I recently bought two messenger bags, one from Chrome, the other one from Bagaboo. It took me forever a while to decide which bag(s) I want, and I originally intended to buy only one bag. I changed my mind after having the chance to play with a Chrome Metropolis, and, since I couldn’t decide between a Chrome and a Bagaboo bag at all, decided to buy one of each.
Messenger bags have been around forever, but are nowadays mostly used by bike couriers. They are easy to put on your shoulder with just one hand, and offer easy access to their content by just dragging them around your body without removing them from your shoulder.
The Chrome bag of my choice is a Citizen, a medium sized bag (20l volume) that is ideally suited for commuting to work. It does hold my training outfit or enough clothes to change for a weekend, but since I originally intended to replace my rucksack, which was a bit bigger, I also bought a Bagaboo Workhorse L, which is big (34l volume). BIG! Even though there’s larger sizes available from either Chrome and Bagaboo with the Metropolis (32.8l), the (only available in Europe) Berlin (45.8l) and the Kremlin (freaking 49l volume) from Chrome, and the Workhorse XL (40l) from Bagaboo, this bag is more than enough for some traveling and hauling around (or couriering) lots of stuff.
Funny anecdote: I was planning on buying a Bagaboo Workhorse L, but felt it would be a bit to big for dragging it around every day. I wrote to Tamas, the founder and owner of Bagaboo, and asked him whether it would be possible to get a slightly smaller Workhorse, a “M” model. At that time, it wasn’t, so I was back on square one and that answer was responsible for a certain delay in choosing a bag. It appears I haven’t been the only one to look for a Workhorse M, as Bagaboo does now offer exactly that model (23l in volume) 
Given that background, let me tell you something about the bags, and their pros and cons.
The Chrome Citizen is a sure looker with it’s trademark metal seatbelt buckle and the stylish winged lion logo. Some of my friends called the design ‘martial’ or ‘militaristic’, but they believe it suits me and I always liked the looks of that bag. It’s available in a range of colors and patterns, but you can’t have one built to your liking.
The bag has two big open pockets (for bottles) and one flat pocket on the inside, not counting the main compartment, and two pen pockets, a small pocket and a zipped pocket on the outside. I read once it had a secret, hidden pocket, but as of now, I haven’t been able to find it, and I not sure whether this doesn’t only apply to the bigger models.
Amongst the pros of that bag is the incredible shoulder padding and the very good adjustment options. If you fit the straps to match your current load and ensure a comfy balance on your shoulder, it will stay that way. Period. Unless you decide to change it back or adjust a bit. The bag sits perfectly on my shoulder and doesn’t hinder my movements at all. Clever use of velcro on the straps allows you to keep the stabilizer strap out of the way if you don’t use it. Cleaning the bag is easy as you can remove the inner tarpaulin layer.
There’s only two things I don’t like about the bag: The back is neither padded, nor somewhat rigid, which does allow the bag to wrap nicely around your bag, but also means that if you carry something that can hurt your back, it will. Second thing is the lack of options to individualize the bag. While other companys offer laptop sleeves, costum designs, etc., Chrome offers you a nice bag. Its good looking, it’s comfy and will likely outlive me, but you will have to live with the default model. The only accessories I found on the website are the optional cellphone or radio holders (+23€/16€).
The Bagaboo bag has only one downside, so let’s start with that one: The strap system, while allowing to adjust it in about a million ways for a perfect fit (and I mean perfect!), doesn’t really offer any options to fix some of the straps, so you’ll have to life with some dangling straps. They usually shouldn’t come in your way, but I like the opportunity to fix them to something and be sure that there’s nothing loose to catch yourself with. Also, the straps appear to be moving quite a bit more than the Chrome ones, so you might have to readjust every once in a while (Not really sure yet – while I did some readjusting after some time on the road when using the bag, it could be possible that I haven’t just found the perfect fit yet). It has plastic buckles that appear stable, but I can’t help myself: It’s plastic.
That being said, here’s the pros: Padded back. Second shoulder strap for heavy loads. Large 3D pocket on the outside (closed with velcro), zipped pocket on the outside. Behind the zipped pocket, another velcro shut pocket that has three pen pockets included. Two large inner pockets, pretty much the same open “bottle” design as in the Chrome bags, and another large pocket that is being closed by velcro. And that’s only the default layout. When it comes to customizing, Bagaboo offers a very wide range of options, and, from what I heard, if something isn’t already offered on their website, kindly ask for it. If it is possible, they will make it.
I opted for a laptop sleeve (+17€) and compression straps (+5€), which allow you to compress the bags bottom if you don’t really have a full bag. Other options include: inner padded back pocket (+7€), inner, zipper pocket (+5€), secret pocket (+7€), key clip (+2€), extra reflective stripes (+7€) and an U-lock holder (+5€). The laptop sleeve is removable, by the way. Naturally, there’s also a cell holder available (+6€).
They also encourage you to choose a custom design, so you can upload images that can be added to the bag’s lid (extra costs vary depending on the complexity of the design), and you can chose from a wide range of colors for exterior and interior that can be freely combined. While discussing how my bag should be configured, I found Tamas to be a very polite and helpful character, so if you do have any questions, just write him an email.
In conclusion, these are two superb bags. I prefer the Chrome for everyday use, simply because it’s smaller in size, but would definitely opt for the Bagaboo on any long hauls. The Chrome bag is more of a lifestyle accessory than the Bagaboo, and while both bags are perfectly suited for real couriering (ok, the Chrome one is a bit small), the latter one is the real workhorse here. I also must admit that I really like the many ways Bagaboo always you to individualize your bag, so if you, other than me, only plan to buy one bag, go for a Bagaboo. If you do have the money to spend, consider buying a smaller Chrome, which really is a good commuter’s bag (I need that laptop sleeve!), and go for a larger Bagaboo for your hauling needs.
Find Bagaboo here: www.bagaboo.hu/en/
Chrome bags can be bought online on the companys website, or the european divison: www.chrome-europe.com