Originally Posted by
Ziemas
There is a huge advantage to panniers. No sweaty back, no weight on your back, better movement of your body.
Originally Posted by
pluc
You might also be interested in the ones that double as backpacks and shoulder bags.
Agreed!
I just switched over to panniers from a backpack. Bought a cheap, on-sale pair from Nashbar, I love them! No way I'm going back to a backpack. It's hot in FL, and it is so nice to have fresh air on your back! Now being new to "commuting" and what not, I was skeptical about panniers and bought a cheap pair (which work perfectly fine!), but now I know they're totally worth it, I wish I would have spent the money on a pannier-backpack style, as pluc and jrockway has mentioned; would be a more convenient way of carrying a pannier around town...though my current panniers do have a handle that I can carry them as a brief case.