I am looking for a pannier to carry a laptop and other work-related items. While I bike to campus, I often have a fair amount of walking around within and between buildings where is is not practical to move the bike. Are there any panniers that are comfortable to carry around as a shoulder-bag in those circumstances?

Lots of people recommend the Ortlieb and Arkel panniers for the durability and ease of use. I am specifically looking at the Ortlieb Downtown and Office Bag panniers and the Arkel Commuter. However there are several comments about how they are uncomfortable to wear as shoulder bags because the hardware digs against your body. Can anyone comment or recommend a good pannier that would also work as a good shoulder-style office bag?

Why not carry the bag with the hardware facing away from you? That's what I do with my Timbuk2 Shift. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable the other way, but it does feel a bit better hardware-out. (In my case, the Shift hardware was abrading my belt, and that's why I decided to try carrying it "backwards.")

the Ortlieb roll top bags all come with a shoulder strap, 1 per each..
their shopping pannier has a strap also, different, zip type closure,
sold as an each, rather than a pair. also dry when closed.

I'm not sure what you mean by shoulder strap - do you mean back pack? In general, I love Ortlieb, but I think their back back Pannier is a steaming POS and strongly advise against it.

The one I have and hate is the Vario.

I have a Timbuk 2 and the hardware on the back doesn't bother me when carrying it over the shoulder. It's a little stiff and won't conform to the body like a regular messenger, but still works fine.

I have Ortlieb Back Roller Classic panniers. They came with a shoulder strap, but I don't use it because my walking distance with the bags is short (from bike rack outside the office to my desk). The shoulder straps are somewhat thin looking. I was always thinking that if I had to carry them any distance at all, I could try the Ortlieb straps, and if I didn't like them, I could detach the shoulder strap from my leather computer case and just use that instead of the Ortlieb strap.

I don't know if that helps at all, since I haven't done the walking you are looking at. I can definitely confirm the quality and durabililty of the Ortlieb bags in general, though. I will keep mine forever, I just love 'em.

Yes it is true that pannier hooks tend to snag clothes when used as shoulder bags. One of the better solutions I have seen to solve that problem, is Ortlieb's QL3 system that put the hooks on the rack, not on the pannier. No personal experience with QL3 though. The Ortlieb Office Bag can be had with QL3.

Carrying the pannier with the hooks facing away is of course doable too, but for me at least, it just feels so unconsciously wrong to wear a shoulder bag like the Office Bag the wrong side out, that I often forget to do it.

I have the Ortlieb Classics, with shoulder straps, and I use them every day. I also walk around a lot, with the panniers slung over the shoulder, and, if they're not really loaded, it works just fine. However, the straps that come with the panniers are a bit thin, and if you're carrying massive amounts of books or groceries or other really heavy stuff, it does tend to get a bit uncomfortable after a mile or so. For a long time, I just switched shoulders occasionally. More recently, I've managed to solve this problem by going to an outdoor fabric store and getting wider straps for about $5.

I do have the QL3 and I would strongly suggest avoiding it. The clamps don't work well and the structure tends to slide. I would get a bag that has the hooks on the other side, away from your back.

Having a pannier that I can sling on my back when I go shopping is a serious requirement for me. I got the Ortleib Downtown with QL3 fixings and couldn't be happier.

How difficult/easy is it to take the panniers off? I used to use on, but it was a pain to get it on and off (some clips to hang it but didn't lock, 3-4 velcro straps up top and one elastic loop at the bottom made it enough of a pain that I switched to using a folding wire basket instead. I'm tired of those and looking to go back to removable panniers if they're easier on and off than what I have now.

They're reasonably easy to get on and off, but you have to keep the back piece and straps separate in the bag, and that's a pain to deal with. A messenger bag like above looks like it would be less annoying, but the backpacks are laborious.

What would be neat is if there was some sort of integrated rack with a large platform, or maybe something like a shallow "crate" you could attach to a rear rack. Into this would go your daily bag which could then be strapped down. I would prefer this because a purpose built shoulder bag is going to be more comfortable to use anyways.

Surely something like this already exists...

Yes there are rear rack top QR baskets and even the small suitcase like zip closure
Ortlieb stuff in cycle travel bag series..

and Klick-fix has s number if fittings and products to suit , as well..

I have the Knog Frank Dog. They are convertible bags that work well as both, and don't look like bike bags when off the bike. In fact, when mine was new, I was getting a lot of comments on how nice the bag was. They were always amazed when I showed them the bike attachment. They are limited in size, so not really for more than commuting or maybe a trip to the beach. The other downside is that it is a 2 point attachment to the rack and that's it. I always bungee it so it doesn't bounce around.

I was surprised they didn't catch on more as they are a lot nicer than the bike specific bags like Ortlieb.

I've owned this bag as well. It is 25% smaller than the ortleib downtown and sometimes I was struggling to space. It's a great looking bag, possibly too trendy for some. For me and my rack, I found the clips were stubborn to release from the rack. This is one of the reasons I love the QL3 fixings so much. Also be aware that the clips can detatch from the "hub" but you then have to store the attachment in the bag. Many times I didn't have room in the bag so had to leave them on to dig in my back. And the shoulder strap is huge and comfy. Lastly, while the quality is very good, it wasn't stellar. I had to get my wife to sew the canvas on more than one occassion and the inner pockets ripped too after a couple years abuse.

Here is my DIY setup.



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I love the Arkel Commuter bag. It's big enough for a change of clothes, my lunch and some shopping, and I put the entry card for the bike room in the little zip pocket on top, my phone in the zip pocket in the side, and the shoulder strap in one of the side pockets. I do find I have to carry it backward though, with the hook facing out, when I'm using it as a shoulder bag.

ortlieb downtown (I got the QL-2 setup)

wear it with the hardware facing out

Another vote for Ortlieb Downtown QL-3, but I had to fiddle with the attachments and it's still not perfect but the bag is great.

Greg