It’s no secret that I’m not a girly girl. Give me some old jeans, a tshirt and a pair of sneakers and I’m perfectly comfy. Same goes for my gear bags. I don’t want a froo-froo bag with flowers or Hello Kitty on it. I like like simple unassuming bags that don’t look too shiny or new. When I saw the Muzetto from WaterField, I knew that I had to get my hands on one even though it’s being marketed as a man bag, murse, or whatever you want to call it.
The Muzetto is available in 3 sizes:
15″ Laptop Muzetto $259 / 15.5″ x 11.75″ x 2.7″ / 2 lb.
13″ Laptop Muzetto $239 / 14″ x 11″ x 2.5″ / 1.7 lb.
Personal Muzetto $179 / 10.5″ x 8.5″ x 1.5″ / 14 ounces
And 6 colors: Black, Copper, Flame, Green, Pearl and Pine.
I was sent the Personal size in Flame.
This is a vertical messenger style bag that is made of a slightly pebbly textured supple leather and a closely woven canvas. The front flap has no closure mechanism (velcro, snaps, magnets, etc). The weight of the flap holds it closed.
The only exterior pocket is located on the back side of the bag. On the personal sized Muzetto, this pocket is 8 inches wide by 9 inches tall.
This pocket is lined in a Gold fabric that makes it easy to see the contents.
When you open the flap, you’ll find another 8 x 9 inch flat open pocket.
This one is lined with a soft Black knitted material. I use it to hold my cell phone, camera or other small items that I don’t want to be scratched by clanking around in the main compartment.
The main compartment is lined with the same Gold fabric that the back pocket is lined with.
The only other storage is a zippered pocket located in the front wall of the bag. I tend to put my wallet and / or car keys in this pocket.
The Muzetto comes with a removable shoulder pad that has a rubber grippy surface on the back. I actually don’t use this on my shoulder. Instead, I use it to keep the two layers of the adjustable woven 1.5 inch wide shoulder strap together.
When the folks at WaterField asked me which size of the Muzetto that I wanted to review, I asked for the smallest (personal) size. My plan was to use it as a companion bag for my daily gear bag. I tend to go back and forth from using the Timbuk2 Laptop Messenger bag or the WaterField Sling bag. But I’ve wanting something smaller to carry around when I go to lunch or on the weekends when I’m out and about. The Muzetto personal size is perfect for carrying a few essential items.
Here is a collection of items that I have been storing in the bag during my review period. A Waterfield wallet, sun clips / case, Pantech Matrix Pro Smartphone, Kingston DataTraveler 32GB flash drive, Airdrives headphones, eye drops, 3×5 index cards and binder clip, Bic pen, and a flash light. Not pictured are my car keys and some Carmex lip balm that I also carry.
A 10″ netbook like the HP mini 1000 (and the power adapter) fits perfectly in the personal sized Muzetto. The Amazon Kindle (even in a case like the one from Oberon Design or M-edge ) also fits just fine. Since the Muzetto does not have any substantial padding, it’s probably a good idea to protect items like netbooks and the Kindle in a secondary case when carrying them around in this bag.
As a reference, here I am wearing the personal sized Muzetto. I am 5’6″ tall. Wow, I really need to get some sun! 😉
I really like the Muzetto. It’s been a perfect bag for the task that I assigned to it. I have had no complaints with the materials or construction. The only complaints that I can come up with are that the shoulder strap isn’t removable and the price. $179 is a lot of money to pay for a small bag like the personal sized Muzetto. The largest size is an additional $80. Is it worth it? My answer is that in my experience, WaterField bags stand up to years of use and abuse. I have several of their products that I continue to use every day and they all still look brand new. So, it might put a squeeze on your wallet at purchase time, but once you buy one, you’re done.
Product Information
| Price: | $179.00 - $259.00 |
| Manufacturer: | WaterField |
| Pros: |
|
| Cons: |
|
Gadgeteer Comment Policy - Please read before commenting
That reminds me alot of my bag. I got a Briggs & Riley Map bag a few years ago when I needed a more professional looking man purse. I love mine. Perhaps you should review the Briggs and Riley bag.
That’s a beautiful bag, Julie. I love their stuff too.
hi julie,
you review mentioned that the muzetto front flap has no closure mechanisms. is the flap heavy enough to keep it closed without stuff falling out if is set down? or safe enough to carry on the subways (pickpockets)?
cheers..
@Buddy Yes, it’s heavy enough to stay closed when you lay the bag down. I’m not sure if the bag is pickpocket safe though… I guess it just depends how you wear it. If you wear it more towards the front of your body, you would be fine.
After returning from a week in Manhattan using a Tom Bihn Cafe bag, I wanted to ask you about the muzetto. Does the leather tend to get scratched? One thing I like about about ballastic nylon is its durability.
@Rgrenader Yes, it can scratch semi-easily. But if it’s something you’re going to use all the time, that’s going to be expected with leather. I don’t mind the ‘used’ look. 🙂
This is a nice looking bag. Read this review a while back and came across it again in my bookmarks. As a bloke, this bag would probably be OK, as long as I can get one with more subtle colours. 🙂
@Julie Any updates on this? Have you been using the bag? How’s it worked out?
@Thomas I continue to use it when I need to carry just a few items with me, like on the weekends and while traveling. I love it.
I just purchased a wallet from them( based on Julie’s review here) and the quality and construction – including design – is superb. There products are made in San Francisco NOT China. I was extremely impressed by them. The company is also a pleasure to deal with very friendly and they will custom make a product for you too! I am a guy and they, luckily, have more subdued colors in all their items – none are “girly!” LOL. I think the price is right for such great quality and I can think of numerous companies which are triple the price and the construction is not even close – and are made over-seas.
Hello, great review per the usual on the Personal Muzetto, I’ve been a fan of your reviews for years. My question on this review really has to do with size of bag. Can an iPad with protective sleeve fit into this Personal Muzetto Bag size, or is the next size up, the Portable Muzetto Bag the way to go. The SF Bags web site states the Portable is the way to go, but if the Personal based on it’s bags dimensions will work? Appreciate your assistance
@John a naked iPad will fits fine in the personal Muzetto that is reviewed above. Add a case to the iPad and it will depend on the size of the case as to whether it will still fit. Something thin like the iPad sock: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2010/05/18/ipad-sock-review/ works fine.
Oh Im so in love with this, why dont they make gorgeous bags like this in the UK. Like you Im not a girly girl and I love the used look and natural colours. I also love the Indy bag to, but I think Im loving this for all my gadgety toys.
Brilliant review as always Julie.