has good zippers, and the material and stitching appear to ...
927535
I'm in a climate that rarely gets cold, but global warming seems to operate inversely in S California so I bought this as a precaution. It's very warm, sized right, looks ok, has good zippers, and the material and stitching appear to be very durable. I paid about $8 (EIGHT dollars), including shipping; what do people expect for such a price - cashmere? As for the lack of hood, there's a product out there called a HAT.

The promo image showed a rather deep red. The actual color is what I'd call startling - it's very bright.

Overall, I'm satisfied. For the price, remarkable!
2394576
Great price for a very useful bag. Good stitching and zippers.
706711
I got this bag recently as a birthday gift.  It seems to be a great bag, seems to be well constructed, and has several nice features. Time will tell how it holds up.  I will followup on this review after I have had it a while.  I like that it has MANY ways to carry the bag; backpack straps, detachable single shoulder strap, well positioned padded carry handle, as well as a handy bottom loop of webbing (in the lower right of the default pic) that is hand for grabbing it out of the car.  It appears to be made out of 1/2" foam padding, with a soft panel on the inside, and cordura like panel on the outside.  There are two opposing zippers on the lid, and a single zipper on the top pocket.  Zippers are their own brand, but seem to be of good quality, similar to YKK.  The top zippered pocket is handy for carrying extras such as a tuning key, wallet, keys, etc..

The actual bag dimensions are:
Lid diameter edge to edge - 18.5"
Lid height - 1.5"
Body height - 24.75"
Base diameter edge to edge - 10.5"

You'll want to watch the sizing on this bag, especially if your djembe has a large bell on the bottom.  My 14" Remo synthetic djembe (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Remo-Djembe-Drum-Key-Tuned-14-Inch-Earth-Finish/dp/B0002F7B8W/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Remo Djembe Drum - Key Tuned (14 Inch, Earth Finish)</a>&nbsp;with dimensions (14" head, 16" edge to edge top, 25.25" height, 8.25" edge to edge bottom diameter) fits in this bag just about perfectly. It actually stands about 1.5" taller than the bottom half of the zipper on the bag, but there is enough room to zip it closed, without pulling anything tight.  I have a hand carved 12" Djembe (12.5" head, 14" edge to edge top diameter, 24.5" height, 9.75" edge to edge bottom diameter)that fits in fine, but when I put it in the bag, I have to coax the bottom bell in there. The top half of the drum is a bit loose in the case, but I don't think it will be an issue.

Overall, this seems to be a great bag that I can easily recommend.

UPDATE: (Original review 5/2011, Update 2/2015)
This bag has held up very well.  I have yet to need to fix or replace anything. I am not a gigging musician, but more of a weekend player.
3084845
More durable than price inferred washes well good zipper design
4346720
This bag is attractive and seems well made. I don't recognize the brand, although it's labeled as if it should be recognizable. My only concern is that I can see the seams that hold the metal rings in place on either side straining when I wear the shoulder strap. I've only carried a portfolio, one small notebook, and a novel-sized book or two in the bag, but I'm concerned the stitching will rip after I've had the bag for more than a week.
229955
I love how this has extra padding on top and bottom.  It looks nice and so far the zipper is holding up.
3580380
Although designed as a concealed carry bag, I'm not using it as such.  YMMV.  The bag seems well-constructed, although the zippers are nylon, not metal. Can't really tell about durability as its job is to sit in the closet as a tornado bag. The nice features are the MOLLE on one side of the main compartment, and the side pocket and end pockets are lined with loop material.  There is a mesh pocket in both ends and inside the main compartment flap. A so-so component is the removable center divider. It is held in place by 4 small velcro tabs and is flexible, so it won't really support pressure from one side and you're still dependent on packing it evenly.  The sides also taper in, which can make getting to stuff on the bottom a little more difficult.  Room for MOLLE and hook organizers, just be mindful that you can only get inside of your (mounted) organizers from the top.  The main compartment zippers are lockable, but surprisingly, the side pocket is not.
2051280
Like most if not all Maxpedition products, this Larkspur bag is made from great quality materials. The stitching seems quite stout and looks as if it will hold up to the daily wear and tear that these kinds of bags are put through. The bag's dimensions are well-suited for carrying either of my larger laptop computers with plenty of room for other ancillary gear and, well, 'stuff'. The bag's main flap has a double-pull upper zipper that can be used to quickly access the main compartment without having to undo the buckles of the flap itself, such as to emergency CCW access just like the comparable compartments found on Maxped's Versipack designs (the compartment is completely lined with loop material ready to accept Maxped's optional&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Universal-CCW-Holster/dp/B001DZT8BS/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Universal CCW Holster</a>.

There are two smaller compartments under the main flap that can store any number of loose items, whether it be iPods, cellphones, pens, tools, supplies, first aid kit, extra magazines, knife or anything else one can dream up. There is also a zippered compartment on the underside of the flap that works well with flat items. And then there are two slender pouches on either end of the bag that seem well suited for storing longer items, like a flashlight or a multi-tool. All in all this bag looks to be a worthy pickup even with the silly-looking webbed waistband (like some of the Jumbo Versipack models have), and should easily manage my needs that I'll demand of it to take care of.

That all being said, it's not all perfect. Maxped supplies an ample length of webbing for the shoulder strap, in fact too much if you ask someone with the size and stature like myself. The problem is that Maxpedition didn't supply a satisfactory means to corral up the extra length of strap webbing that was left over after I made the adjustment to the shoulder strap length for comfortable and convenient wear on my person. As it is it just hangs loosely like some sort of OD green tail, where if I were any shorter it would actually be dragging on the ground. Yes I could have slid the supplied retaining buckle further down the strap to pick up the excess, but then I effectively end up creating a dual-webbed strap as a result that I invariably ALWAYS get the individual lengths tangled up with one another (just a personal curse, I suppose).

Instead of making myself look like some bedraggled simian that has a man purse-like appendage dipped in green paint or someone who looks like he'd have trouble tying his own shoelaces let alone being unable to straighten out a shoulder strap, I got into my stash of elastic bungee-type cord and made a makeshift gatherer to tie down the wayward length of webbing. Although the only cord I had was in black this do-it-yourself `rubber band' works reasonably well, though I think I would've preferred that Maxpedition had supplied a more `tactical' solution (akin to something you might find a better tac rifle slings).

For the money that this messenger bag cost I also do think that it should have come with a greater amount of protective padded lining in the sides of the carryall as well. This messenger bag costs more than Maxped's excellently padded and protective&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Sliver-II-Rifle-Case/dp/B002XLLBLG/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Sliver-II Rifle Case</a>, yet for sensitive equipment like notebook or tablet computers it really provides only a minimal amount of tangible protection against impact. Last time I check, most guns are pretty solidly built and can stand up to a lot of abuse, hence for me the disconnect in the reasoning for the Larkspur's protective qualities--or more precisely, the lack thereof--just eludes logic.

Yet all quibbles aside, this Larkspur should otherwise do the job I'll demand of it quite well even if it's still just a tad shy of being perfect.
3623023
Looks and feels like good quality. Zipper is frustrating. I expected zipper to work. I almost broke it to get it to move. We had to pull on the neck area to make it large enough for head.
2063618
So many colors and usefull pockets. Good materials, stitching and zippers.
715394
Not sure if real leather?  Don't know if RFID works or not.  But, like the size and a good zipper.  Seems to be well made.
1482413
Appears well made.  Heavy plastic smell as would be expected.  Good zippers, lots of room.  So far meets all expectations
4084176
Does what it is supposed to do. Zippers seem like they may not last long.
1053198
I like this bag, though I can't say I've really put its impermeability to the test yet.

The reason for 4 and not 5 stars is that the zipper on the front pouch will often snag the overahanging "flap" or whatever it is.  After I'd had the bag for maybe 3-4 weeks, I snagged it badly and once I had unsnagged it, the zipper wouldn't zip smoothly past that spot any more. So...the zipper is the first thing I'm expecting to fail.

I only bought this bag because the equivalent "front pouch zipper" had gone out on my other backpack, so I am sad that this has begun to happen already with this bag.
2541289
My toddler likes the zipper one the best. When they first areived the material from which they're made seems cheap, but so far they have held up.
2325319
This bag is bigger than I expected which is a good thing. Zippers seem to be a little sketch but other than that it's an awesome pack. So far, it seems to hold up to whatever I need it for
57988
This product seems to be made out of nice material, and the heavy duty zippers and metal clasps are awesome. I will update this review after I use it at my job.