Design
Truth be told, you've got a cornucopia of options when it comes to shopping for a messenger bag. Where Ona attempts to differentiate itself lies solely in the design. When we heard just how much this unit was supposed to hold, we were actually somewhat surprised to see how reasonably sized it was -- it's a large messenger bag internally, but it doesn't look bulky at a glance. In fact, it looks striking, and totally professional. It's available in a trio of hues (Ranger Tan, as seen here, as well as Smoke and Black), and it's definitely a bag that could be carried by your average suit-and-tie wearer. There's a well-stitched rear grab handle as well as an adjustable neck belt; thankfully the latter has a comfy, adjustable pad for easing the stress on your shoulder and neck.
Contrary to what you may expect, the front isn't closed by buckles; those are there to loosen the front for more bulky loads. Underneath are a pair of clips, which are far, far easier to lock and unlock with one hand. We'll just be frank with you -- this thing oozes class. As soon as you pick it up you know you're dealing with quality, and while it's shockingly light (that's a good thing!), the waxed canvas exterior really is rugged. Running through a brief rain shower? No worries -- it'll bead right off. In use, we found it quite comfortable to hoist over our shoulder. 'Course, we feel the same way about our trusty Timbuk2 messenger bag, but it's important to note that we weren't overwhelmed at any point by the size.
Internals
So, how's about the internals? There's a padded interior and a handful of dividers with velcro on each side; if you find that you'd only like to use one or two, you can rip the other out without issue. We were able to squeeze a Nikon D90 (wearing a 50mm prime lens) as well as two other lenses and a SB-600 flash inside of the bag, not to mention a 15-inch MacBook Pro. That said, the aforesaid arrangement left very little room in the zippered accessory pouch -- anything more than a smartphone, a few pens and a sleek PND simply wouldn't fit. But that's a loaded-down scenario; in truth, Ona is aiming this is at more casual users who aren't planning to take their entire rig from place to place. For that, the size of the Union Street is ideal. We will say that our MBP fit mighty snugly in the rear, but we suppose that's the point -- there's no doubt that 13- or 14-inch ultraportables would fit a lot easier. If you're looking to lug around more equipment than this, a backpack is still the best option.