I have been bike commuting for decades, but for the first time I find myself needing to carry a laptop. I have always used panniers, but I am leery of damaging the computer on the rather rough streets of my city, so I have been using a backpack. That cushions the laptop fine but I hate wearing the pack. What do others do? The laptop arrived by mail, wrapped in a sturdy envelope of inflated plastic tubes, and I might try using that, but I'd like to hear your experiences first. Thanks!

I use a sturdy sleeve, the Thule Gauntlet, and just throw it in a pannier bag. (can't post links yet)


I've fallen on it with the bike, and there is a small dent on the laptop, but it survived...

I use a water-resistant pannier (roll-top). I’ve used padded sleeves but I currently just put it behind a 3-ring binder. Over 10 years .. no issues .. low quality consumer-grade laptops.

I've been in a similar situation. Have you considered getting a padded laptop sleeve? I use one inside my pannier and it works great.

I use the backpack, not because I like it, but because I like the other things less

I have had a pannier fly off the bike and bound head over heels down the block and then fortunately not get hit by a bus, and the laptop came out fine. Same also when I got hit hard by a car with a laptop in my backpack. I do always keep the laptop in a sleeve. The backpack has another padded pocket I can slide the sleeve into.

Laptops no longer have hard drives with platters that spin. Now they have solid state storage. As a result, they can take more shock. I just toss my computer in my bag. These days, I toss the bag into the basket on my rear rack and lash it down with a bungee.

Currently using a minimalist cloth book bag with drawcord, worn as a backpack. If raining, I just have it under my rain jacket. Simple is good.

For years I used a rack and laptop-specific pannier. Seems I was always futzing around with some repair or adjustment.

Yeah, this. With the end of the era of spinning rust, laptop transport by bike doesn’t have to be fraught. Do you worry about your phone? Or an iPad? Modern laptops are pretty similar in that some basic care is adequate. A padded laptop sleeve would be a good idea if there isn’t one built into your bag. I’ve been riding back and forth with a laptop for years, mostly in a backpack but sometimes in a pannier or on a front rack (in the same backpack I would wear on my back). No problem at all.

I use a 13" Macbook Air, and usually put it either in a pannier or in an REI laptop backpack.





As others have suggested, a sleeve or hardcase (Thule is what I use) is good.

A Thule hard case can be strapped directly to a rack.



The nice thing about the MBA is that it is lightweight, and also relatively inexpensive if something terrible happens.

This is perhaps a bad example today as my screen is shattered

My work laptop is a Mobile Workstation, weighs six pounds. I dunno if its drive is spinning or not but it runs its fans all the time and gets super hot, something every review of it mentions. This is not helped by the metal case or the fact our IT has it set up to run at max all the time and never hibernate. So yeah I'm going to treat it like an egg. An ostrich egg.

I got a work laptop soon after the pandemic started, so it's got a spinning disk drive and has only accumulated about a year of normal commuting. It goes in a waterproof Ortlieb pannier, sometimes with something to stabilize it, sometimes without. I've worn out a cheap mouse and a keyboard which did not commute (docking stations at each end). But the (low bid) laptop, which was used when it flowed down to me, is still working fine.

If I had to pay for the laptop, I might be inclined to pad it better. Or not; as I mentioned, it's still working. Why fix what's not broke?

I would recommend that Thule Gauntlet case (I have one and have been using it for almost 2 years) and some good panniers, don't buy the bargain bin stuff, panniers shouldn't be flying off. Ortlieb or Arkel would be my choices for quality panniers that are actually low cost (as they last forever and are well supported so long term cost is super low but initial cost is a touch higher). The E-Mate from Ortlieb fits my 13" Thule case quite nicely with space to spare and my GT-54s from Arkel also hold it fine.

If you didn't want to go the pannier route and weren't dealing with weather I would just carefully strap it to the rack with my Highland Fat Straps (the best bungee cords out there) but I would much rather have it in a good waterproof pannier (just in case and I do generally turn it off but I would say probably not needed as it is an SSD but it turns on quickly enough I would rather just have it off.

Even legacy laptops with hard drives do not need as much babying as many people give them. Just about all backpacks have a laptop area these days and many panniers as well. Even if you crash, the average loaded pannier has enough clothing, etc. between the world and the laptop to cushion it from the blow. I am a backpack kind of person. Always have been. My DW is a pannier lover. Different strokes, but no difference in the outcomes for our devices.

I never had any issues with pannier, it's always secure and saves my back from sweating. The only time I worry about damaging my laptop is when the bike falls on the side, but it hasn't happened yet.

I use Ortlieb and pannier rack to carry my 15inch laptop using a sleeve. The setup has been in use for 5-6 years now, I don't have any problems with the laptop.
I suggest to invest in a good sleeve so you can bike not worrying the shocks.. hope it helps

I sweat a lot, so wearing a backpack is out of the question in sunny California. My Vaude pannier has a padded sleeve-like compartment and I have not had any issues. My pannier also has a rain cover that works quite well for wet commutes. The cooling fan and keyboard are the only moving parts of my laptop.

I use an Ortlieb Commuter Bag, with my laptop in a cheap sleeve. This works well, although the bag is expensive at nearly $250.

I use a laptop sleeve from work and toss it in my pannier. My Arkel commuter pannier has a padded zippered pocket for my laptop, so I just put it there. So far, no issues at all.

JT

You need a better pannier. In thousands of miles, I have never had a pannier fall off. ------> Ortlieb <------

In fact, even my inexpensive, open top city panniers have never fallen off. The use simple hooks that go over the rear rack, then have bungee cord with hooks to secure them. Sounds like operator error to me.

buy a laptop case.

I'm simple mate and have used one of these for seven years or so.

https://www.alpinetrek.co.uk/aevor-d...oof-18-daypack

pre-2020, a 2012 rMBP from JPN. post-2020, a M1-MBA.

never had an issue.

My work laptop comes with a shoulder bag. I hop on the bike with it and go. Periodically, I give it a shove so it stays over by back and out of the way.