The ID is a midsized messenger bag capable of swallowing everything you need for your day at work or school. With the addition of our Horizontal Brain Cell hard-sided laptop case, you can securely carry your laptop and its accessories as well.

The front flap features a large pocket lined with our 200 denier Japanese Dyneema®/nylon ripstop fabric (an ultralight yet impossible-to-tear fabric) and closed by a #8 YKK Aquaguard® water-repellent zipper. It's the perfect pocket for storing items you'll need quick access to, such as passport, plane tickets, and wallet.

Under the front flap of the ID, you'll find a large open-top pouch; on the front of this pouch there's a zippered pocket, and on either side are zippered pockets designed to securely and protectively carry portable electronic devices such as your iPhone or other smartphone. Lined with Ultrasuede® and closed by #8 YKK Aquaguard® water-repellent zippers, these snug pockets can also provide scratch-free storage for eyewear. Both pockets feature openings at the top of the zipper for your earbuds cord to feed through without getting scrunched. Inside the front pouch, five organizer pockets are sized for pens, your laptop power supply, and other small accessories; this generously sized front pouch has room for a light sweater or lunch as well.

Inside the front pouch are three O-rings: an 8" Key Strap (included with the ID bag) is attached to one of them. Key Straps are useful for keeping track of your keys — many folks leave their keys attached to the Key Strap. (You can purchase additional 8-inch, and 16-inch, Key Straps separately, in black and in colors.)

On one edge of the ID there's an exterior water bottle or umbrella pocket you can cinch down with compression straps to better secure whatever you put in there, or to flatten the pocket if not in use.

The main compartment of the ID is wide, open, and offers easy access to your stuff. You'll have room for a couple of books, a light sweater or jacket, a notebook, magazines, and lunch, in addition to typical accessories (pens, iPhone, small camera, toiletries, wallet, keys, etc.).

If you'd like extra pockets inside the main compartment, or a way to keep your files and papers neat and organized, consider the Horizontal Freudian Slip; it slips inside the ID's main compartment and provides eleven additional organizational pockets.

You can use the ID as a laptop messenger bag: the main compartment features removable Annex Clips designed to secure our Horizontal Brain Cell hard-sided laptop case inside the bag. The Brain Cell is available in sizes designed specifically for Apple and PC laptops; please consult our Laptop Bag Fit Guide to determine which is the appropriate size Brain Cell for your laptop. The Brain Cell provides the ultimate in laptop protection with soft, thick foam padding, hard, corrugated plastic walls, and a suspension system.

The back of the ID is foam-stiffened to help maintain the shape of the bag and to protect you from feeling the stuff you put in the main compartment. The back's exterior features an open-top flat pocket, perfect for even the thickest of magazines or newspapers, and a removable waist strap for extra stability when you're on your bike (motor or push). For added visibility when using the ID while on your bike, we offer the Guardian Dual Function Light, which can be attached to the front of the bag. Though the ID is designed to be carried as a messenger bag with a shoulder strap, we've added a Poron® padded grab handle on the back top of the bag that allows you to carry it more or less like a briefcase.

Three different shoulder straps work with your ID bag. The Standard Shoulder Strap, included in the price of the ID bag, is a 1-1/2" wide heavy-nylon-webbing strap; it features a comfortable, wide foam pad that won't slip off your shoulder and is designed to conform to your shoulder and back. Available as optional shoulder strap upgrades are the Q-AM (Quick-Adjust Messenger) Shoulder Strap and the Absolute Shoulder Strap. Most people will be satisfied with just one kind of shoulder strap, but you can purchase more than one kind and switch them out on your own.

The exterior of the ID is made of our 1050 denier, high tenacity ballistic nylon fabric (made in U.S.A.) and is lined with 500 denier Cordura® nylon and our 200 denier Dyneema®/nylon ripstop fabric (made in Japan).

Made in USA in the TOM BIHN Seattle factory

100% finished seams

View customer photos on Flickr.

people who have the ID say:

ID Messenger - updated review after a few weeks and a cool discovery
"Review summary: I love this bag, and will seriously consider hurting you if you try to take it away from me !! My typical load is an 11.6" Acer laptop in a brain cell, laptop charger, a pair of Sennheiser noise cancelling headphones, an old style I-pod, an I-phone, a Kindle, a Blackberry (for work), car keys with a SecureID token, and various other 'stuff'" — posted by ADBBingo

A month with my ID
"To me, the mark of a good product is that I never think about those little annoying "what ifs" that would make it easier to live with. So far, I have yet to find any aspect of the design that does not work to perfection. The positioning and size of pockets is just about right for any combination of my things. Access to your stuff is easy and painless, even when you're rummaging blind through the bag while focused on other things. The overall design just seems to be intuitive, and flexible enough to meet a variety of needs. It is also suprising ly roomy for it's size. I am amazed at how much you can really fit comfortably in the bag when needed! " — posted by MagicTiki

Initial ID Impressions
"The placement of the two handles is well thought-out and has the effect of making you feel like you're picking up a piece of luggage rather than a sack of material. Due to the construction and foam-lined back, the bag holds its shape well and still yields enough to hug your back or side. When the brain cell is strapped in it's noticeably stiffer, but still comfortable against your back. There are no exposed fabric edges anywhere in the construction. This is something I didn't consider in my old bag until I realized that cheaper seamwork is a nice place for dust and dirt to live in, and bits of nylon thread would ended up clogging the velcro." — posted by rdowd

ID Messenger Bag Review
"I was really impressed with the ease of organizing my gear into the ID. The similarity in the inside pocket layout to the Smart Alec contributed greatly to this. The depth of the ID is great -- I can put a lot of stuff into it but still have easy access to all of it. The ID is very comfortable to carry. I took it for a test drive as I walked around the mall. The thick shoulder strap made the bag very comfortable to wear across my chest. The thick part of the shoulder strap can be moved up or down the length of the shoulder whole strap so you can adjust it for your comfort." — posted by maverick

Read more customer reviews posted in our forums.