Inspired by a thread about most valuable thing lost from a jersey pocket I thought it would be kind of fun to start a fight between jersey vs backpack…

Personally I’ve recently moved away from backpacks in a MTFU kinda move. Always used to carry a backpack with tools, food, warm clothes etc and then realised I’d basically be ok without. Have got a bit chilly every now and again and gels aren’t as nice as cakes and sarnies but the riding is more fun.

So…who are you?

Was always told never carry a rucksack on a bike .Let the bike carry the load and that was nearly 40 years ago

Varies.

Brompton – C-Bag on the front
Gravel – Saddle bag. Currently a 20+ year old Karrimor Elite one I dug up, still faultless. Two bottle cages, and a pump under one cage.
MTBs – Osprey Raptor, loaded according to the ride in question.

BACK POCKET EVERY RIDE – I would rather have a small top tube bag and saddle bag than carry a back pack! 😀

Saddle bag, frame bag, bum bag. All options. All get used with varying frequency.

I keep my Camelbak in my pocket.

….my pocket, I keep in my pigeonhole.

Camelbak most of the time. It’s not that I need it- it’s just that carrying more stuff than you can carry in your pockets, bottle cages and seatpack has saved a few rides from being spoiled, whereas not carrying a pack has saved absolutely none. Having a non-joke pump is nice too, one of my riding pleasures is pulling up beside someone trying to inflate a fat tyre with a pump the size of a cigar, and giving them my telescopic giant

AND ALSO MY PUMP LOLZ

Also, most rides I come home with a stack of other people’s litter

neither.

ftw 8)

I always carry a backpack, I’m not a sweaty person though so don’t get a sweaty back. I don’t really like riding with things in pockets.

A small saddle bag and the pocket for me for all regular mountain biking, don’t like to wear a bag.

For anything remote I’ll take a rucksack, but only because I don’t own any fancy bike bags. I’d prefer some combination of frame bags for a big mountain day, just not got round to buying any.

Pockets.

It use to be a bum bag

Now its a hydration pack

The crucial thing for me is picking up a single that contains everything that I might want on the ride

I get through a lot of water so camelbak for me. Things keep falling out my pockets too.

rucksack (Osprey) for me. It means everything’s kept in the same place and ready for a ride.

I also stay better hydrated with a bladder in a pack than a bottle. More likely to sip whilst I ride.

and giving them my telescopic giant

AND ALSO MY PUMP LOLZ

Also, most rides I come home with a stack of other people’s litter

You are a deviant womble and I claim my £5.

Both. Neither. One or the other. Depends on the ride.

Started using my Camelbak again, loss of a bottle cage to another bike forced me to back to it for the bladder.

It’s good to be back, better prepared without my pockets feeling weighed down and the option of carrying an extra layer is nice this time of year.

Rucksack on my commute. Camelback on a big alldayer far from potential support (rare); pockets the rest of the time. I can get tools, stans, co2, phone, keys and cash in easily and a waterproof at a push. Much nicer than humping a big bag about. Water goes on the frame.

Pockets 90% of the time, camelback if the ride warrents more layering than arm warmers and a gillet (really long, remote or just changeable weather), unless it’s really cold in which case back to pockets to let the jacket breathe/vent. Bought a frame bag which is great for stashing stuff, but limits water carying capacity, tempted to get a cheap 1.5l bladder and some longer hose to make it accessible.

Spares/CO2 live in a saddlebag, avoids the sinking feeling of opening the backpack to find a 29er tube on a 26er, or a BMX tube on the road bike, orthe wrong brake pads, chain links etc.

Varies depending on what I’m carrying/riding.

AM bike at BPW, neither
AM bike at trailcentre, Camelbak
Cooker locally road or trail is usually pockets
Unless I’ve got my 6 year old and snacks, gloves, jerseys etc then it’s likely to be camelbak again.

I used to ride with a backpack, then moved to saddle bag/stuffed jersey pockets but after treating myself with a decent hydration pack I don’t think I’ll go back to “gigantic jersey pockets” again.

I drink a lot, one bottle is almost never enough for me. I don’t like thinking about the strategy when/where to find a place to buy some fluid (if it’s actually possible). I don’t like microscopic pumps, so the big’ish one lives in a pack. Plus tools, gels, wallet, etc.

The pack I’ve got is this: and it’s extremely comfortable!

Pockets whenever possible. When the weather’s crap, backpack (for mtbing) to avoid having to have mud covered bottles on the bike.

Backpack every time

Pockets

Backpack.

Depends on the bike & how far I’m going.

start a fight between jersey vs backpack

can we not just accept that its a case of personal preference mixed with needs of the situation?

pockets, or pack, or both, or neither depending on the ride for me.

I’m not keen on most road style gear, and the fabric they are made of, so only have a couple of jerseys with those funny little pockets on the back. If it’s a lycra-fest (road ride or 24hr race etc), then I’ll drag them out, although when on a MTB I tend to tape or attach tools and pump etc to the bike, rather than risk them popping out if I get bounced off a drop etc.

Much of the MTB riding I do involves hike-a-bike sections, or lifting bikes over deer fences. I don’t like having tops that are only useful for riding, so most of my upper body gear is used for walking, running, skiing, biking, etc. So, I tend to just wear a thin wicking baselayer, possibly with a lightweight hard or soft shell if its wet/cold/windy. Roadie style tops are pretty rubbish here, so I habitually carry a Wingnut bag, Camelbak or similar. Means I can carry a few survival bits and pieces, spare lights, food, water bottle etc (ideally not on the frame – except if it’s a lycra-fest, I don’t like muddy nipples)

For mtb I only ride with an Evoc back protector ruck sack thingy. Why head protection is considered to be the only thing to protect is beyond me?

Its all down to personal choice.

Commuting I carry a courier bag as my bike doesn’t have pannier mounts.

Road riding I just use an old camelbak because it is easy and I’ve never been bothered with any of the Velominati style rules.

If riding round here, off road, then pockets also means drinking mud and grit…

I thought it would be kind of fun to start a fight between jersey vs backpack

regular occurrence on here without anyone intentionally starting them 🙂

Bags are better coz you don’t forget anything, can carry more.
Pockets are better coz you don’t carry too much and you get less sweaty.
Bag/weight on the bike is bad for hopping/wheelying/throwing bike around.
Bag/weight on you is bad coz it’s more tiring.

Horses for courses, pick your compromise.

Camelbak.

+1 for D0NK

Road – A tiny saddle bag that lives on each bike with a tube, a multi-tool, a tyre lever and an inhaler. The pump lives in my back pocket along with any spare clothes and layers.

MTB – For rides under 2 hours, see above. For over that a very small rucksack comes out.

Pockets/bottle cage on road
Mix of pack or saddlebag/bottle on Mtb depending on distance/weather

Prefer to ride without pack if I can.