Hi guys wondering what rucksacks are best for people with back pain.

Need something to hold work clothes in and have a hydration pack.

Seen the Wingnuts but heard the straps can be quite long and can't seem to find anywhere close (Leeds) that sells them.

Any ideas?

Panniers if its for commuting and you have a bad back?

or a carradice longflap camper and SQR bracket !

Take a look at Innov8. Very light for starters and they use a hydration system that locates low down / horizontally as opposed to conventional, upright designs

Thinking panniers (just got one, cheap, very happy to get stuff off my back) and bottle, maybe a holder on the top tube/handlebars so you don't have to bend so far if your back is duff.
Assuming you have messed around with your position to see if you can alleviate the pain at all.

Thanks guys, the commute is a little off road with a couple of nice small drop offs 😉 thats why I'm thinking rucksack.
Whats the carradice longflap camper like for balance?
Inov8 looks good.

I'd recommend Ergon – I really used to suffer having to lug varying amounts of kits too and from work every day – tried a variety of rucksacks / courier bags etc but nothing has come close. Really adjustable, weight sits nicely down on the hips, the ball joint keeps things very stable and allows plenty of freedom of movement – there's also a wealth of small details like decent routing for internal bladder, lots of little pockets, all pads are removable for washing and it has a rigid frame which means you can lash things to it…

My BD1 has seen about 7000 miles of commuting and is still going strong.

Seen the Wingnuts but heard the straps can be quite long and can't seem to find anywhere close (Leeds) that sells them.

more of a problem if the straps were too short, surely? you could always cut 'em down. wingnuts aren't the cure for all ills, but are very good, and very well made. whether or not they'd help your back i don't know.

You can still off-road with panniers. I've done it 🙂 Or you could just use a rack-top bag.

i've have had a glass back for ages, slipped a disc ages ago. was using a lowe alpine pack which was brilliant but i could put too much in it! anyhow found a ergon on stw classifieds like this one and bought it having liked the idea and the engineering behind it.
because the shoulder straps are isolated from the pack through an articulated joint the packs weight sits on the hip straps but is guided by the shoulder straps. it's been brilliant for me but you have to get the right size, they're not cheap nor are they light but it's taken tumbles and plenty of commuting in it's stride. also there's loads of room inbetween the shoulder harness and the waist which means loads of air can flow round your torso.
it's expensive and heavy but i love mine and touching wood my back has been fine. hope that helps.

Whats the carradice longflap camper like for balance?

you mean when riding ?

dont notice its there till you hauk the rear end up over a kerb on your road bike 😀

Revelate designs. Maybe a bit overkill, but it's good stuff.

Wingnut works great for me, 3 litres of water balanced between your shoulder blades doesn't make much sense when you think about it. The length in the straps shouldn't be a problem, if you need to shorten them you can hold the excess in place or trim it off. I got mine direct from Propel and the service was great, I'm sure they will be reasonable about returns if you don't like the fit.

Thanks all for your input!

Thanks guys, the commute is a little off road with a couple of nice small drop offs thats why I'm thinking rucksack.

Carradice SQR Trax – i have the Tour version super stable and robust 16litre capacity…

that plus a water bottle and your sorted.

For an incredibly stable, light well fitting bag thats also tough as boots i'd suggest a Macpac AMP 25. Waist straps are good for sucha small pack so stays snug to your back and places all the load over your hips so no stress on the spine.

Well worth a look!

I managed two weeks with an 8-9kg Wingnut on my back with no ills (well, raw shoulders until they got used to it). Good design.

Dakine Nomad is really comfy, has a decent hip strap which takes all the weight off your shoulders and back. Is expandable so can carry a fair amount of junk.