Laptop bag for occasional commute

I am lucky enough to work from home and don’t commute very often, but when I do it’s a pleasant 11km ride along a canal (or one of several less pleasant alternatives, though they’re only less pleasant as they involve a LOT more climbing – there’s a big hill between me and the office)

ANyway, the point is when I commute, I need to take my laptop. My employers have kindly provided a Thule Lithos backpack but as you may imagine, it’s not hugely comfortable, especially when riding a drop bar commuter as I usually do – if it’s tight enough not to bounce around, I keep nudging the top of the rucksack with the back of my helmet. Oooo-errr and all that

So, having failed to find any recent threads on the topic, what’s the current solution for those who need to carry a laptop and a few other items (maybe lunch, headphones, cakes etc)? It’s a Microsoft Surface Pro with 14.4″ screen, for sizing purposes.

The answer always used to be “Crumpler messenger bag” but has anything else come onto the market? Maybe something a damn sight cheaper for instance, since I’m only going to be commuting once or twice a month so I don’t want to spend a fortune (not sure I can claim it on expenses sadly, since they already gave me a bag – though I will ask)?

(stealth wanted ad) Has anyone got one they want to sell cheap? (end stealth wanted ad)

I’ve got an Altura Thunderstorm, mostly because it was high vis and it does the job unexpectedly well. Unless you seriously overfill it the drybag closure tucks down level with/lower than the straps so it doesn’t hit my helmet. And despite being a simple shape and straps seems to sit fairly steadily on my back.

The obvious answer though is a pannier or a basket?

From experience with courier bags and a pannier, the right answer is definitely pannier.

If you’ve got a rack, I’ve got a bag you can have/long term borrow. I might have a rack too to be fair.

I’ve always really liked ‘Chrome’ bags. They very durable, well thought out and comfortable.
Maybe not the cheapest option, but have a large range of sizes and very good quality.

I often carry camera gear in mine, there’s plenty of lashing points and smaller pockets etc:

Chrome bags

Carradice super C

If I needed another bag,it would be one of these.
I hate panniers,but I get what you are saying about rucksacks and helmet interaction 😉 😜

Son1 has a lovely Ortlieb QL3.1 single bag and a dedicated QL3.1 rear rack frame. Loves it. It was not cheap but is excellent and waterproof (of course). Laptops belong on a bike. Too heavy on the back.

https://www.ortlieb.com/uk_en/single-bag-ql3-1+F7822

I have a large orange Chrome messenger bag too, sits across the back and locks in place. I stand by the above, laptops on the bike. Might be happy to part with it as I don’t use it.

Dakine Network II. Comfy and lots of pocketses.

I have Chrome and Crumpler messenger bags and Ortlieb and Altura laptop panniers – in various states of disrepair due to use and abuse.

Put simply, if I’m going to the station 5 miles away, messenger bags are great, but if it’s the office 20 miles away, panniers every time.

Pannier bag is much nicer than a ruck sack.

I can’t get on with drop bars & a rucksack, so another vote for a pannier bag here.

You’ll also have space for clothes if needed & have a less sweaty back.

If anyone can recommend a slim and modestly sized pannier, I’d be grateful. I’ve 2 big waterproof jobbies, which are great for cramming loads of gear in, but like the OP, I’m only commuting occasionally, and don’t need to carry anything much more than a small laptop.

I do this 4 days a week, 36-40miles round trip.

I’m fairly slim and have to carry a 17” “mobile” workstation.

Messenger bags aren’t comfortable for me. My back is NOT flat, my laptop is. The laptop rests like a plate across my spine due to the shoulder>hip of the messenger bag. A rucksack with mesh is better here.

Panniers are better for me but MUCH worse for my laptop. I’ve killed 3 in 8 years. Even with solid state drives, they just don’t cope well with being jiggled around at high speed over rough ground. My work have been great in replacing them, but it’s a faff.

They’ve now agreed to simply supply two laptops. One for home and one for office. All my data is kept on the server so most of the time, either is fine.

Ortlieb front rollers are great for small loads and should take a 12-13” laptop without problem.

I prefer two front rollers to a single back roller.

Thanks all. As I said, it’s an occasional commute, not a regular thing – 11km each way along the canal with maybe 150m climbing, once or twice a month. I barrely break sweat on it tbh, except for the final climb up 16 locks to our house at the top. If I go the VERY long way, it might be as far as 22km each way with 900m total climbing, or even longer if I get stupid, but that’s very unlikely when I’m carrying gear and not commuting 3 days a week, I only ever went the long way for a bit of variety and training.

I’ve done the whole rucksack vs panniers things, I quickly worked out as per above that panniers are far better, and that I MUCH prefer to ride unloaded, so when I used a desktop PC I’d drive in every three or four weeks with a supply of clothes. Now I have a laptop that’s not going to be possible (unless I leave it in the office and commute home / back in the next day, but that’s unlikely to happen). I have space at work where I can leave all my clothes etc, so I’d only by transporting a laptop, plus maybe sandwiches if I can be bothered (but then again I’d probably just get rice and dahl for £4.50 from Akhtar at the AOA street food cafe. yum) Anyway…

I could do rack and pannier, but it means fitting a rack to a bike in order to use once or twice a month. Have tried the Teopeak Beam Rack QR pannier racks in the past, not really a fan of them – I’ve not got a huge amount of seatpost showing, so my mighty thighs actually used to rub against the QR. Quite uncomfortable in the rain TBH.

I’m no further on really, am I? I either fit a rack and use panniers, or get a messenger bag of some type. Either way I’m spending money

So, having failed to find any recent threads on the topic, what’s the current solution for those who need to carry a laptop and a few other items (maybe lunch, headphones, cakes etc)? It’s a Microsoft Surface Pro with 14.4″ screen, for sizing purposes.

I also carry clothes, so use this.

I have recommended this bag from decathlon before:

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/500-bike-messenger-bag-15l-black/_/R-p-300844?mc=8504456&c=BLACK

It’s perfect for a simple commute in anything but dreadful conditions where you might want more weatherproofing, and more space for a change of clothes. I have used the same bag for lightweight touring. I liked it so much I even bought a second for longer trips.

A fixed rack is the best option, and only need 4 bolts to fit and remove if you don’t like it on the bike all the time. Plenty of choice in that department. I use a Tor Tec Velocity which is nice and low profile. I needed to add a couple of bends in the stays for 700x45mm tyres.

I use an Osprey Syncro 20L backpack.

Plenty of space to fit my laptop, lunch, tools and waterproof jacket and trousers. My 17″ laptop actually fits nicely into the separate bladder compartment which protects it from the stuff in the main compartment.

It’s also got a suspended/sprung mesh back like you get a much bigger packs, really helps keep your back cooler than normal packs.

Comes with a rain cover, tool compartments, separate bladder compartment, helmet clip etc so I use mine for MTB also.

It’s also half price at sports pursuit at the moment

. Either way I’m spending money

I’ve got a rack and bag you can have on long term, there’s a slim chance I might want them at some undetermined point in the future, loan.

I’ve got a rack and bag you can have on long term, there’s a slim chance I might want them at some undetermined point in the future, loan.

Sorry, missed that first time. Muchos thankos. Will txt

If anyone can recommend a slim and modestly sized pannier, I’d be grateful. I’ve 2 big waterproof jobbies, which are great for cramming loads of gear in, but like the OP, I’m only commuting occasionally, and don’t need to carry anything much more than a small laptop.

13l heavy duty drybag, some plastic backer. ortleib spare parts and a bit of time.

Tool roll and minipump live in the bottom. 14in laptop, A5 note book and a bit of room spare to stuff in a spare layer, plus a bit more if you only roll the top down once at the top, Roll the top down tight before snapping closed and it’s pretty snug with just the laptop in.

I use an Osprey Syncro 20L backpack.

Same, and I also really like it. Very comfy, not sweaty (haven’t yet had the chance to try it in any sort of heat), useful compartments.

The bad: The bladder compartment isn’t quite the right shape for a laptop. If I was very prissy about my laptop I wouldn’t recommend it without an additional sleeve or something – there’s a metal bar across the compartment which keeps the laptop off my back. It’s also fairly small so it’d be hard to carry a complete change of clothes inc shoes.

I spent months looking for the right bike commute bag, including buying and returning a few. I couldn’t find anything that seemed perfect, but this is as close as it gets for me.

PS PM me if you want my old Osprey Momentum 24. It was ideal in most ways, though I grew to dislike the bright green colour.

I went through this trauma as well, with being able to split between working from home and the office, plus a move to laptops my usual commuting setup didn’t work. I even bought a rack, but just didn’t get on with it.

I leave lock, shoes, towel and jeans at work. Then all I need to carry is laptop, clothes and food for the day.

In the end I opted for an Alpkit Gourdon-25 Waterproof Backpack with a £5 neoprene laptop case from Amazon. In hindsight I could have got away with a Gourdon 25 and had the side pockets.

Gourdon 20L

I can’t praise it high enough, it was loads cheaper than other options and takes everything I need.

another option if you don’t want a rack is one of these:

Super C SQR Slim

£50 NOS here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/295530322188 Edit: that one looks a bit wonky, though, probably why it’s found its way to ebay at £50.

I used one when I was commuting on my cross bike. you’ve only got a little block on the seatpost when you’re not riding with the bag. Or if you’ve got a spare seatpost and saddle, you can swap that out really quickly too. the bag works pretty nicely keeping your bum dry. it’s pretty aero too. It’s high-up on the bike though, so if you ever stuff it heavy, it’s quite unbalanced if you’re walking with the bike.

I use an Osprey Flapjack messenger bag for my commute (only 2 miles) and find it ideal being relatively spacious and also comfortable to ride with on a drop bar fixie. My model is no longer made but Osprey but there is a replacement.

https://www.ospreyeurope.com/shop/gb_en/osprey-metron-18-messenger-f22

If I was doing an 11 mile commute I would use my Carradice SQR Slim which attaches to the seatpost and has enough room for a laptop, clothes etc.

https://www.ospreyeurope.com/shop/gb_en/osprey-metron-18-messenger-f22

The downside to the Carradice is that the mounting hardware stays mounted to the seatpost which means it is a faff to remove it if you want to ride with a smaller bag. This was not a big problem for me as I had a spare seatpin and saddle.

@nedrapier I’m liking those bodgetastic drybags! Might have a go at that.

In answer to @nbt I had the same question recently and ended up with an alpkit skytrail 14L. I also didn’t want panniers, for the reasons you outline (only needed occasionally).
It isn’t laptop specific but it perfectly fits my 15″ HP laptop in the hydration bladder compartment. change of clothes and some lunch and a little bit of spare room in main compartment. Various internal pockets for nicnacs and a couple of outside pockets suitable for other stuff e.g. a waterproof jacket.
Only downside I’ve found is that it isn’t waterproof but to be honest the laptop is so well buried in the bladder compartment im not worried about it getting wet on my short commute.

well, some months on I’m back at this again. I never went to the office in Hyde often enough to do anything specific, but we’ve now moved into That Manchester so my 11km each way commute has become a 22km each way commute which I’m doing a few times a month. I’ve updated my CX bike to add a pannier rack and a dynamo front wheel with front and rear lights and am currently just putting a laptop bag inside a waterproog altura pannier. I mean, it works and evreything, but I’m tempted by a laptop pannier from ortlieb, or altura, probably the dryline.  Anyone got any specific feeback on either of these? The dryline latop pannier seems to have the mountings at a very acute angle, and the width of the top fixings doesn’t look adjustable, but the ortlieb panniers seem to sell for a lot more. Recommendations?

I just use my ortlieb panniers – the laptop goes in the pannier with a few tools and waterproofs, clothing etc in the other. The laptop sits in a padded sleave (from Amazon for about £20) and has worked great for the last 3 years. I’m doing 16-18km into that there Manchester from hear Hyde, down tracks and tarmac.

I still use my downtown. Now discontinued. To be honest it’s a bit small for a laptop, keyboard AND a days clothing. Shoes are left at work. If I was buying again, I’d go for this

https://www.ortlieb.com/uk_en/office-bag-urban-ql21+F70713

I went down to a 13” laptop and no power pack, but the downtown is still a bit too small. I do prefer the QL3 system that leaves the catches on the rack not the frame.

My commute is 23 miles each way x2 per week. No rucksack for that!