Traveling can be a pain. When you’ve got to lug a set’s worth of vinyl and a laptop and drives, it doesn’t get any easier. For a while now, I’ve been able to survive carrying all that with the UDG creator bag. In the past couple years I’ve booked more gigs that require me to get on a plane and traveling with such a large backpack has grown to be a pain. Although it fits the airline’s sizes for carry-ons, I still had trouble getting through crowds at the airport plus a few zippers had worn out. I started looking for a new bag a little over a two years ago and came across the Tucker & Bloom North to South Bag. I decided to give it a shot.

Tucker & Bloom is a bag company that has operated out of Nashville for the past thirty year under the watch of father and son team, David and Case Bloom. The latter is also a working DJ. For the record, I’ve never been given anything from Tucker & Bloom and outside of a few FB messages with Case, I couldn’t say I know him very well. I say all this just to insure that this review is unbiased.

First of all, the North to South bears little in common with a lot of other DJ bags that seem to be going for a look that Marty McFly Jr. would love; Lots of mesh, 3M reflective bits, and neon yellow. It seems to be modeled after classic English bespoke game bags more so than contemporary messengers. Simple black ballistic nylon shell, leather trim, sturdy metal buckles. It’s something you wouldn’t be embarrassed to have on your shoulder if you ever find yourself in a job interview or a fox hunt at an English estate, which is great since we know that either of those things are equally likely to happen for a plenty of DJs.

This eye towards classic fashion runs across most of Tucker and Bloom’s bags. Everything has a clean, understated design. Any eyes it catches are earned honestly from good craftsmanship, not obnoxious colors or gimmicks. Their bags are a pair of Allen Edmonds in a sea of Ed Hardy sneakers.

I had my eye on it for a while, then a couple yeara ago I copped it while it was on sale for a day at the Tucker & Bloom site. A couple weeks later (each bag is made to order), I received it, and the next day I got on a plane for a nine day trip to California. First stop was San Francisco, which turned out to be the perfect testing ground. Every day I was there, I spent a good twelve hours on the MUNI or walking around town so I needed to carry everything I might possibly need while away from the hostel. In SF that included:

• Kindle
• iPhone
• Jacket or sweater
• Water bottle
• Sunblock
• Leftover mission burrito
• Muni passes, SF maps

It held up well and never felt felt any discomfort even when it was weighed down by the aforementioned burrito. The leather and shearling shoulder strap broke in quickly to the shape of my shoulder, within a couple of days at most.

It’s become my go to bag for when I’m biking around town. Toss my u-lock in, my handytrax and I’m out for a quick record dig. The included bike cross-strap keeps the bag out of your way and it can be stowed against the side of the bag or removed when your off your bike.

I’ve had to put leftovers in it after biking around a couple times and as you might expect, there have been accidents. Turning it inside out and wiping down with a wet cloth was all it took to clean out all remnants of whatever juice comes out of a container of Mongolian beef. I’d still not recommend carrying food in your bag, I’m just letting you know it’s possible.
There’s one large compartment that is not padded for your laptop, records or larger items. This may be a concern for some but I keep my laptop in a separated padded sleeve regardless so it hasn’t been an issue for me. This is a bag small enough to be kept close to you at all times so I feel padding would be a little overkill anyway. For a larger bag that might get stowed away or handled by others, I can see the need for padding but not in this case.
Within the main compartment there is  also a smaller, mesh zippered pocket. Good for pens, a phone, 45 adapters, small tools for fixing your electronics, business cards, etc. 
If you’re someone that needs a thousand dedicated pockets for every single tool, this isn’t the perfect bag for you. You get about three pockets that are a pretty tight fit to hold your smaller items and a metal snap on the inside. I’m always afraid of something falling out or getting out of place if my bag tips or turns over but so far, that fear is unfounded. It gets tossed around a lot but things stay in place.
There is an unintended advantage to having the pockets be such a tight fit. Not having the dedicated pockets does require you to take a couple extra minutes and think about where you want things to go but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Being forced to think about your loadout really helps to pare down your gear by eliminating the things you never use. Once you find a packing strategy you’re happy with, you have little to worry about.
Everything is always in easy reach. This is huge when I’m traveling through the airport. It can just hang on my shoulder when I have to quickly unload getting through security. There’s also several places to put your documents that you can get to without ever opening the bag.

The Cosmo Baker edition, which is the one I went with, features two added inches of depth and about a half inch length. It also has a leather badge with Cosmo’s logo and a wolf. If you have qualms about another DJ’s name on your bag, I personally think it’s worth it for a little more room, especially if you’re the type that prefers at least a few extra 12″ records outside of your control vinyl and laptop. Also, a fuckin’ wolf bro. Honestly, you’d have to be quite the narcissist for a stamp sized logo to be enough to bruise your ego. I’ve found the leather badge to be very useful with the addition of a carabiner. Day to day, I attach my keys to it and for events, I attach my headphone case.

For a typical DJ gig, this is what I pack:

• Serato CV (main compartment)
• Laptop (main compartment)
• Charger (front panel)
• Shure needle case (front panel)
• Two hard drives (front panel)
• Deoxit pen (zippered mesh pocket in main compartment)
• Headphones (In a separate case that is usually attached to the leather logo badge with a carabiner)
• Anti-static brush (Front panel pocket)
• Vinyl solution and brush (front panel)
• Dicers (front panel) 
• Phone, phone charger (Side pockets)
• Stanton Überstand (back panel)

Since I’ve purchased it a couple years ago, I’ve used it for numerous gigs, both local and around the country plus nearly every time I leave the house. Other than some natural fading on the leather, it looks as good as the day I bought it. It’s held up perfectly and better than any other DJ bag I’ve had.  I don’t plan on getting another DJ bag anytime soon and if I do, it will probably be another Tucker and Bloom.

What I Look For When Choosing Laptop Bags

Deciding upon which to choose, from a group of laptop bags can be quite a challenge, especially if one is picky about certain technical features. Choosing the wrong one will ensure a real pain, in more ways than one, when it is truly time to use it.

For me, there are only a few qualities that I look for when I look at totes. I chose a Tucker & Bloom, for these reasons. They may be few but these things are still very important to me and, if my backpacks are not just exactly perfect, I am very liable not to ever use them again.

Construction

It’s very important what material they are made of! Construction and materials are the first things I look at when choosing the right one. Is it made of nylon? Or, maybe leather? Does it include foam, in its construction?

The material they are made of will give an idea of whether they will hold up to repeated use and abuse. Strength and durability are qualities that laptop bags get from how they are made and what they are made from. I prefer mine to be made of heavy ballistic nylon, because I treat all my gadgets as if they are weapons in my arsenal.

Capacity- What Can This Bad Boy Really Handle?

The next quality I think of when choosing the right tote is what can this thing hold? The capacity is immensely important to me! All of my totes and tools must serve more than one purpose. My case should have multiple pockets; one for my computer, one for a cell phone, and one for a notepad and pens, one for change and tickets, passport, etc. It’s the 21^st century, folks, get with it.

Access and Ease of Use

This one is so very big- I need to have the ability to grab items from my tote quickly, while I’m on the go. What’s the use in having a cell phone pocket, if the phone isn’t easily reachable?

A lot of this has to do with good design of the laptop bags, in the first place. Placing that cell phone pocket on the strap with a little padding, at just the right location, can make all the difference upon whether the end customer just “likes” or genuinely “loves” their backpacks.

Where and who made them?

I know it may be a little strange, and it goes for tons of other items I purchase, not just laptop bags, but where these items are made- as well as who made and designed them- really makes a huge difference upon whether or not I will purchase them, as well. Does a company, or designer, that I’ve heard of, make the item in America? I want to ensure that the totes that I buy are well constructed, in places that are close to home. Tucker & Bloom makes laptop cases that fit all of these qualifications.

Bicycle Bags

Bicycle bags are very important to messengers in the city of Philadelphia and, without them, many crucial deliveries would not get made. They are typically well made of strong materials. Some bicycle totes can have different features that help the rider in their different daily tasks. The different colors and styles allow the user to express individuality.

The best are those that are hand-made of heavy ballistics-grade nylon. This material gives them high durability and strength, that helps the totes withstand heavy use and abuse. Many riders like bicycle backpacks that have leather trim and aluminum-alloy clips and buckles. Some kind of water resistance is also important, so that large rolls of drawings and plans do not get wet.

Another important feature of the best is multiple pockets, for holding all the essential items that a rider carries. A well-positioned cell phone pocket on the strap, or on the side, can make all the difference. More pocket space for an iPod, note pad, and headphones, as well as optional padded pockets, for laptops and such, are all very important choices to make when choosing a tote.

Some will look like classic messenger backpacks. Other styles are in different sizes, depending upon what the rider is going to use them for. Small, medium, and large size's even allow for different sized users. Different color choices for the internal and external fabrics offer the rider a chance to make own.

Hipsters love hand-made stuff, these days, and it is important to many of those people for the products that they buy to be made in America. Heavy nylon bicycle totes are in style, and many men carry them to work, to school, and then use them during recreation. Many people bike everywhere.

Tucker & Bloom are a company based in Nashville, TN. They make all sorts of different bags in various styles, including bicycle bags and messenger bags. They make and design all their bags in the USA, from quality materials, with old-European craftsmanship. Tucker & Bloom are a family business that makes high-end bicycle bags with style and great design.  

One of the best things about Tucker & Bloom is that they make multi-use products. They make everything with cell phone pockets and built-in laptop cases. Laptop cases that also carry records. Theirs are totes that also carry laptops and cell phones. All products made by Tucker & Bloom are made from top-quality materials. All materials used must meet their high expectations for quality, durability, and aesthetics.

Lastly, all products should come with some kind of back up plan. What if you spend a bunch of money on it and it rips? Well, Tucker & Bloom have that all covered with a Limited Lifetime Warranty. Tucker & Bloom will replace or repair your tote if it gets damaged or falls apart. That’s a real comfort, knowing that your belongings are safe from defects in materials and workmanship.