Wear it and leave the panniers at home. I have used a Mountainsmith backpack each of the past two years as my panniers. I load everything into the backpack and put it on my back, just like I would if I was going hiking, and then I hop on the bike and ride 100+ miles a day. I don't have racks/panniers on my bike. I rarely ride without a daypack or a backpack on my back, even around home. I use the packs for running errands all the time.