courierbag vs back pack

[dave66]

I have commuted to work off and on over the years but seriously [average over 100 commuting days for the last 6 yrs rode all winter last yr] for the last 6. I have always done the back pack thing as I ride any one of 3 bikes so don't want to go the pannier route.
those of you who commute with a courier bag - how would you compare them to a back pack? more comfortable? more space?

do they stay put on your back or do they tend to slide off ? I have had a small over shoulder bag for a number of years but find it tends to slide from the middle of my back to my hip all the time.
just wondering as one may make a cool xmas present this yr.........
/Dave

PS seeing as I converted to single speed this yr i feel i should do the courier bag thang as well.......anything to be hip, cool and a happening fool
:D
:D

[DirtRagArt]

Dave, I suggest you get a big messenger bag and use it and your backpack accordingly. As I see it, each has a benefit:

Messy Bag
Carry more stuff
Easier access

Backpack
More stability
More stability (worth mentioning twice)

I use my Bailey Works (http://www.baileyworks.com/) almost every day, but found that my large (hydration equipped) backpack worked out better for me in the summer when my load was light. Additionally, the backpack is much easier to handle on the singletrack route to work.

In the winter I need spare clothes and food which won't easily fit into my backpack. I even used the messy bag on several long winter MTB rides. Doing jumps, drops and log piles with a messenger bag is almost a whole new skill...

As for the slippage, you'll probably find that a larger bag wrapps around your ribcage and thus stays put much better than a small shoulder bag. You may encounter the same slipping effect when carrying large, bulky loads (like groceries) but it's a small price to pay for the carrying capacity.

[Andy in Wi]

Yeah, messer bags have their ups and downs. A messer bag has more straps for attaching weird things (like bike frames, wheels, workstands, etc.) to the outside of the bag. However, right now I'm hooked on my ortlieb backpack. More space then the chrome kremlin, and seals really tight in the wet weather. Since it opens from the top, access is easy, so is sealing. That, and is more comfortable off the bike than a messer bag.

But messer bags are nice too. The cross strap kills alot of slipping.
I guess the main thing is what sweat pattern you want across your back
-Andy in Chi

[kennbenny667]

I tend to switch between my North Face(heavy hauling) and Jansport(moderate) daypacks, and my favorite, loyal, Timbuk2 El Ocho. I ride to school and work, so when I have a book heavy day, I use a daypack. Otherwise it's the Timbuk2, but that shall soon be a Bailey Works. I keep a stash of pens and pencils in each bag, and I keep my repair kit/tools in an old pencil bag. I just switch the kit when I switch the bag.

[dave66]

Thanks for all the feedback - I think i have found a cheap way to test the messy bag idea out.
My wife works for the local paper and said she can order me a canvas mailbag [with flap] for 7 bucks! sweet!
Seeing as the paper's colours are bright yellow and black [the ottawa citizen] it should be nice and bright as well.
I'll let you know how the test drives go
/Dave

[DirtRagArt]

Hmmm... I applaud your thriftyness, but I really wonder if the low-budget bag will come close to a bona-fide courier bag. Can you get me one, too? I'll trade you a couple pair (for you and your wife) of Dirt Rag socks for it.

[dave66]

Jeff,
If she can order one, I am sure she can order 2 - If you get one gonna do a gear review on the po' man's messy bag?
/Dave

[DirtRagArt]

Well, I don't know about an actual gear review, but I'm definitely curious and I'll post my findings here on the forum. Email me at artdirector@dirtragmag.com to swap mailing info if you're interested.

[tube_ee]

The unmentioned other option: The traditional transverse saddlebag. You can get a Carradice from Wallingford Bike at http://www.wallbike.com or a Baggins from Rivendell at http://www.rivendellbicycles.com/webalog/
I have a Baggins Hoss, and I absolutely love it. It holds my bookload, (I'm a 3rd-year engineering student), lunch, change of clothes, and whatever else I can think up, with room to spare for a couple of circus clowns and at least one sheep.

It was pretty expensive ($145), but worth every penny, IMHO.

--Shannon

[gwadzilla]

Take Function over Fashion anyday....and let function be your fashion!

The courier bag may work great for the short ride...
and
may even give the courier a few second advantage for adding or removing packages to aid in that commission lifestyle
but over all....it is not the bag for the bike

If you are commuting or riding around....go with the the double shoulder backpack!

the evenly distributed weight will be greatly perferred
an excess of weight in any of the courier style bags will injury you over time (and I speak from experience)

for the muli-bike lifestyle that you exist with I think you would do well to have a back pack large enough for all your gear as well as all the tools, tubes, and pumps you may need.....my bag at all times has a road tube for the cross bike...a 26" for my commuter....and a 29" for my single....
all those tubes may be needed at one point or another
plus...it gives you a good chance to help that hot chic with the flat!

just my idea on the subject

www.gwadzilla.blogspot.com

[gwadzilla]

here is a shot of my BACKPACK....
just a gimick to try and keep alive through the holidays
hope Scrooge is not cruising behind me in that SUV!

[tryandgetme]

matching jackets and everything!

[Netcelt]

I still use my messenger bag for most stuff. If I'm picking up a lot of groceries or something overly bulky I'll throw the panniers on. But for everyday commuting it's the messenger bag. The chest strap prevents it from sliding around and I don't get the sweaty back I used to get with backpacks. Go to the Timbuk2 site to see how the straps work. There's a nice looking girlie on there that will show you how :)

[vladamir]

Messanger bag for sure. My timbuktu is 10 times as comfortable, stays in place and doesnt make my back sweat the way a back pack did. I commute almost everyday year round and have used both extensively. Messanger bag gets my vote.

[INNES]

Right now I'm using a large Timbuk2 bag, but I also have a U.S. Postal letter carrier bag. If you can get your hands on one, (very tricky because they are considered government property) try it out. You can get loads of stuff into it and it's easy to get stuff in and out of.

[model3224]

my chrome kremlin is kind of a pain in the ass (it's floppy and stuff tends to shift low, it's huge and i'm small, and the single strap starts to cramp my shoulder if i carry it for too long off the bike), but compared to the back packs i've used. it's a vast improvement. while backpacks seem like they'd be more comfortable and stable, the messer bag is designed so the weight rests mostly on your lower back, while backpacks perch the weight right between your shoulder blades. i carried a 12pack of beer once, and it felt like a midget was using me as a skateboard. very unstable too. plus they tend to get hard to wear the more loaded the get.

also, while the dual straps help with lateral stability, they do nothing to keep the pack from sliding up and down your back, even if it has a chest strap. with the mess bag, the weight is lower to the ground, and the seatbelt like manner in which it's strapped to the body is comfortable, and it keeps the bag from moving in any direction.

offroad, it's really not all that good. i generally just use a small hydropack, which keeps what little gear i have close to my body.

for the ride i'm a baout to take this morning, i'm just gonna stuff everything into my jersy pockets. as long as the weight is balanced, you can stuff those babies full.

[7rider]

My custom Timbuk2 bag is cool, but nothing beats the stability or comfort of a backpack with chest and waist straps. Right now, I'm using a light North Face daypack. If I try to even moderately load my messenger bag, it just starts sliding around, especially when I'm jumping or climbing. The single shoulder strap also doesn't distribute the weight as well. There's this Canadian messenger bag company which has an additional strap for increased stability, but at that point, why not just use a backpack?

[Happy Turtle]

Messy bag. Backpack makes me feel too top heavy, is too hard to find crap in and looks doltier at work.

[HouseCat]

There are lots of Nice look Courierbags out there and you can pay some big $ or £ for me.

I invested in a Pac Designs bag "The Deluxe" which I really can't enough good thinks about, I really do us it ever single day both on and off the bike.

I can hold so much stuff with out any problems and once you have worked out how all the straps work you can make it fit you just right.

[ssinboston]

after having my x-large bailey works bag for a few weeks now i'm hooked. I was a backpack advocate, (don't get me wrong I still use my pack sometimes), but if I want my stuff, and I have a lot of stuff, full change of clothes, shoes, books, tools+parts, and occasionaly BEER! yea beer yea, sorry, to stay dry and not bounce every time I hit a bump' I got a mess bag. Fully loaded it never flops around, and is suprisingly comfortable, I'm not a very big person for carring so much stuff.
So in conclusion the messy bag gets my nod for commuting about 40mi a day 4 to 5 days a week here in rainy & snowy Boston.

[ChrisNorton78]

Listen, you know as well as I that people on bikes with back packs look very geeky. Get yourself a well styled courier bag so you won't have to hide in shame. The hippest ones I know are:
http://www.manhattanportage.com/catalog/index.php

[ridekona]

Does anyone like or use the Chrome, Citizen messenger bag? I have heard good things about the company but don't know anyone that has this specific bag.