Originally Posted by chaadster

But any ol’ backpack will work for that. When we start talking about a cycling specific backback, when we get to the use scenarios which would distinguish it from any ol’ backpack, it gets real stupid real quick.

There’s simply no good reason to carry weight on a bike high up on the rider’s back. It doesn’t make sense from either performance or ergonomic perspectives. It’s cheap, easy and convenient, but so is any ol’ backpack, and therein lies the problem.

Rucksacks, aka backbacks, existed before the bicycle, yet we came to all sorts of contraptions to carry stuff on the bike, from rear racks, to porteurs to panniers, handlebar bags, seat bags, lumbar packs and messenger bags. All that should tell you something, not the least of which is that the backpack has been found to be wanting.