Originally Posted by
alan s
The bungee is there to hold the Topeak trunk bag on securely. I don't trust the little latch on the front to hold the bag. Also eliminates any rattling. The bungee pops under the bag behind the track. Before I replaced the bag with the current fold out pannier model, the bungee was also there to strap extra clothes in a dry bag on top for the 'tween months (cold mornings and warm evenings). No need to do that with the panniers now available.
Ah, I also use a Topeak bag/rack, and I also have trust issues, although I will say that the only time it has failed is when I failed to get the bag in the track properly, so I guess the trust issues are really with myself. What I do is leave the shoulder strap on the bag and toss it over the seat, so that even if the bag started to slide backwards, it could only go so far.