José, our designer, didn’t dream up the Marathon Messenger in a quiet studio surrounded by perfect sketches. He built it on trains packed shoulder-to-shoulder, on buses where you can’t lift your arm without elbowing a stranger, and in the sideways rain that only Seattle can seem to conjure. He studied the bags people actually use – not the idealized ones on mood boards – and the small irritations they live with: flaps that gape open, pockets that betray you, the fumbling dance of trying to get inside your bag without making a scene.
What follows is a less polished design tale and more the story of a bag shaped by the real world, its flaws, and the stubborn belief that everyday carry should work with you, not against you. We’re excited to share a behind-the-scenes look at his design process, the breakthroughs, and details that brought the Marathon Messenger to life.
A big thanks to José for sharing these notes from deep in his sketchbook.
The Prelude
“I wanted to develop a new messenger-style bag with a flap. I also wanted this new design to address some of the common issues with this style of bag. Issues like gaping at the corners of the bag when the flap is down, making the interior accessible without opening the flap and providing a good balance of organization and “open space” to meet individual needs.
The new bag would primarily be used for everyday carry, so it needed to be comfortable for extended periods of carry, include suitable features and be adaptable to individual carry needs."
Designing the Marathon
"I usually start the design process by observing what’s around me. My daily commute includes a train ride, a few buses and some walking. I get to observe people of all ages, shapes and sizes, what they carry and how they carry it. While most people carry a backpack, some carry shoulder bags and some prefer “Messenger” bags. I was exposed to a lot of different messenger bags during the time I was designing The Marathon, and I started to see some of the issues I would focus on.
The corners gaping open was the first thing I wanted to tackle. It rains a lot in Seattle and not always vertically, sometimes it comes at you sideways, I had to make sure the new bag addressed this problem. This was non-negotiable.
Accessing a bag with a flap as a main entry can be tricky when you’re on a cramped bus, train or while you walk. What if there was a second point of entry that could let you access the interior quickly?
The messenger bags I saw ranged in appearance and how they were being packed. Some looked very slim and carried just daily essentials while others were voluminous and carried everything but the kitchen sink. I wanted to find a balance and have enough organization for daily items and provide enough open space for items that don’t fit in internal pockets."
Design Process
"I had a good roadmap of the features the Marathon should include, next up was putting them all together, develop the pattern and working on initial samples. As for the style of messenger, I wanted a flap style. We have done a few “messenger” bags in the past, but some leaned more towards a briefcase style more than a flap messenger. We have a good assortment of “briefcase” styled shoulder bags, and I didn’t want to make another one. The size was also important; I needed the Marathon to be big enough to fit my daily essentials but compact enough to not feel cumbersome while I carry it. I looked at some of our old products like the Super Ego, Zephyr and Maker’s Bag and compared them to come up with a size that worked.
The first sample I made felt a bit too big; it was too visually complex and a few of the features were not performing as I had wanted. After testing the sample for a bit, I knew I had to change a few things about the construction. I made the bag a bit shorter, cleaned up the exterior of the flap, I moved the top handle, moved the shoulder strap attachment points upward and switched from a single buckle to two. These changes helped the bag hang better when carried by the handle or shoulder strap. The real breakthrough came when I figured out the construction for the corners of the flap. Through patternmaking and sewing magic I was able to make these corners “collapse” in a way that ensure there were no open gaps. The flap was the last piece of the puzzle. Early samples had a small, zippered pocket that fit a phone and keys, but what if it could carry a bit more? I decided to add a bigger zippered pocket with some depth thanks to some clever darts; this allowed the pocket to be more versatile and carry more varied items for quick access.
After some more patternmaking and sewing, I had samples ready for testing!"
Testing and final samples
"A few of us in the design team tested the Marathon for a few weeks. During our weekly design meeting we would share what we liked and didn’t like about the bag. Overall, the size, how the bag carried, and the features worked, but there is always room for improvement. Some of us felt that the interior of the bag needed a bit more organization, so I borrowed the interior pockets from the Makers Bag, and this worked well, they provided a good amount of organization, open space and were a nod to Makers Bag. The exterior flap pocket also had some discussion, some liked the open space, but some felt it needed organization pockets. We discussed this a few times and I even sewed a sample with some organization, what we agreed on was that we didn’t like items falling out of this pocket when the flap was opened. Having to put things back in the interior pockets every time you open the flap did not sound fun.
Once we agreed on the final features I worked with the production team on a production sample. This is the step in the process where we iron out any issues with the pattern and construction. The production team’s knowledge and expertise really help the development process, but they are also very busy, so fixing issues during the design phase is very important. My goal is to always give production as close to a finished design as I can and avoid multiple rounds of samples. The production sample is also tested, it’s reviewed by the team and I and if it is approved, we move on to the final steps. Production samples are my favorite; they always look better than I could imagine."
Final thoughts
"Much like its name, the development of this project was a Marathon. We wanted to make sure we tested and worked through any issues during the process. I’ve been very happy with the final product, it’s held its ground against Seattle rain, it’s been on many bus, train and light rail rides and it continues to be an enjoyable carry experience. My favorite and most used feature is the back zipper, being able to access the interior with minimal hassle is great and makes it very helpful during my commute. I’m happy to add The Marathon to my bag rotation of Addax and Nomad.” - José
By the time the Marathon Messenger reached its final form, it had lived a full life already – drenched in rain, crammed under bus seats, dragged through the small indignities of commuting. Is design talked over, reworked, stitched, tested, cursed at a little, praised a lot. In other words: it earned its place.
Now it’s out there, ready for whatever your personal marathon looks like – whether that’s a spring to catch the train, a 45-minute bike ride, or just another day hauling your life through sidewalks, alleyways, and highways.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts once you receive your Marathon Messenger. As always, we’re happy to answer any lingering questions you have about its design.
Thank you very much for giving us a glimpse into the design process. Especially enjoyed the opportunity to contemplate the prototypes. Sideways and hard rain is rarer in Seattle than pretty much everywhere else that I have lived including NYC and Tokyo. And, yes, I’m writing that in Seattle on the day that we are having the worst waind, rain and flooding that we have had for a couple of decades. My own particular planned use case for the Marathon Messenger is not what Jose has described, and is as follows. I will not use this when what I am carrying is heavy. I don’t find one-shoulder or cross-body carry comfortable for heavy loads. I will not use this primarily for everyday carry. I intend to use it primarily for trips that include air travel to those locations (or occasions) for which an over-the-shoulder bag is much preferable, for various reasons, to a backpack, e.g., Tokyo or Paris. For such trips, I plan to use the main compartment for things that are bulky but not too heavy, e.g., a jacket or my Trtl airplane pillow. Given the intended target use cases, I am not surprised that you did not do anything along the lines of putting the bag on top of a wheeled carry-ons. It does look like I can put the waist belt around the wheeled bag handle and attach the Messenger’s handle to the wheeled bag’s handle with your Strap Keeper or a Stroller Strap. And, by the way, speaking of downpours, I have always found our Tom Bihn bags to be sufficiently water resistant (and effectively waterproof) for even the worst of conditions.
I love reading about the design process. Bravo, José and team!! I am eyeing that Reversed Black Marathon!! It does look lovely and unique. The MM might seem a bit big at first, but once you use it, that impression does change, and I am looking forward to using it as a personal item. I particularly like how one can access items on the sides, such as water bottles, umbrellas, scarves, or stuff sacks, without opening the flap or zipper. The lateral flaps ensure the items don’t fall out. Furthermore, the items can also be attached to the o-rings right there, for added security. I am currently devising a hack to ensure people cannot open the buckles, as, apparently, airplane theft is now a thing.
I keep hoping you’ll put those Maker’s Bag internal pockets in a zip-top bag! Love the organization, but I don’t do flaps.
The external access to the laptop compartment is a nice feature.
