Trakke Bairn Pro Review

Trakke have made a name for themselves over the past decade for their small batch Scottish-made waxed cotton bags that combine modern amenities with smart and beautifully understated design. The Bairn has been a mainstay design in the Trakke lineup for years – a seemingly simple laptop messenger bag, its size and shape evolving over time and adapting to the ever-changing needs of customers. This latest iteration is the largest and most fully featured yet. Meet the Trakke Bairn Pro.

Features

Part of the Bairn’s evolution over time has been the adoption of Austrian-made COBRA® buckles for the main flap closure. Previously only available on limited edition variants, the Bairn Pro features two 25mm (1-inch) AustriAlpin COBRA® ProStyle quick-release buckles as standard. Fans of fidget toys will enjoy the solid and satisfying click when engaging and releasing these buckles.

There’s a good amount of additional webbing length to keep the buckles secured while hauling more bulky items inside. Both buckles have easy-to-grab D-rings to help quickly cinch down.

The Bairn Pro has added additional organization pockets over its smaller namesake. Under the main flap you’ll find the standard full-width covered pocket which is now large enough to securely hold A4 and letter-sized documents.

Flanked on either side you’ll find new vertical zippered pockets to securely store additional items. These pockets feature YKK laminated water-resistant zippers with Trakke’s signature round metal pulls. Both pockets are gusseted to accommodate more bulky items. The right pocket also has a small aluminum snap hook key leash.

Inside the main compartment you’ll find a single flat zippered pocket and Trakke’s well-padded and raised laptop sleeve. 

The Bairn Pro is most notable for its larger size which will now comfortably fit most common 15-inch and 16-inch laptops.

YMMV with larger or thicker devices. 

On the back side, a folded webbing carry handle provides excellent stability when picking the Bairn Pro up even fully loaded. The handle remains low profile when not in use.

Schlepping around a 16-inch laptop and a day’s full of stuff can get heavy. The Bairn Pro’s adjustable strap now features a large cushioned and very comfortable pad for easier carry. The thick and wide cotton strap is adjustable from 29 inches (74cm) to 53 inches (135cm) in length. The strap pad is remarkably large – clocking in at 19 inches (48cm) in length and 4 inches (10cm) in width. The combination of dry waxed canvas and air mesh on the underside makes for a comfortable carry when draped over a shoulder.

An optional stabilizer strap is available for those who wish to carry the Bairn Pro more like a traditional messenger. There are webbing attachment loops on the bottom of the bag to hook in either direction.

Below the strap attachment points are two very discreet water bottle pockets on the outside of the bag. These are not particularly large bottle pockets. You’ll want to stick to smaller and likely uninsulated varieties or single-use plastic types.

Shown here with a 27oz Klean Kanteen, this is probably on the larger end of what would be comfortable to carry in these bottle pockets. Note that this bottle is not insulated so it remains fairly slender. YMMV with thicker insulated bottles.

Last but not least is the Bairn Pro’s quiet party trick – a removable hook-backed label. Yes, you can now affix your own patches to the front of Trakke’s bags!

Materials and Construction

Trakke has opted for beautiful dry waxed cotton canvas throughout their product line. Trakke’s dry wax does not take on the shiny “wet” look of some traditional waxed canvases. It retains its weatherproofing qualities while keeping the wax emulsion neatly baked into the textile. Trakke also sells a reproofing spray that can be applied periodically to reinvigorate the weatherproofing qualities. 

For the Bairn Pro we opted for the “Port” color. A handsome shade that transforms from a warm chocolate brown in some light to a deep reddish brown in others. Trakke’s other colors of dry waxed canvas for the Bairn Pro include Black, Olive, and Whisky.

Trakke’s signature orange dry waxed canvas lining is present through every compartment. The orange lining is a lighter weight of canvas than the exterior. Everything is easy to see inside and the lining fabric has just the right drape so as to never feel too heavy. 

A common theme with Trakke is all-natural fibers – the webbing used for the shoulder strap and front buckles are no exception. The 2-inch (50mm) cotton shoulder strap webbing starts life relatively stiff. But don’t let this scare you off. Within a week of regularly carrying a 16-inch laptop and our EDC kit around we found it wore in nicely. And as long-time Trakke owners will attest – things only get better with age. With enough use you should expect the cotton webbing to become wonderfully soft and well worn.

The shoulder strap webbing features polished stainless steel triglide hardware and split rings on the ends. These split rings allow you to remove the strap and take the strap pad on or off.

The Bairn Pro’s main flap closure comes standard with two 25mm black AustriAlpin COBRA® ProStyle buckles. Machined from 12mm aluminum, these are true load-rated buckles that will outlast you and every piece of textile on the bag. Overkill in the best possible way for your messenger bag. 

In Use

TL;DR – the Bairn Pro is a joy to use. 

There’s just no way around it. This size is a very welcome upgrade from the original Bairn. The small amount of extra space afforded by the larger laptop sleeve gives the Bairn Pro just the right amount of space to be an ideal EDC bag.

The materials and hardware are beautiful and will only get better with age. The design is understated and you’ll easily blend in with any crowd. It’s not often we come across brands that appeal to such a wide range of end users but Trakke really nails it here. The Bairn Pro feels right at home in a professional office environment or at the corner coffee shop – and everywhere in between.

Something that not all messenger bags do well is allow comfortable use as a shoulder bag. The Bairn Pro’s wide stable strap webbing and comfortable strap pad allow for equally comfortable carry on a single shoulder, cross body, or on your back as a traditional messenger.

Our daily commute typically involves a car, a parking lot, and a short jaunt to the office. For this daily task, or on days that involved extra pit stops the Bairn Pro carried as a shoulder bag was our go-to carry method. 

For quick cycling trips the Bairn Pro carried well even without the optional stabilizer strap. The dry waxed cotton canvas has enough grip against a cotton shirt to keep it from shifting around too much like smooth slippery synthetic fabrics can. The stabilizer would come in handy if you’re wearing a synthetic jacket while cycling. 

The Bairn Pro also works as a compact overnight bag. This was not something we considered with the smaller Bairn. A recent business trip to Indianapolis gave us a chance to pack out the Bairn Pro with a change of clothes, laptop, toiletries, water bottle, and our favorite Micro 4/3 camera setup. 

Improvements

All this praise also comes with some downsides. Messenger bags come with some asterisks – they’re not hermetically sealed carry devices. We found that while carrying a larger laptop and a moderately sized loadout the main flap did not provide complete coverage at the sides nearest the laptop. We don’t often find ourselves commuting in inclement weather but if rainy bike rides are your jam, you may want to look at a more sealed offering from Trakke.

Love ’em or hate ’em, COBRA® buckles are large and bulky things. When moving around in transit they perform their job dutifully and without being noticed, but if you’re working out of the Bairn Pro on hard surfaces you’ll find them clanking and knocking around quite a bit. This is addressed well by Trakke’s new Portobello Laptop Briefcase which brings a lot of Bairn Pro features in a briefcase-y package.

As photographers, this size of messenger hits a very nice sweet spot for carrying a small kit around for the day. We’d love to see just a bit more depth in the main compartment. Our favorite Tenba BYOB 10 camera bag insert kinda sorta fits, but it’s a tight squeeze, especially with a 15-inch or 16-inch laptop in tow. If you rock a slimmer camera insert or go without the laptop you may have better luck.

Verdict

Trakke’s Bairn Pro is a fully competent evolution of the original Bairn lineage (now in its fourth iteration). A big brother that adds more functionality and versatility to an already capable messenger bag lineup. It’s not overburdened with features – it’s just the essentials executed exceedingly well. Whether you’re in a professional or casual environment Trakke’s entire line of bags blends in and will elevate your carry in a classy and tasteful way. We’re excited to continue using the Bairn Pro for our daily carry needs.