Yeah, when I first started commuting I tried strapping my pack to the rack but got tired of messing with the cords or how it tended to shift from time to time while riding. I had also tried some saddlebag panniers, but their design didn't work so well for a multimodal commute (bus/bike)- and I had heel strike - then I came upon this solution. No longer running like this, but may go back to it some day.