Sorry folks, I just couldn't let this one slide by.

I currently have 2 backpacks, a sling bag, and a mess bag. My own personal experience with my mess bag is a complete contradiction to the above bolded statement. I sweat as much, if not more, when using the mess bag. And since it has the stabilizing cross strap, there is minimal sway/shifting no matter riding style/position.

Back on topic- OP, how you carry your laptop is up to you. Pros and cons to each method. However, while looking for panniers (as you've decided to go that route), you need to consider your bike's geometry as well. The main reason why I haven't used panniers more (and I've tried- had some and ended up trading for my mess bag) is heel strike. You might need to carry the load on the top of the rack instead off of the side.

If you have a brooks saddle, you may want to try a saddlebag. I've used panniers, messenger bags, and saddlebags, but I really like the 18l Zimbale bag. It looks nice, it's waterproof, and the weight is balanced really well on the bike (doesn't affect the handling as much as a pannier for me).

I store my laptop in a Pelican hard case, put it in a backpack and bungee it to my rear rack (though you could also fit the case in a large pannier). The case is a bit bulky but completely crushproof and waterproof.

That's not going to be big enough for a laptop, dimension wise. The widest dimension is 13", and most laptops are larger than that.



One of the reasons I like my office bag so much is the way you can fit the QL3 mounting bracket(the part that stay son the bike permanently). I wear a size 12, and had some problems with it until I realized that the bracket can slide back farther. Mine sticks out about 4" back from the rack, and heel strike went away. You can also angle it if your rack has the right posts. Only downside is some reduced side visibility on my rear light that hangs off the rack.

Hey there, do you use another case for your laptop inside of the office bag? I'm leaning heavily towards one of them for now rather than a set of back or front roller panniers. And, also because of the QL3 mounting system, which sounds fantastic... is it still good & sturdy on the rack?

pannier, lap top in sleeve/protected cover, thermarest sport seat or camp pad cut to fit inside pannier. Place sleeve inside padded pannier, strap down with long bungie from bottom of rack over pannier to top of rack.

has anybody mentioned that a fall with the machine in a durable, padded pannier, would possibly suffer less damage than with it in a backpack?

I use a Topeak Office trunk bag - it's like a briefcase, and requires a Topeak MTX modular rack. I added some extra padding, have had no problems with laptop failure, but I haven't dropped it either. I have a 15.5" wide Dell Precision, it seems that it is about the biggest that can fit. One downside, since the bag extends over the side of the rack, it limits pannier choice to a bag that has the hooks at the very top. Topeak does sell a "Super Tourist" rack that has a pannier mount point below the top.

thx for the link. Makes sense to protect something that costs as much as the bike