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- Verified Buyer
I have started commuting to work. I bring my laptop and a change of clothes every day. I also go to the market on the way home sometimes. I was wearing a backapck, jut my back was beginning to hurt daily. I installed a rear rack on bought the laptop pannier. It was a great addition. Mu back is much better now! The laptop sleeve makes it easy to remove the laptop on the train. There is plenty of room for all my clothes and a few items from the market. The only issue i had was the balance was a bit off with so much weight on one side of the bike. The solution: I bought another one without the laptop sleeve for the other side of my bike. Now I am balanced and i have even more room for additional storage. The packs are sturdy, and very secure on the rack. Easy to remove and install. Plenty of room inside for all your storage needs. A very good addition. They aren't the least expensive panniers on the market, but I wanted something to easily remove my laptop, a good amount of storage space and something that will last. I feel that these fulfill all those needs. I also like that it can easily ve converted into a backpack, which makes them even more versatile. Overall, these are well designed panniers that should last me for several years to come. I am very pleased with my purchase.I love this bag. If you are a professional looking for a convertible backpack/pannier, this is the bag for you. Although I go into some detail about minor flaws below, I rate this bag 5-stars because it perfectly fills a niche that the rest of the industry does not and based on reading past reviews it looks like the makers regularly improve their designs. I was hesitant about the price and while it isn't perfect, 2 wheel gear has solved a difficult design problem for a specific audience (i.e. people who want to ride their bikes to work/school and have a comfortable, professional-looking bag).Style: The style of this bag is more than acceptable in the vast majority of professional environments. I have no problem walking into client meetings with it, which is not true for most cycling gear. I have the blue canvas bag and appreciate the classic style. Most people can't tell this is a convertible bag until I unzip the back to show the other cyclists that it's also a pannier (I'm that guy).Pannier function: The "Kompakt" mounting mechanism is extremely fast (hooks, plus a spring loaded clip to keep the hooks secure to the rack while the shoulder strap connectors also do double duty to keep the bag against your cargo rack). I've ridden several hundred miles without issue. The conversion between pannier and backpack can be done in seconds once you get the hang of it. The main downside I've noticed is that because the back of the bag is fabric it can rub on the sharp edges of some cargo racks. I "fixed" this with several windings of rubber bands and electrical tape, but plan to file down the sharp edges on the rack. A more resilient fabric on the bottom part of the bag might help, but would compromise the aesthetic.Backpack function: The straps are thin, but still relatively comfortable (a compromise so they can be stowed easily) and they feel *almost* too long. The padding on the back is adequate and I have loaded this bag down with quite a bit of weight and it was still comfortable. The hooks don't dig into my shoulders. In fact, this has become my go to bag for plane commuting as well, regardless of the pannier function.Size and Packing: I was worried that 30L would be too big. It was not. The 22L would have been too small. At 30L I can't overpack. I sometimes wish for a little extra space (this bag doesn't expand much. You get 30L, no more), but this is enough for a complete change of clothes, laptop, lunch, and cord/toiletry bag. The layout of the bag is the other reason I default to using it for overnight trips. I appreciate the mesh pocket for clothes separated from the main compartment, as well as the obligatory "device pocket".A note on the laptop sleeve: As other reviewers mentioned, the first time I dropped my laptop in the generous pouch (I often add files and large format books to the pocket as well), I realized it was hitting the unprotected bottom of the bag. A carefully folded/rolled hand towel at the bottom of the sleeve solved the issue. I expect future designs of the bag to add some sort of a bumper. That said, when I was riding offroad and the bag bottomed out on a rock, my laptop suffered no damage.Overall, if something happened to this bag tomorrow, I would buy it again without a second thought. It has become a core part of my bike & plane commuting and I can't believe there was a point when I was trying to shove my work bag, shoes, and an extra change of clothes in a grocery pannier or overstuffed satchel.I have been commuting with this for over two weeks and my review is based on my experience so far.Von brought up two major issues I agree with - the laptop compartment has no padding on the bottom, requiring a separate sleeve. I am going to tear up a piece of neoprene from an old wetsuit and leave it in the bottom which is a silly hack for a $200 bag. I also had my laptop logic board spontaneously fail within a week of switching to this bag and I don't know if it was related to the inadequate shock protection this bag provides, but I can't rule it out. My fault for not using a sleeve but I've had regular backpacks with better built in sleeves that have protected laptops for years.As others noted the straps are too long and I also had to hack off 2" from the straps and reattach them with my sewing machine. As a very petite woman I am used to most products being poorly designed for me but if the straps are too long on me and too long on someone almost 6', then they are just too long for the average human, period.The plastic piece that gives the bag stiffness flexed and warped after my first few rides and seems to have settled back to sorta but not completely flat.The zipper corners on the front are too square and would close more easily if the shape were more rounded, but they open very far down on the bag making it easy to pack. The inside is also very well laid out and easy to organize with all the compartments. I could probably take it on an overnight bike camping trip, it holds that much. I was torn between the XL and the regular size and I don't regret sizing up even if I don't always fill it every day. I usually need my laptop plus a change of casual clothes, change of shoes, lunch, and stuff to shower at work (dopp + travel size microfiber towel) and all of that fits with room to spare since my clothes and shoes are smaller than average.The rack attachment mechanism is easy to use and feels very solid and I have no concern that it will still be fine after many years. Attaching the buckle on a rack is a little fiddly but otherwise the conversion of the straps works great. The fact that the rack attachment can be offset quite a bit helps with heel strike which is a nice feature not all other bags like this offer. Overall the materials and construction quality are very high, I think they just didn't think through a few of the finer points of the design to the degree you might expect for the price point, but it still seems to be best available in class if you want a convertible backpack and not a convertible messenger and you need the extra capacity.This is a great product. Lots of pockets, looks professional, clamps well on my rack. I haven’t put it through the rigors of “real” weather and mud but I think it works be ok. Fits my lunch, a change of clothes & shoes, lock & small bike accessories (but no more- not super roomy).I have had this pannier for 24 hours and so far I'm happy. There is a lot of space inside it which is great because I use my bike to commute to work. I have also been really happy about how easy it was to take the bag off on my bike. Overall I think this bag stands out as the best pannier backpack on the market.Great product so far. Lot of people saying about tough zips, they are a bit but not in a bad way, it's more a case of the fabric having an overlap over them but that will help keep rain out.I was worried it would be uncomfortable on my back for long periods, as you can just feel the pannier hooks. However I just had to walk 3.5 miles after work and had no problems at all, surprisingly comfortable.Also just to note the image showed no central locking catch between the hooks. It does have one but the design had changed from the one that I saw before that flips over. It's spring loaded now, very easy to attach and detach.It's not cheap, but seems very good quality. I'm carrying a 15 inch laptop, over ear head phones, bits and bobs, and can also easily get my lightweight jacket in there too.This bag is great. Really comfortable to wear, attaches onto the bike in a solid way, holds a decent amount of stuff, and looks really good. I was so happy with it. Its also clearly made with really good quality stuff.One two complaints is as previously mentioned the zip was a bit stiff, not a huge problem but not ideal. Also they should include an instruction outline of how to attach it to the bike, as it can be a little tricky to work out the best way to deal with the straps.This is a well-made - if not cheap - bag which converts quickly from pannier bag to back pack in a few seconds. I use it when I cycle and then get the train. The bag is slightly small: a bit larger would be perfectly feasible for both pannier and backpack and make it more useful - with a laptop and one portfolio of papers it is full. It's not the perfect solution, but it is robust.Good quality product. Fits a 13inch MacBook Pro with its case.Clips very securely and quickly to the bike rack. Converts very easily into a backpack.Some people have commented on stiff zips, I've had no problems.Slightly expensive, but highly recommended.Great bag, perfect for commuting to work with
