Arkel Bug + Laptop + Clothes
 

Does anyone commute with only an Arkel Bug that has the laptop bag and their clothes in it?

I got my Bug yesterday. It's REALLY a nice piece of design. It feels very sturdy, has a great latching mechanism, and comes with an excellent warranty.

I bought the laptop bag and the rain cover to go with it. The laptop bag attaches really nicely and there is a built in compartment for the rain cover.

There's also a compartment for a U-lock and somewhere to put your helmet too.

However, when I put in the rain cover, the laptop, the U-lock, a multi tool, some levers, and a tube, my wallet, phone and keys, the space becomes very tight. I'm using all the pockets available, but they all seem to reduce the space inside the main compartment. This leaves very little room for my clothes. If I roll my shirt inside my trousers, I can just squeeze them into the top of the main compartment horizontally, but it's tight, and I worry that this will cause a lot of wrinkles. Also, there is definitely no room for a lunch or even a thermos.

Does anyone else just use 1 bag, the Arkel Bug, to carry everything? If so, any suggestions on a better way to load it up?

^^^ That's why I hate pockets and love Ortlieb Back Rollers. I could get all that stuff and groceries in one of them. :)

My hiking pack doesn't have any pockets either. It's just a huge tube, and I use little pouches and smaller bags to organize stuff inside. Holds a lot more that way.

I ordered an Arkel Bug this week, and should receive it in a few days, so I don't know how to maximize the space in it. However:

Tube, levers, wallet, phone, rain cover, and keys could go in a saddlebag or wedge bag, leaving the Bug for just clothes and laptop.

Yes, I could easily make it work with two bags, but when I forked out the extra dough for the Bug, my hope was that I would only have to carry 1 bag. Otherwise, I could get two Ortlieb bags for the same price as the 1 Bug.

Well, just to make sure I'm clear about my suggestion, I didn't mean another full-sized bag. I just meant a little one that hangs under the saddle. I find them more convenient for the kind of stuff you might need to pull out DURING a ride--tubes, levers, phone, keys. Otherwise you're constantly going into your backpack, which I find to be a pain. Plus it frees up backpack space.

Something like this or this.

If that was already clear... never mind... :)

I carry clothes+laptop in the Arkel Commuter (similar) which gets carried in to the office and goes with me when I stop at the store. But I also have a cheaper Topeak bag which stays on the bike and carries my rain jacket, random cables and straps, etc. and my U-lock has a place it sits on the rack. I've started leaving a couple of pairs of shoes at work just to avoid packing them back and forth.

I can cram all that stuff in the Commuter but it's just too much of a hassle to do it every darn day.

Yeah, I know what you mean and I leave one on my road bike, but I only want to have to carry 1 bag, hence the question. I wouldn't want to leave a saddle bag on the bike with tools, etc. in it, because it wouldn't be there when I get back.

I appreciate you offering a suggestion though!

Why would you ever take them out? My thinking is that they stay in there unless you use them.

Sometimes I use the cable+ulock, sometimes just the ulock. But more importantly, if I off-load that sort of thing from the Commuter then there is plenty of room which makes packing-changing-packing a lot easier.

Good point. If you had an Ortlieb with just one big compartment and no where else to store your U-Lock, you'd have to dig into the bottom of the bag for the U-Lock, this messing up the clothes.

Bump for the weekday crowd.

I saw a lot of good opinions on the Bug, so I'm hoping there are others who've figured out how to "get it all in there".

Just in case there are folks debating buying an Arkel Bug and watching this thread, I wanted to give an update on my situation.

I just got off the phone with Yves at Arkel and he was very helpful. He recommended that I switch to an Arkel Utility Basket, which has more room inside and less specialized pockets and things that take up space. I also discussed my heel clearence, my stay length, etc with him, and he recommended an OMM Red Rock rack to ensure I can use the 1 big bag and not have heel clearance issues.

I will say, the Bug was an excellent product. It looks nice, it has all kinds of great ideas in its design, and I think people who aren't looking to carry so many things in 1 bag will be extremely happy with it.

I definitely recommend calling and talking to the folks at Arkel before buying. They did take a few days to get back to me, but once I had their attention, they were extremely helpful.

I'll post a review of the whole setup once I have it in place.

Or you could put the U-Lock on top? :rolleyes:

No, I would definitely not put a U-Lock on top of my clothes.

I stick my U-lock in my back pocket or tuck it between my belt and pants. That's if it's not locked around the seatpost holding the chain out of the tires.

For the ortliebs, after you roll down the top just secure the u-lock with the buckle. Perfect place for a u-lock, you don't even have to open the bag to get to it. On top mean literally on top of the bag, not your clothes.