Walkafire

+1


Been a great investment here too...

I am surprised on the capacity space in the "BUG"

MarkS

You're packing heat to work? That bag looks like its meant to wrap around your hips. I don't think this would be comfortable for biking, especially if you're relearning to bike. The bag is going to be in the way of your main engines -- your legs. If that's all you have to carry, and if you're relearning, maybe a grocery pannier on a rack would be the ticket. Then you can use any bag you already have until you're comfortable again with biking.

marqueemoon

I have a large Ortleib, which true to its name is waterproof. It's freakin' huge and with the roll top it can be a little hard to see around when head checking, which is annoying. It's also a tall bag that likes to be worn high, which can be irritating when you're say... in the drops and flying down a hill and want to see where you're going. It's great when it's dumping rain and/or I have to carry a lot of stuff though. If you don't have that much to carry, the smaller version would be great, and would not have either of the annoying problems of the larger. They are comfortable (this would be hard to tell by looking at em'), light, and built like tanks.

I don't really care about having lots of little tiny compartments to hold things.
If you do, this might not be the bag for you. I just keep my tools, tubes, and patch kit right in the same seat bag I use for road rides, once I throw my mini pump in there I'm good to go. The rest is just clothes and stuff anyway.

I use a messenger bag most days because it's easier to see around, I don't bump my head on it, and (yes) it looks a little cooler.


Here is why I am not a pannier fan for commuting:

I am tall and like a little smaller frame (heel strike).
I also don't like what loaded panniers do to the handling.
I don't like carrying them when off the bike.
I like to be able to commute on a faster bike (one sans rack) when it's nice out.
Good ones are expensive, especially when you factor in a quality rack.
I usually don't have that much stuff to carry on my commute, and when I do have lots of stuff to carry it's often bigger than what will fit in a typical pannier.
I find panniers a lil' on the ugly side.

balto charlie

Deuter, only rest on your back in 3 small areas. All shapes and sizes. Made for bicyclist

blueeyedme

I just got an Arkel Tailrider for Christmas. It's a rack trunk that is perfect for my commute (I drive my clothes in 1x per week).

https://www.arkel-od.com/panniers/tai...asp?fl=1&site=

smithers

i'm using a jansport day pack right now; i've used messenger bags and love 'em, but the backpack seems easier with carrying my books (skool).

Nachoman

I personally don't like biking with a lot of weight on my back. I bungi strap my fully loaded back pack to my rear blackburn rack. No problem.

geog_dash

What he said. I love my Deuter Superbike L. Minimal contact area, but with good weight distribution. Well designed with lots of thoughtful features.

oboeguy

Apparently I haven't posted in this thread. My backpack is amazing and you'd have to hold a gun to my head to take it away from me! (figuratively, of course)

aadhils

I just use front pannier bags...

swwhite

I recently purchased an Ortlieb waterproof messenger backpack, but have worn it on a bike just once so far, so I can't give an evaluation. But I do have two thoughts.

Because of the cost of a high-end carrying appliance, I could afford only one, so I went with something that maximized my own personal top-priority feature, waterproofness. I sacrificed the cool image and easier access of a messenger bag for it. It seems like there is no perfect solution, only one that is the best set of trade-offs for one's personal needs.

If you get a backpack, and are caught in the rain, it helps if the backpack has either a flap over the whole thing (like a messenger bag) or at least those little flaps over the zippers. Without those, water will leak in through zippers.

bent-not-broken

The weight and sweaty back are a drag. When I started commuting two years ago my temorary fix was an old schwin rack (with the spring clip) holding my soft side computer/briefcase. Two years and several commutes later I haven't found any reason to change.

Bent

bent-not-broken

oops! several hundred commutes later