Messenger Bag

At first glance, A.L.S. Industries Inc. looked to have put together a solid toting package with the Xbox 360 Messenger Bag. It is rugged, easy to carry around, and has a great look and feel to it. It has a mostly white front with the ever so popular green rings logo many have come to know and love. The sides are grey and have two mesh pockets, and the back is black and sports extra padding for more comfort. Sadly as we all know, there is more to it than just looking pretty.

When empty the front flap easily folds over completing a Velcro connection followed by two clips that are fastened together negating any possibility of the bag’s flap popping open and spilling your contents. Inside there are three main pockets for storage.

The main pocket is divided into two sections by a Velcro adjustable padded divider. Simply lift the pad and you can easily store your power pack, power cord, and AV cables underneath. Fold the pad back down and you can then place your Xbox 360 console on top. This takes a bit of patience as you’ll be adjusting the padded divider at least once so that the console is flush with the top of the bag once it goes in.

The middle pocket is for the storage of up to four controllers. This is a very tight fit and starts the bloating process of the bag. Note: I wouldn’t try this with anything but wireless controllers as the added mass of wound wire will take up too much space.

 The final pocket is just big enough to squeeze one game into, and in my opinion that just doesn’t cut it. It doesn’t make sense to create a bag that forces you to carry a separate container for your games; when if designed right could have incorporated both.

Directly in front of the final pocket is a zipper mesh pouch which is ideal for the storage of memory units. As mentioned above there are two mesh pockets on the side. This would be the place to put your media remote and/or the favorite beverage of your choice.

Now that you have all of the contents listed above in the bag it is bloated to the max making it a very unattractive product. The flap dirties easily and is difficult to flip over when full; now you’re thanking god for the Velcro which holds it in place while you elongate the adjustable clips as far as they’ll reach, and with a little grunt fasten it into position. The bag does come with both an adjustable shoulder and hand strap which makes it easy to carry, and you can’t feel the contents shifting around which is also a plus.

Bottom line: There are better functioning carrying packs on the market to choose from before you go and pick up a bag that makes storage difficult, and doesn’t allow for the transport of your games, all the while making it look ugly as you do it.