commute baggage

[mikeruss]

hi commuters, i have been commuting for over a year now and when i started i got myself a lovely rucksack for £9.99 from Boyes in all honesty it is a school backpack that my wife convinced me was value for money. it is now starting to fall to bits from the inside, the zips are breaking, its crap basically. i carry my bait and change of clothes including shoes, can anyone suggest a decent make and size for my requirements, that will do a grand job and is not just a Boyes VFM job cheers mike

 

[DCLane]

A Deuter Speed Lite - I use a 15ltr one for my commute, the old style though with front pouch.

The Lidl £9.99 ones seem OK if you can find some locally.

 

[mikeruss]

cheers will look it up

 

[slowmotion]

The Lidl £9.99 jobbie is still holding up after three years. Cool it isn't. Am I bovvered?

 

[fossyant]

Decathlon do a good range of backpacks, including ones that let your back breath.

 

[jarlrmai]

My Deuter Speedlite 10 is awesome.

 

[Markymark]

Not what you're asking I know but think about a pannier. Freeing my back was great, much less sweaty and I feel better balanced. Can happily bring back heavy stuff from work now.

 

[biking_fox]

I always find it depends on how much stuff you're carrying. A racktop bag is fine for really small amounts, but I don't like to use a single panier as I then feel unbalanced. But too much in the rucksack is also awkward, and at that point I want dual paniers. Any outdoors shop will have a range of rucksacks. Try and find one with an integral rain cover. Or else get a high vis 'Hump'. None of the 'airflow' attempts to prevent a sweaty back are worth anything at all, and don't work. You might go from very sweaty to somewhat sweaty at best.

 

[martinclive]

Some good ones in TK Maxx

 

[Scotchlovingcylist]

I've been getting on well with my dhb luggit since X mas, very hard wearing and comes in different sizes.
Available from wiggle

 

[w00hoo_kent]

I quite liked this http://www.mountainwarehouse.com/travel/backpacks/daypacks/walkabout-12l-p7266.aspx?cl=BLACK or this http://www.trespass.com/deimos-01893 when hunting around for something to use when my current Trespass one dies (can't be long now). The second one, as befits the bigger price, is the nicest although I'm not sure about the size. Interested in why you take shoes back and forth every day? I just leave a pair at work.

 

[Arfcollins]

I always find it depends on how much stuff you're carrying. A racktop bag is fine for really small amounts, but I don't like to use a single panier as I then feel unbalanced.

I had the same problem but still couldn't justify adding the left pannier because I just didn't carry enough things to work. So what I did, starting about 7 years ago, was to start to put much more weight on the left pedal, especially on hills. I now have an inordinately large left buttock which more or less balances the right hand pannier, and I'm now managing to keep to a fairly straight line on the way to work.