Ok.. weird question. What's the bag/backpack/whatever that's the least sweaty way to carry a lump of belongings with you on the bike (barring using a bike rack and a pannier)? Even now, while riding in temps in the high 30s with just a hoodie on over normal indoor clothing, my back is a dripping puddle of sweat within minutes of getting on a bike with any of my backpacks or bag on my back. Summer temperatures are coming fast. What in the world am I going to do to avoid the virtual tsunami of sweat that's going to result from riding in those months with a bag on me? Last summer was pretty.... gross. What do you do?

And do those backpacks with vented backs to them actually help? Still seems like most of your back is covered...

And non-messenger type bags that hang around the waist area do work for keeping you ventilated and cool while riding but just flop around WAY too much while riding.

Help!

Heheh.... I said "sweaty bag" ....

ortlieb bags.



the padding keeps the bag from touchign your back as much.

osprey have packs that have a skeleton to hold the load off your back. don't know how it would feel to ride with one though, more a day hiking bag.

vaude makes cycling packs which claim to be non-sweaty.

All the ortlieb does is give you zebra sweat marks.

My momma bought me a sack from Old Navy when I was younger. A big green canvas number. It is good for carrying things, but alas, it is so sweaty!

How could my mom have given me such a sweaty sack?

um...talk to a dermatologist? i dunno. i dont think ive ever had a sweat problem that bad.

I've given up on preventing the back sweat, I just make sure to bring an extra shirt with me, not to mention the bar of pit grease that never leaves my bag.

+1

Back sweat has necessitated my search for a smaller summer bag, because I'll generally be carrying less stuff, and the Banjo Brothers bag is just...yeah...let's not even discuss what that bag does to one's back in hot weather.

Deuter Race X-Air or any of the ones with the same suspension system. Even the straps are made of mesh.

put antiperspirant on your bag

or change your shirt

or leave the bag on

riding a bike should make you sweaty

Deuter makes packs that are designed to move air between you and the pack, via a mesh panel and about 3 inches of space, open on three sides. Look it up, it's nice!

It's even got a "hiip belt". Sign me up!

Seriously, I've seen the Deuter bags and they look cooler. I haven't used them, though. Do they really work?

you have hyperhdrosis.

get surgery.

problem solved.

Like a charm

In the summer I ride with a canvas newspaperboy bag.

I punched a grommet through the top middle of the bag and the middle of the shoulder strap, and I run a bungee between them to stablilize the bag on my back, like a messenger bag.

I need to do a photo of this so everyone can see it.

Other bikers stop me all the time and ask about it.

Very cool and non-sweaty in the summer.

I should market it and get rich.

Sweating is a part of vigorous exercise. Unless you ride like a Bavarian grandma, you're going to sweat. Get over it!

This is more about what you're wearing than the bag. Dress in layers, get some windfront stuff, keep your head covered when it's cold, make sure your jacket has pit zips/vents, etc... If you're a little cold when you first head out the door that's about right.

In summer even if I head out in a t-shirt I throw a light jacket and some arm warmers in the bag for when it cools down at night

I probably shouldn't say this as a vegan, but a wool shirt is incredibly good for your skin, soaks up sweat nicely and and limits the stink factor. Just make sure itīs organic wool and not nasty mass produced stuff. Baa.

https://www.evertize.com/backpacks/images/meshgold.jpg

and everyone can know what kind of gun you carry.

serious answer:
i deal when i really need to carry stuff. but otherwise i'm looking into a hip pack.

Just to clarify for a few who misunderstood: I'm not saying I don't think I should sweat while riding bike in the summer. I'm saying it's far more concentrated on my back thanks to a bag sitting over it trapping all heat and blocking all ventilation. That is what I want to avoid.

Why? It is by far the best solution to your problem unless you are actually a messenger getting on and off your bike dozens of times a day. Afraid the hipsters will laugh at you?

yep. the pack back is completely suspeded off your back, so the air can circulate. sweatiness is reduced by at least 90%. i have the atmos 50 for backpacking and i love it.