Having a high quality daily-use bag is worth the investment in research time and funds. Finding a bag that fits everything you need to carry for the day, something that is rugged enough to last daily use but also looks stylish and modern in almost any scenario is really hard to do. I personally have gone through multiple backpacks that eventually broke in some way. In college I bought super cheap backpacks. After carrying my laptop and textbooks every single day the bags all broke on either the straps or the bottom of the bag. I went through 3 different backpacks in the first 2 years of college. I finally went out and spent a little bit more money on a bag that has now lasted me 7 years. Because of those experiences I now pay attention to the quality of a daily used bag. The Alpaka 7ven messenger bag is an incredible, high-quality bag. Alpaka just launched their Kickstarter campaign and sent me the 7ven messenger bag to review. It definitely stood up to my expectations.

I have been using the bag every day since it was sent to me a month ago. I have flown with it twice as a carry on, climbed a mountain with it, and used it as my daily bag going into the office each day at my engineering job. It is definitely the most versatile bag I have ever used. With its intentional design the 7ven messenger bag is modern and adaptable. For the person who has always loved messenger bags, but can’t seem to find one that they can use professionally and casually the 7ven messenger bag is the solution. The design compliments a well dressed businessman heading to a corporate meeting, but can then be used after work as your bag for play time.

For the first couple weeks with the bag I flew to Idaho with my wife and kids for a small family reunion. I used the bag as my carry on for the flight there and back. It is the perfect size bag for travel. It easily fit my laptop and travel items but was compact enough to store away quickly on the plane. I kept it under the seat in front of me and it was quite easy to reach down and access anything I needed during the flight. 

While in Idaho we rented a cabin up in the mountains for all of my immediate family to stay in. It was a beautiful setting and gave me the opportunity to utilize the bag in all sorts of ways including a hike up to a couple of beautiful mountain lakes.

I was quite happy with the bag for the hike. The shoulder strap is wide enough with the proper amount of padding to make carrying the bag for a few hours very comfortable. The bag has two slots for water bottles and plenty of pockets and compartments to organize all the snacks and gear for the hike.

I do have to say that I was a little skeptical about how easy it would be to transition from work to play to travel, but the bag truly does work perfectly for all of them. The style is modern and classy enough to be used for business, but the nylon material and design makes it rugged enough to run around town for daily errands and fun.

Probably my favorite feature of the bag  is the magnetic latches. I have never seen latches like these. They are German-designed and have magnets embedded in them that allow the two halves of the latch to snap together quickly and seamlessly. The latches also have this unique design that allows them to snap straight on, but in order to unlatch you have to slide to the side. It is a little tricky the first time you do it, but after snapping and sliding a few times it is quite impressive and a really cool design. Here is a short video I took to show how these latches work.

Overall I am really impressed with this bag. It is definitely a daily user for me and I have been showing as many people as possible the incredible design. Alpaka just launched their Kickstarter campaign today and they need to fully fund in order for this bag to become a reality. You can secure the early bird special at this link in order to get the 7ven messenger bag at it’s lowest price ever. Their Kickstarter campaign shows off all of the incredible details of the bag. It is definitely worth checking out the amazing design work that the guys over at Alpaka have done.