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Originally Posted by AlmostGreenGuy
(Post 20919308)
You can pick up a Chrome Industries Barrage Cargo backpack on sale for $128.00. It’s worth every penny. Bombproof construction, and your stuff will never ever get wet. Best commuter backpack ever made.
Originally Posted by Riv-Lantis
(Post 20923450)
Second the Chrome bags. I've commuted with a Prawn roll-top bag for 8 years or so and never had a drop of water get inside any of the pockets through the worst GA thunderstorms. Even the two outside pockets have kept cell phones and wallets dry in torrential rain.
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Originally Posted by The 585
(Post 20928095)
Thank you both. I just ordered the Chrome Barrage Cargo bag and I'm pumped to try it out. It's just what I was looking for and they were offering a 15% off promo code. Hoping this can survive many years of commuting and hiking.
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JanSport makes an inexpensive mesh backpack, which I use daily for commuting. When it rains, I pack everything into a drybag that I toss inside of it.
https://www.jansport.com/shop/en/jan...kpack-js0a2sdg It's also great for the beach... doesn't collect any sand. |
Originally Posted by acidfast7
(Post 20924916)
I really appreciate the quality of the Osprey line of rucksucks. I'm just struck by how garish they tend to be. Great if I'm in the Alps and need to get found by air after an avalanche but not so good for a daily commute. Also, the colour-retention of the brightly coloured packs seems to fade after a few years.
We've also noticed how much anything high-vis fades. For my pannier/backpack, I found a high-vis rain cover online. Handy that I can remove it, so the bag looks "normal" for carrying a laptop, etc. to meetings. About a year old, just starting to fade. The vests fade at aprx. 3-4 years; we also keep them under the seats of each truck, so we rotate those in to daily use and replace them when the old ones fade. |
I have a Mountain Hardwear Scrambler backpack that I use on rainy days. It's a bit large, but works well and is quite waterproof.
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Originally Posted by madpogue
(Post 20930119)
Commuting in the US, that garish high visibility is a major plus, not a minus. Drivers here are so distracted (mostly self-induced), my wife and I have taken to wearing construction-type high-vis vests even when walking. We've found high-vis definitely effective in both situations.
We've also noticed how much anything high-vis fades. For my pannier/backpack, I found a high-vis rain cover online. Handy that I can remove it, so the bag looks "normal" for carrying a laptop, etc. to meetings. About a year old, just starting to fade. The vests fade at aprx. 3-4 years; we also keep them under the seats of each truck, so we rotate those in to daily use and replace them when the old ones fade. We don't get much sun :lol: Respro HUMP seems to be most common that I see. http://respro.com/hi-viz/hump Where I am speeds are low (usually under 20, if that, as it's all beachside bumper-to-bumper), I'd just more casual collisions and the HiViz just gets drowned out by the headlights and streetlamps. |
Originally Posted by acidfast7
(Post 20924916)
I really appreciate the quality of the Osprey line of rucksucks. I'm just struck by how garish they tend to be. Great if I'm in the Alps and need to get found by air after an avalanche but not so good for a daily commute. Also, the colour-retention of the brightly coloured packs seems to fade after a few years. Thus, I went with an all-black Arc'terx which still looks good 9 years later.
What are you studying that requires scrubs? I spent some time teaching medical professionals at university. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ff60f9eaca.jpg |
I'm a big user of Osprey packs as well (I have around 10) and haven't seen any fade either. I do stick to black/dark grey though.
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Originally Posted by acidfast7
(Post 20924916)
What are you studying that requires scrubs? I spent some time teaching medical professionals at university.
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Get a cheap rucksack.
Get a cheap waterproof hi-viz rucksack cover. Use an inner bag if it’s pouring down. Job done! |
I've been using Osprey backpacks for the last 8 or 9 years. Best commuter backpack I've used and way more durable than I expected. I made a long term review video about a year ago of what features I like about them and how they've held up and such.
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Maybe an Osprey is in my future. My Timbuk2 has a rip after two years of use.
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Can't go wrong with Chrome
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Originally Posted by noglider
(Post 20966722)
Maybe an Osprey is in my future. My Timbuk2 has a rip after two years of use.
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Try a tennis backpack. They are reasonably priced, hold a ton of stuff, and usually have a lot of useful sub compartments. They won't be completely waterproof in a downpour, but as others have stated you should be using secondary bags for valuables anyway.
Also, whenever it's raining if you ride fast enough, the rain will never even hit your backpack. Yes, I'm kidding, but it's good motivation. |
I have had a Timbuk2 Messenger Bag and a backpack for some years now, no problems so far...durable, not too bulky and waterproof.
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I've got the Osprey Radial. It's a little bigger than I need on most days, but does have capacity for those rare occasions when I need to carry something extra. It has a tucked-away rain cover, but that mostly seems to be to keep the rest of the pack clean—water hasn't intruded even when I don't use it. Seems to be good quality and has held up well. It's pretty well thought out for commuting, although I did add some velcro loops to the "tails" on the shoulder straps to keep them from flapping around.
I've got a locker at my workplace, and I hang the cycling gear I commute in there (also a towel, toiletries, and the shoes I wear at the office). So my packing tactics are probably different than yours. |
Originally Posted by noglider
(Post 20966722)
Maybe an Osprey is in my future. My Timbuk2 has a rip after two years of use.
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Originally Posted by 79pmooney
(Post 20923441)
I doubt the price is anywhere near $100, but the Ortleib backpacks, if made as well as their panniers, will be a completely waterproof bag for decades of hard use. I have their front paniers. Got them in 1999. 10 years of commuting several days/week year 'round and shopping, I "retired" them and bought new ones. (Actually just bought new replacement hardware and set them up to be rear panniers, not fronts. Became my farmer's market and touring pannier should I do another.
Only repair the bags themselves have ever needed was for a 1" slice made by a very sharp knife. Standard rafting repair and it is like new. I can fill those now 20 year old bags with water at the well and carry the water home. (Haven't but simply because I've never needed to.) Ben |
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