so i'm getting a r.e.load. i 've been toying with the idea of a deluxe (cause it's a christmas present and i know i'll be able to get away with getting all the custom stuff i want, basically price is no big deal for this). but after seeing how HUGE the civilian is, i'm thinking a deluxe is too big for my needs.

mostly i'll be using the bag to go to carry my books to class. my timbuk2 is a bit too small for this, so i wanted a bigger bag, and the civilian's dimensions aren't that much bigger than my timbuk2 medium. i'm also gonna use this bag for weekends here and there. so i need to hold a laptop, jeans, t shirts, unmentionables, maybe shoes, and some booze / pot.

the civilian isn't that much bigger on paper than my timbuk2, but it looks like a black hole compared to it. can anyone advise me? will the deluxe be too big for me? i don't want to get the civilian and be dissapointed with it being too small, but i don't want the deluxe to be too huge. this bag's gotta last me a few years.

hey i've got a novel idea, why dont you just get off your ass and ride down to the reload store and check them out in person?

the civilian would be fine for what you need it for. I kind of wish I got the deluxe instead of the civilian but that's just from having to carry around a lot of art supplies. mine gets kind of cramped when I pack if for weekends. maybe I just pack too heavily for those trips.

the deluxe does have base compression straps so it can work smaller.

No bag size is perfect all the time. My medium baileyworks is perfect 80% of the time, but sometimes when I need to haul something really huge I wish I'd gotten a large. But then it would be too big on me most of the time, and that would suck. Try one on in person, and I'd err on the side of bigger, since you already have a smaller bag.

yeah, i tried on a civilian and it fit right. i'll try to find someone with a deluxe when i'm in philly with bike people over the holidays. whatever i get will be loaded with customs: double outside pockets, compression straps, messenger pad, pen slots, et cetera.

i might just get the deluxe and use the compression straps. i've already got the medium timbuk2, so why have two bags that are almost the same size?

i have a courier (same size as a deluxe) and when it doesn't have that much stuff in it it isn't bad at all. deluxes have the compression straps as mentioned so that should be even less of an issue.
of course riding over to the shop isn't a bad idea either.

i would ride over the shop if the shop wasn't currently a six hour ride away from me (i'm in lancaster finishing up my finals at school). where is the r.e.load shop anyway? i may ride down there and try on different sizes / order it in person over break.

2nd and Spring Garden. More or less.

I'm 5'9, and use a CIvilian. If it were much bigger, the length of the bag would start wraping around my torso, instead of the strap.

get a backpack and never regret it!! ****s tight, yo.

I'm 5'9" as well and my deluxe has exactly that problem. Yet I just bought a courier anyway....

get a chrome bag, i got mine years ago an it has withstood all kinds of hell, i love that bag. but on the other hand iv heard good things about R.E. load.

i don't really want a chrome. my r.e.load is gonna tight. i'd prefer to get a custom, i've already got a timbuk2 that looks like everyone else's.

for your reference: paoli is just a hair west of philly on the pennsylvania.

with little stuff in the bag I sometimes have problems with the buckle coming right up to the messenger pad.

well, i'm 6'7" and an all around pretty big dude... so i'm not too worried about the size of the bag vs. the size of my torso.

Yeah. At 6'7" I don't think torso-warp will be much of a problem.

Finding pants on the other hand...

... yeah that's where it gets a bit hairy.
good thing i roll my pants up anyway to ride. i actually find it's easier with too short pants, cause there's less fabric to bunch up over my massive calves.

52 cans of beer with room to spare. Reload Deluxe.

I'm thinking about a midpack when I get back; when you need to hold all that weight (cases of beer mainly) one strap over your shoulders really isn't all that comfortable. I will definitely head down to the store an see how it fits though.

that settles it.
my original want / need for a r.e.load is because i'm tired of only being able to get 24 cases with my timbuk2... but 52 makes it even better.

^ You're not telling me you rode anywhere with that, are you?

Damn, now that is a bag I could use. Did you ride with 52 beer in the bag?

I've got a civilian and looks comically large when I put it on, but I'm relatively small. You're a good 10 inches taller than me too, so it won't be a problem for you. It's definitely bigger than my old Timbuk2, which bugged me for a few days, but now that I'm used to it I don't mind the extra bulk and it's awesome when I need to carry a lot of stuff.

Don't you have a ruler? Measure your current bag and compare that to the specs of the new ones...

It actually wasn't that bad riding with it, I only rode a few blocks. I think I would have permanently compressed my taint if I had ridden much further.

I have a reload backpack and I totally love it.
My body just can't handle the one shoulder thing.