Back looking for recommendations. I'd like to get a trunk bag that will hold, or expand to hold a large (smooshed) parka or coat. Looking at reviews online, if you can trust them, many have quality issues. Any recommendations from the mob?

I used a basic Banjo Brothers one for about a year. It held tools, lunch, a change of undies, but that's about it. I made do by lashing stuff to the top of it. I did like the clean, simple look but ultimately went with full time panniers. They're frequently empty, but always there when I need to carry stuff. Putting a parka or coat in any trunk bag, expandable or not, seems like a real stretch (pun intended). I'd recommend toting your coat down to your LBS and trying out the available trunk bags to see if they match your needs.

Good luck

I have the fancy Nashbar trunk bag and it's worked fine for six years. Hardware, zippers, and stitching have no issues. The bag doesn't see much use these days because panniers work better for me.

I have been fortunate to be able to keep extra clothes at the office. I have shoes, a jacket and a winter parka there. If that is not possible, I would look into a basket in the front, or rear, or Wald folding baskets, or paniers. But to keep it simple, find a good way to roll your parka and bungie it or strap it with velcro. Then bungie or strap it to the outside of whatever you're using now. Perhaps you could find a small waterproof bag or duffell and strap that to what you're using now.

I'm pretty sure my Topeak Explorer bag with fold-out panniers would hold a folded or rolled-up coat. They're not huge but I've fit a lot of stuff in them before.

Arkel Tailrider trunk bag is excellent quality.

I already have panniers, which are full of my commute items and things for the train part of my commute. If El Niño hits as forecast, I'll need someplace to stash foul weather gear, like my heavy coat or rain gear at times. At my size, rain gear will be bulky.

Avenir, works fine. Have not yet put it on the current commuter which has so far been a backpack ride. I think I might try it on a cheap front rack instead of the rear.

I'm using an ordinary insulated rolling cooler as a trunk bag - probably cost less than $30. The metal bracket for the telescoping handle fits over the rear rack almost perfectly, and cinches securely with a couple of bungee cords. Seems water resistant, at least - the interior is solid vinyl or something similar, not woven fabric or ballistic nylon like the shell. Holds up to three bags of groceries, or 30 lbs, easily. It would hold my Thinsulate and Gore Tex parka and winter boots, no problem. Or other change of clothes without crumpling - should accommodate carefully folded trousers, shirt, etc., and dress shoes.

+1 It's a great bag. It'll hold the essentials with a little room left over. I don't take much to work but between that and my medium size revelate frame bag, I have all I need.

I'm partial to Topeak mainly because of their quick release track system for securing trunk bags to the rack.

If you already have regular panniers, you could go with the Topeak trunk bag that expands up taller if needed. Or if you don't have a Topeak rack, there are other trunk bag options that also expand upwards when more space inside is required.

Topeak makes pretty good truck bags. Or looks for ones with tiedowns and use toe straps. That's what I do with my Carradice Barley.

reposted from another thread, looking for a lower profile bag:

Yeah, the Arkel Tailrider is nice. It has water resistant zippers for light rain, and an easy built-in rain cover to pull over if it's raining hard. There's a removable divider and mesh pockets.

And the top has an expandable section, so you can really overstuff it if needed.

Check out the video:

Wow that Arkel bag looks cool. Love the rain cover and the straps on top for carrying extra stuff. I wish my Topeak had that. However I like not having to deal with separate panniers, because my pants and belt always end up in a fold-out pannier, and other stuff I carry on Mondays (if I end up riding on a Monday) ends up in the other pannier.

Timbuktu makes a trunk bag that will expand quite large. I considered buying one but ultimately decided that it was too large for my purposes, although I have found their products to be high quality. I use a Louis Garneau trunk bag for commuting most of the time, and it will expand to hold quite a bit more gear when needed, but is relatively compact for regular use. It also was quite inexpensive, less than $40. I also have a Banjo Bros trunk bag that is similar in size and expandability but I prefer the LG model.

I saw a picture of your bike in another thread. What brand of cooler is that? I might want to try something similar.

It's a generic no-name bag from Walgreen's, $15 closeout after summer. Only info I can find is by Googling the tag number.

So far I've stuffed it full of groceries weighing around 30 lbs, including sacks of potatoes, carrots, etc., until the zipper was hard to close, and the fabric, seams and zipper are still good. But it's only a few months old, and I've used it half a dozens times for less than two months, always stored inside. The main difference I've noticed over the years with camera gear bags is how well the ballistic nylon or woven fabric holds up over time. No way to predict that based on price. I've had expensive bags fall apart prematurely and cheaper bags held up well; but usually you get what you pay for.

I use the Axiom paddywagon EXP 19 trunk bag. A little steep at $62 but it's well made and comes with a rain cover.

Have you looked at Jandd? Bomb proof design and a far price too! Rear Rack Trunks

Thanks. Will keep a lookout for one.

After being very unsatisfied with trunk bags that always have a dozen little compartments that don't fit anything large, I found this: Duffel Rack Pack

Just a simple duffel bag that attaches to a rear rack.

My kinda solution!

I have used the Deluxe Performance bag and it is excellent. It's large, but not cumbersome. It's stiff and has multiple exterior pockets that are very handy. It's water proof or repellant but I spray my bags and panniers with waterproofing stuff anyway. The thing I like best is that it has four attachment points instead of two large ones. With fenders, the two large straps are difficult to attach (for me) but the four corner attachments work very well. I've used it on five day tours over gravel and in pouring rain and it's held up perfectly. It's only about $35.00 on sale (which it always seems to be. The other bags mentioned above are all fine but Topeak works best with only Topeak racks and Arkel is excellent but expensive. The biggest problem is that you have to get over the Performance name and recognize that some of their stuff, although not a brand name, is excellent. Good luck.

+ 1 on the Jandd duffel rack pack. Plus it's cheap compared to a lot of the other bags suggested on this thread.