Kattee Military Messenger Bag Canvas Leather Shoulder Bag

My high school age son carried his backpacks with just one strap habitually -- which means the backpacks were being carried and pulled in a way they weren't designed to take weight and they seemed to wear out frequently. He felt that backpacks weren't working for him so he wanted to try a messenger bag this school year. We looked at all the local stores and couldn't find anything that fit his needs/wants. He has a significant number of text books so he needed a large study bag and he has an array of calculators and computer gadgets so he needed lots of pockets which could be securely closed to keep things from falling out - and this bag checked every box. Masculine enough for him and large enough with enough secure pockets to make it practical. So far - he is extremely pleased. The best part -- there is a small handle on the back that makes it easy to grab it - a nice surprise. I was a tad hesitant to order a bag that had to travel so far (it is shipped from China when you order it) and took so long to get here - but it seemed to be what he wanted and I couldn't find anything comparable locally so I tried it. The bag arrived about 1 1/2 weeks before the estimated arrival date which was good because even with ordering it several weeks ago -- I wanted it before school started and it arrived just before classes started. It was well packed and protected to ship. Seems sturdy enough and well made and I'm comfortable that the pockets are secure enough to keep his expensive calculator and gadgets from falling out. Before I ordered, I read a few reviews that suggested the strap wears out - and though it is to early to tell, I'm hopeful that won't be a problem. If the strap does come unstitched, as long as the rest of the bag is still holding up, I think a quick trip to the local shoe repair shop to re-stitch/reinforce that strap would be relatively inexpensive so it is worth the risk to me. So far, I'm very pleased about the price and quality. My picky teenaged son is pleased about the appearance and function. Happy that we ordered this. Update 3/6/15 -- The stitching did start to unravel on one side - something that I'm not surprised to find since my son carries A LOT of heavy books and this poor bag is being used and abused daily. We took it into the shoe repair store who re-stitched both sides for around $5. I'm still very pleased with the bag. None of the backpacks he has used held up this long - so the $5 to reinforce the straps is a bargain in my book and the bag has held up very well.

So far I'm really loving this bag! It came looking exactly as the picture. I ordered the grey & it's identical to the picture in the ad! The fabric seems to be just as described...a heavy canvas with a lighter weight duck/canvas lining. It's nice and big. I don't think it will hold a large type laptop but then that's not what I wanted it for! I use it as a purse & travel bag/purse! I prefer large purses & the size is what attracted me to this particular bag. I don't think it would work to well for clothing, unless you pack extremely light! It would do well packing light accessories like, toothbrush/paste, light cosmetics, maybe a change of undergarments, but to me, not much else! A hair dryer would be to much! That being said, I really love this bag! I did put Purse Feet on the bottom to keep the lining in place & a narrow shoe box inside to keep it from sagging & for me, that was a great idea. As some have said, the magnets have fallen off or don't work...I don't know what they meant but my bag has no magnets on it any where at all! The zipper is longer than the the bag is wide but that helps you get wide items in easier & the flaps on either end help you hold on to the bag while opening the zipper! Makes it so much easier to handle!! So far, no problems w/color rubbing off, zipper works great. The pockets on the sides really won't hold a water bottle but I carry an insulated cup inside my bag! The shoe box I put in the bottom to keep it from sagging also keeps the cup up-right when I put the cup right between the end of the box & up against the inside of the bag! No problems! This bag is just great for everything I needed it to be! Great price! I searched for the best for the price & this bag was it! There is an old time shoe repair shop near me, so if anything goes wrong like a seam comes apart of zipper breaks I know where to take it! If it ever wears out, I hope this place still sells this exact same bag because I will buy another one! I just might buy another one any way...just to keep or a different color so I can switch! Granted..it's not the best or most expensive messenger type bag, but it's just what I wanted & needed! You can't go wrong for the price & I do realize that some may not be as good as others, but this one suits me just fine!

I just received my Kattee bag, it is beautifully made, nice stitching with double stitching at typical stress points. The materials are "Military" grade with soft vintage looking leather and brass fittings. There is plenty of room for my intended use as a travel "carry on" for incidentals. The interior consists of one large zippered pouch and a small zippered pouch for smaller items. I generally don't carry a laptop, but I would feel confident using this bag even though it isn't padded. There are two fairly large outer pockets with double snaps which seem to be most secure, when the main flap is closed and snapped it covers the tops of those pocket flaps making them extra secure. Leather reinforcements are placed to avoid wear where the brass fittings might rub. The overall design, fit, and finish speaks to a sturdiness, security, and well thought out ergonomics. An example of that being the "shoulder pad" on the strap. It is stitched and riveted to the strap (no sliding) and reinforced with leather. I would highly recommend this bag to anyone interested in a medium sized carry bag that will look good and go anywhere.

Great bag with rugged, classy, vintage look! I have only used this bag for couple of days but I can tell this is strong and well made. The army green color goes really well with the brown cow hide and brass trimmings, giving it a classy vintage look - I'm getting lot of compliments! The strap is really wide and strong and hard fixed to the bag. It is not removable with the typical Swivel Snap-Hooks which at times becomes very annoying with the squeaky clack noise. I have inserted a 15 inch neoprene laptop sleeve within the large main compartment as in the image - This makes the bag a bit heavy and bulky, but helps to retain the shape of the bag along with giving good padding for the laptop when used as a laptop bag. This gives you kind of additional compartments on the side of the sleeve for any other stuff like papers as well. I just remove this sleeve when I use the bag for casual or weekend trips as you don’t need the bag to be rigid and just want a sac to throw stuff in. I just wish it had the leather belt stitched/secured to the flap as the belt moves/twists at times exposing the raw side. Anyway I'm planning to secure the belt with some brass rivets.

This is a quality buy it for life item. I bought this bag back in 2015, and only now bought a replacement in 2020 after 5 years of daily constant abuse. I have loaded this bag to absolute bulging with college text books, laptops, my giant steel hydroflask, etc.... my daily load is probably around 60-80lbs. I have taken this bag camping, sailing, hiking, kayaking, to class, to work at several different jobs, over seas, and domestically in the US. For the 5 years I have had it I have thoroughly abused it, and today I bought a new one. Why? I had the bag loaded full and was stretching the top to close tugging the zipper along...and a single tooth from my zipper came off. It derailed the zipper. That's it. Still a perfectly functional bag without the zipper, but due to the quality of having one end of the track sewn into the lining of the bag and the other sewn into a stylish leather end cap it makes reseating the zipper hard. This is an extremely hardy bag that only through abuse on my part and stupidty did I manage to pop a single tooth off my zipper. The stitching has held absolutely amazingly, the leather and brass have aged into a beautiful worn leather and antique brass finish. Main reason I bought a new one, other than a single tooth from the zipper coming off? The bag is finally starting to get dirty! Plus they have a bigger size now! Update in 2025: Both bags are still daily drivers and get used constantly. A decade of use and they still have no issues at all, other than the single zipper tooth that came off due to me cramming the smaller one too full and zipping it shut.

I don't think anyone would ever call this a man purse - it's too manly to even have the "purse" label attached to it. This is a satchel. It's a good sized satchel at that. The straps are sturdy, the magnetic clasps are a nice touch as well. Very spacious - I can fit my 17" laptop inside if I need to (although I wouldn't want to without padding - this isn't a laptop bag!) The pockets are plentiful and well thought out - with one (two actually) exception - the outer side pockets. They're perfect for dropping all sorts of things into - if you could actually do that without undoing the buckles and straps. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. One horrible design flaw, which you might be tempted to "fix" by just simply removing the straps...well, not a good idea, as then there's nothing holding your items in place. Perhaps removing the straps and running a patch of Velcro across the top would work, or some other fastener. I for one haven't tried anything yet - because I love the look and style of this piece as-is. I don't want to screw it up. Overall, this is a great satchel, the shoulder strap is long enough for it to hang right at my waist, the canvas has a great sturdy feel and makes it easy to just grab it anywhere to fling into the back seat when you're on the go. If they could fix the design flaw on the sides (Maybe a pair of magnetic clasps to hold the straps on like they have in the front? Hmm....light...bulb...) this would be a *perfect* bag.

This bag IS NOT a laptop bag. That being said... I LOVE THIS BAG!! It is the coolest bag I've had in years and I'm really glad that I bought it. It's really spacious and can hold tons of books. The two front pockets are great to store a lot of small things that I carry (note pads, small toiletries, cell phone). And the zippered inside pocket is good for my wallet, keys, and a few other smaller items. I am surprised by the sheer amount of stuff that I can cram into this bag. I haven't had it for long, so in a few months I'll give an update as to how well it holds up under the weight of everything I put into it. I love the casual, yet stylish look to it. I wasn't sure I'd like the color of the straps, but the color works. I've received a lot of compliments on this bag. Note: IF you DID try to use this as a laptop bag -- there is no padding so if you ever dropped it your laptop would probably break.. Plus, the inside is REALLY large. Your laptop would get jostled around. It's a messenger bag and pretty good one. I have a separate laptop bag that I use if I ever want to take my laptop on the go.

I really really like this purse! I DO wish it had a few more pockets in it. When I first got it I was afraid since it had no divider for the main compartment I would never be able to find anything but that has not been the case at all. But on the inside, or like the back of it, wish there could have been another zippered pocket. The purse is nice heavy durable canvas. REALLY nice. Not in the least flimsy. The zippers are working well so far. The leather straps and flap covers are nice. This is a super cute purse I have already gotten compliments on. I always have so much stuff in my purse it looks like I'm going on a two day march, but I just hate to be caught away from home without something I might need. The purse has enough room to take the things I deem essential and looks great doing it. I like this line of purses. It is my first Kattee canvas purse, may not be my last.

I tend to beat my messenger bags within an inch of their lives with the level and amount of travel that I do. After a few weeks of a serous trial that included car, train, and plane travel, alll I can say is that I highly recommend this bag!

Lovely bag that can fit a decent amount in it, the straps are adjustable and the fabric is a sturdy kind. I can fit books and a water bottle in it no problem, with plenty of room to spare. It's honestly bigger than I was expecting, very pleased

Sturdy materials, well made, totally satisfied.

Its for my daughter,hoping it will last. It's quite heavy though.

This is exactly what I was looking for. Large enough for a laptop and some books and the zipper is sturdy.