WaterField Designs Muzetto

WaterField Designs’ Muzetto is a premium leather bag designed for those who need relief from “pocket fatigue” and want to keep their iPad within arm’s reach throughout the day. This vertical messenger bag comes in a variety of sizes based on the size of your main device—the 10-inch model is aimed squarely at the iPad.

The Muzetto is made of brown leather with your choice of accent color: green, flame, copper, pine, pearl, or black. Whichever color you choose, the company uses a bright gold liner in the main storage compartment to make it easier to find items. I found the bright lining to be a little jarring at first, but I eventually appreciated the increased visibility when trying to find a thumb drive or my house keys.

The Muzetto’s primary storage compartment is designed to accommodate an iPad or netbook, so the compartment isn’t a perfect fit for a bare iPad. Still, the section is still decently padded, and the extra room means the Muzetto fits an iPad that’s already in an always-on protective case. The only other storage are in this compartment is a zippered pocket for cables, a wallet, or other trinkets you don’t want to slip out of the bag.

On the front and back of the bag are extra storage pockets. The front pocket has black, fleece lining and is ideal for quick-access items such as plane tickets or a digital camera. This front pocket also sports a smaller interior pocket for your phone. The slim rear pocket, which has the same gold lining as the main storage area, is just wide enough for a magazine or two.

The main storage area and front pocket are protected by a weighted flap that’s leather on the outside and nylon on the inside, but no snap or magnetic closure. I don’t tend to get very active when toting around my iPad, so this design choice isn’t a concern to me, but if you frequently undertake super-spy missions that demand unique acrobatic skills, this might not be the most secure bag for your precious—or top-secret—iPad. I see it as a stylish, convenient solution that makes the contents of the bag easy to access while on-the-go, as the flap has some reassuring weight to it without feeling excessively heavy.

The Muzetto’s padded strap is one of my favorites of any bag I’ve tested. Both the strap and the pad are thin, but the pad is also adjustable, removable, and features a thin strip of rubberized grip material to help keep it in place on your shoulder.

I wish WaterField Designs provided a couple of smaller compartments inside the zippered main storage area to help keep trinkets organized, but this gripe isn’t a deal breaker. Overall this is well-designed and -constructed bag that’s light enough and just spacious enough for a day’s worth of goods without enticing you to overpack. If you want a minimal and stylistically versatile bag, WaterField Designs’s Muzetto is a fantastic choice.