it up back in 2018. I have the second generation of the bag. These days, I rarely work from places other than my home office and have zero in-person client meetings, so it mostly sits neglected. But when I do need to spend my workday in a café, it’s still the bag I use most of the time.
Like most Peak Design products, the Everyday Messenger is really geared towards photographers, with well-padded bag dividers that can be used to securely store one camera, multiple lenses, and much more. I have used it for that during my relatively short stint as a DSLR user, but for the most part, my Everyday Messenger has held my laptop, thermos, assorted cables, groceries, packages, overnight clothes for work trips, and whatever else I could fit into it, which is quite a lot. Since it’s designed with bulky camera gear in mind, it’s really overkill for I carry with me most days, but having some extra space in the bag comes in handy often.
The Everyday Messenger is also pretty clever about adapting to your needs on that point, since the distinctive latch on the main compartment can be hooked on to four different attachment points, making the bag bigger or smaller depending on your needs. The latch is also really satisfying to use. My second generation Everyday Messenger has one external zipped compartment, with multiple small pockets for storing memory cards and cables, although I only them for the latter. The laptop compartment is accessible from the outside, and has generous amounts of padding to protect it from bumps and drops.
The bag is made out of a waterproof 400 denier nylon shell with water resistant zippers, and it has reliably kept my electronics dry through many rainy days in Stockholm. The bag still feels close to new despite eight years of use, and everything is still in full working order. The wide, seatbelt like shoulder straps and sturdy hand straps feel as secure as ever. Visually, it looks more technical than fashionable, and whether that vibes with you or not is obviously a question of taste. I like it quite a lot. Tastes aside, I think most people would agree that it looks and feels solidly built.
The only regret I have about buying the the Everyday Messenger is that I sometimes wish I bought the Everyday Backpack instead, since wearing a backpack comes more naturally to me after I picked up hiking a couple of years ago. It also seems to be a lot more popular, given the larger number of options and accessories for it. But if you’re in the market for a messenger bag that can fit your gear with room to spare, the Everyday Messenger is a great choice.
