Panniers vs Rucksack for commuting

[st599_uk]

Panniers V Rucksack - both, Ortlieb, Vaude and Decathlon all do a rucksack with pannier loops. Brilliant for commuting. The Ortlieb one I have converts in less than 3 secs.

[pjclinch]

Panniers V Rucksack - both, Ortlieb, Vaude and Decathlon all do a rucksack with pannier loops. Brilliant for commuting. The Ortlieb one I have converts in less than 3 secs.

These can be very good, my daughter had a Vau De one she used as a schoolbag (pannier on the journey, rucksack around school), I'd suggest the trick is what format the actual space is might be more important than whether it converts. So that Vau De one had all sorts of sleeves and compartments which made it great as a school bag, but if what you're commuting with is a change of shoes and space for something from the shop on the way home all that special dedicated compartmentalisation just gets in the way and costs money. On the other hand if you want a dedicated padded laptop sleeve, separate compartments for papers plus secure space for pens, USB gizmos etc. then a plain bucket space isn't that great.

Pete.

[cycle tramp]

Throwing a different sausage into the stew.. have you thought about a front basket supported by a front rack? You can use whatever bag you like (on the provision if can fit into the front basket) and you still do get a sweaty back..

viewtopic.php?t=155016&hilit=Baskets&si ... ed7a6611c9

[pjclinch]

Throwing a different sausage into the stew.. have you thought about a front basket supported by a front rack? You can use whatever bag you like (on the provision if can fit into the front basket) and you still do get a sweaty back..

Doesn't need a front rack for light loads, a Klickfix bar mount will support a bar bag or basket that can take small but still useful loads.

Rackmount ones let the weight be taken closer in to the fork (rather than extended beyond the bars which are typically already on a stem ahead of the fork) so there's less tendency for the forks to swing.

Pete.

[simonineaston]

I like luggage that goes on the front. It makes some sense, in that items you might need en route are more readily accessible than other options. My Moultons and Bromptons have always had that option and it’s suited me well over the years.
In practice, the way I carry my daily luggage is split between a small knapsack in which I put “my” stuff and a small container on the bike, into which I tend to put the stuff I might need for the bike - p******e stuff, bad weather stuff and of course, latterly, the battery for the motor assist.

[Tangled Metal]

People have their preferences and the only way is to try them both and make your own decision. Without trying them you are only taking the opinions of others who you might not agree with after you have tried both.

I have used both. Since buying a Brompton I have used my rucksack. It is an Alpkit Gourdon 30 litre drybag rucksack. If any rucsack was to cause me a sweaty back that would, but tbh it does not even in the heat of summer. A little around the bse in the lumbar region perhaps but it has never been an issue for me.

My thinking is that when I rode 30 minutes each way on my rigid bike with a change of clothes in the bag but no laptop. I used a pannier. It was convenient despite at times I have had issues with the width even with just one pannier on it. I put it on the outside of the rack and I had this feeling that it might cause people to give me space. It does not. They drive to the person not the luggage and I got no change to the close pass ratio and distance. It was good for putting the weight on the bike not me but i am simply used to wearing rucksacks such that I tend to not notice them on my back after a while. I do find that when first put on (I used only one) I would have an adjustment to the balance thing going on at first. It is wider than bars on that side and its location is more prone than the bars to get in the way in constrictions. Bars are the control mechanism so you can easily position them to avoid constrictiona but the back of the bike just follows the front and it more prone to not be in the best position to escape the constriction.

Now my commute is about 10 minutes from a station to work. I used a rucksack. I cycle 1 minute to the station, lift it onto the train and take my rucksack to the seat. I then reverse and ride off at the destination station. I get to work and lock it up and straight off to the office. It works better than the pannier. Even rucksack panniers you have to zip the cover over the attachment hooks and points then bring out the rucksack straps. It adds a hassle factor for me. I have quite a few rucksacks and panniers but no rucksack panniers so I use what I have that works. Which for me is a brompton (to avoid the no room ticket inspector) and rucksack. I might get a front block bag in the end but so far the rucksack works well so I have no truly good reason to spend money that I do not know will add much.

So this discussion for me boils down to a few points. How do you commute or use your bike / bag combo? What do you like? First might affect which is actually best for you as both types of bags have advantages. Note I see rucksack panniers are kind of a third type that offers an incomplete version of the rucksack benefits with the pannier advantages so I see it as more panniers than rucsack in terms of this discussion. For me if you are mixed modal and need to strap your bike into the racking then take your bag with you to the seat and have a shortish destination ride then a rucksack. If you are riding for longer than 20 minutes or so then a pannier. If you are in betweeen these two then it is not as clear which is better. However above all this it is personal choice. Do not do what doesn't feel right to you.

[TrevA]

I’ve used both panniers and rucksack, plus rack pack and saddlebag at various times. I mostly used a single pannier (Altura Fusion - no longer made) as I never had enough stuff to justify 2 panniers. I’ve used this on commutes up to 20 miles each way. A rucksack is fine for a short commute or if you are not taking much stuff. I never found the sweaty back to be a problem, as I would always sweat a bit on my commute anyway, even when half of the ride to work was downhill. Panniers do mean you have to have a rack on the bike. Fine when I was using my tourer or winter bike, but my summer bike ( only very occassionally used for commuting) had no rack, and that is when the rucksack can be useful, especially if carry quite a bit into work, but not much on the homeward journey. I would often extend my commute on the ride home and it was nice to be not encumbered. I’ve even used a musette on occasion, to carry sandwiches, shirt and underwear into the office, as it can be folded up and out in a pocket for the ride home.