Favorite Commuter Packs?
 

Hey I was just wondering what kind of packs/ panniers you all use on your commutes? I use the Osprey Momentum 26: http://randomstreamoc.blogspot.com/2...-backpack.html

Looking to set up a pannier system on my mountain bike commuter, suggestions?

Let me be the first to suggest the Nashbar ATBs. http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...1_10000_201516 They go on sale for $30 once or twice a year, and $40 isn't a bad price for what you get here.

I've been using two backpacks lately for commuting. One is the2011 Osprey Momentum 26, in the M/L size. The other is a new Dakine Apex.

I only bike to work a few fair weathered days a week. It's a long 30 mile round trip. I walk a mile to public transportation the other days, and the same back home. Having to swap my stuff between panniers and backpack every day got to be a real pain last year. So I've been trying to find a backpack option that works for both the walking and riding days.

Osprey Momentum thoughts:

The Momentum is a full featured pack from a company that I love. It has some of the best laptop protection I've seen in a backpack. The downside is that it seems as though Osprey started with a simple pack, and just kept adding every feature in the book. After adding all of those features, they kind of ended up with a very large and ungainly pack for long bike trips. Very good features, but so many that the pack is gigantic for it's advertised capacity. I wish I'd gotten the small version of this pack.

1. Very nice quality
2. A very large pack for its advertised size
3. Awesome cushion protection for laptop
4. Phone pocket in strap is too small for my Droid X
5. Retractable key pocket is brilliant!!!
6. Love the rain cover feature
7. Kind of heavy
8. Not amazing back ventilation
9. Love the big outside accessible stash pocket
10. Grab handle hits me in the back of my helmet when riding
11. Too large to just sling over my shoulder when walking
12. Love the mesh water bottle pockets
13. Lid lock doesn't work with my Bell Muni helmet. Total bummer
14. Rather useless feature that converts from backpack to laptop back.

Dakine Apex thoughts:

I love the Apex pack. It's a small pack with huge aspirations. It expands nicely for large loads, and the helmet holder is amazingly versatile. This pack acts exactly like what it is, a very mature pack that has constantly been refined over the years. I use this for walking to work, overnight trips, bike commuting and trail riding. This pack does it all. I have very few nitpicks. Probably the best pack I've ever used. Ventilation isn't anything wondrous, but better than the Osprey.

1. Holds a wicked amount of stuff for its size
2. Don't usually bother with the hydration bladder. Only gets used when offroad biking.
3. Wicked rugged
4. Doesn't seem very waterproof. Will need a rain cover.
5. Have to use a separate laptop sleeve
6. Tons of pockets. Awesome organization, both internal and external.
7. I wish that one side pocket was a mesh water bottle pocket
8. Very light and nimble pack
9. Easily slings over shoulder
10. I hide the removable waist belt in the hydration pocket when not in use
11. Looks freakin awesome!!!
12. The hemet holder works for all sorts of odd sized stuff. Not just helmets. Sensational feature.
13. Great lashing straps underneath the pack.

I'm using my old CamelBak Blowfish for now. I'll at some point end up with a Topeak rear rack and removable bag. My wife and I want to get a child seat for our grand daughter. Topeak makes a very good child seat/ rack system, it has rails and a locking device so the 2 things can be easily swapped without tools.

I've used an Arkel Commuter pannier thru 3 years of 4-season, all-weather commuting. It's a tough, durable bag that's very well constructed. It still looks like new and the zippers work like they did the day I bought it. I did recently have to replace the shoulder strap as one of the plastic attachment clips broke. Since I detached and reattached it twice per day, however, I was happy to get three years out of it. The bag itself was a little pricey, but I'm confident that it will last me for many more years.

I also use a Topeak MTX TrunkBag EX and complimenting Super Tourist DX Tubular Rack with my pannier. It's a very slick setup with Topeak's proprietary QuickTrack system. They also make trunk bags with drop down panniers that are highly touted here on BF.

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I've seen the topeak bag with the panniers, very cool. That maybe the winner.

I got some Ortlieb Sportspacker Plus panniers a couple years back, and they've been my primary load-carriers since then, commuting + Trans-Am. Easy on, easy off (if you know the secret handshake), waterproof, carry way too much weight. The top faded on the Trans-Am, but everything else is flawless.

I had some Trek bags before. They weren't quite waterproof, and the bungee gave out after a couple of years. I figure the cost per mile on the Ortliebs has dropped below the cheaper bags by now.

I also looked at the Topeak trunk bag with zip-out panniers. I was bummed to see how small the panniers were. The panniers were far too small to fit a laptop, as was the trunk bag itself.

I used a set of Detours panniers last year for commuting, and now use them for grocery shopping. Very nice panniers. Easy to attach to the rack. Easy to remove. Rain covers were included. Lots of room. And they convert to shoulder bags, making them easy to walk with once you get off your bike. The closure just flops over and a magnet holds the closure in place.

http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/y...0824101101.jpg
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I have used Arkel Bugs for my multi-modal commute for about 8 years. One of them, the first one I bought, is about dead and will get replaced soon. You get what you pay for.

http://www.arkel-od.com/us/all-categ...ing-bag-1.html

I also have a set of Ortlieb Bike Packer Plus which are bomber, but I don't commute with those that often. I use them if it is going to be pouring and I am carrying something that absolutely, positively can not get the slightest bit wet. I have a smattering of other cheaper grocery style panniers that have their place, but again, I don't really commute to work with them.

I'm thinking about getting a Racktime WorkIt to try out.
http://www.racktime.com/en/bicycle-bags/workit2

As far as backpacks go, I have had good luck with the Banjo Brothers Commuter Backpack - waterproof, comfortable, durable, inexpensive.

I took some pics of the Dakine Apex when I got into work. It's like a freakin' clown car. Small, but holds a wicked amount of stuff. All of my work tools, laptop, full change of clothes, breakfast and lunch, first aid kit, tons of electronic doo-dads, umbrella.

http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/y...11-22-01_5.jpg
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Have been really pleased with my MEC panniers and gear... have 4 sets of them and the longest serving ones are 5 years old and have been used on a near daily basis and have been abused and overloaded.

Made with heavy cordura the material is rip proof, all the hardware has held up nicely, and on their own they offer some good protection from moisture and rain covers are available.

Best thing is that they come with an unconditional money back / replacement guarantee.

I also use the Topeak rack/pannier combo. I believe mine is the EXP model. It's a REALLY great system. The downside is it's not that waterproof, so you would need to buy the optional rain cover they sell (only about $10-15). Definitely spacious enough as I use it for commuting to school/work and bring thick textbooks, clothing, tools, tubes, locks, sunscreen, deoderant, folders, etc.

I've got a Mission Workshop Vandal. It's pretty compact when it's in 'normal' mode, but expands to a size large enough to literally fit a small child.
http://missionworkshop.com/products/...rge_vandal.php

I think it depends on the size of the laptop. It won't fit anything more than a 15". I feel the bag itself is pretty spacious. I can usually fit everything I need (2 tubes, multi-tool, sunscreen, deodorant, keys, wallet, cell phone, bicycle law book, three spare lights, pack of batteries, charger, sunglasses, first aid kit, Advil, patch kit, rag, mini-u lock, poncho, lunch box). With the additional panniers (textbooks/books, two folders, laptop, clothing, shoes, chain lock). I can also fit both of my water bottles and all of my accessories on my bike into the panniers.

I have Axiom Kootenay panniers, but I don't use them. I also have the Axiom Odyysse rack. The rack is solid, but since it is the older model it has some limitations.

I use some Axiom waterproof panniers in the wetter part of the year and in summer I have a pair of Axiom Seymour panniers I use. They were really inexpensive and are perfect for my use. I can't recall the series of the waterproof jobs but they are sort of an Ortlieb copy with a main compartment but they aren't as big so perfect for me.

I use double Zimbale saddle bags as a S size panniers, very well effective for packing small stuffs but important.(But you need to put some box inside so it won't swing into the wheel on the run, I use plastice basket and they work perfectly!)

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This pack made me very very sad. They already had a damn good pack for commuting with the talon series.
I use the talon 33 as i need to carry a decent load to work and back, the fit of the pack when properly sized and adjusted blows everything else out of the water. It feels almost seamless with your torso. The pack rest narrow and tall on your back keeping the weight nicely centered with no shifting. The airscape back makes summer rides bearable. The momentum series for some reason ditched such an epic system in favor of a system that fits much worse and doesnt ventilate at all. Not to mention the joke that are the waist straps. They used a similar design with the raptor packs but not the momentums. IMHO the only attributes that the momentum has over the talon is the laptop case and integrated raincover.

+1 on the Ortliebs. I've had the Ortlieb Classic waterproof panniers for almost 5 years now, use them daily, everywhere I go, I even wore out and had to replace the clips that close the bags, and they're still going strong. Rims, tires, whole drive trains have come and gone within the life span of these panniers so far. They cost a bit more than most panniers, but in this case you definitely get what you pay for.

I recently acquired a 2 yr old NOS Camelbak Alpine Explorer, it works great. Had intended to use it just for hiking but after trying it out it seemed to work better than my Swig pack.

I use either my Topeak rack trunk with fold down panniers or occasionally my Axiom Lasalles if I need to carry more.

Killed some time at the Sun & Ski on the way home today. They had some of those Talon 33's in stock (and a bunch of various other brands/models). You're right that the harness system and back panel are amazing. But like my Banjo Brothers Commuter 'pack, it's somewhat limited as far as organizational capacity goes.

Axiom LaSalle's. Good mid-level pannier

Another vote for the talon series. I have the 22 myself. I thought heavily on the momentum, but came to the same points that most people came to: integrated rain cover and laptop pocket are nice, on the heavy side and no real back ventilation, not so nice. Also, the Talon is very popular among the bikepacking folks, who know a thing or two about hauling stuff "on your back" in comfort for many, many miles. I plan on doing a shortish tour in a few weeks with my tent and sleep system mounted on the bike with my backpack holding clothes, food and other gear, along with a water bladder as a backup for my bottles. Because running out of water 10 miles from a major town would really, really bite.

I think Osprey was shooting for the fair climate commuters who ride maybe 2-3 miles from home to work when they made the Momentum pack. I could see a pack like that working well for short trips in Colorado vs. longer runs in hot, humid areas.