I have been using an Ortlieb Vario (latest model) every weekday for nearly a year and it has been fantastic. I'm an industrial designer who has designed many bags. This is hard to beat. I'm typically not a fan of the overly engineered plastic/advanced manufacturing methods, but it is extremely effective in this context. The most important elements are all a 9/10 or 10/10, being:
-Minimal friction to convert from pannier to backpack. Takes me 3-5 seconds. If this isn't easy, you will not be encouraged to use the feature. - Straps/back of the bag/anything that touches clothing is fully protected from road grime. - The backpack actually functions well as a backpack. Mine is VERY heavy (I carry a full mobile office in it) and it handles the weight VERY comfortably. Retail price is very expensive but I got mine new off eBay for a considerable discount. Very minimal organization, but excellent size, especially considering the option to expand with the roll top. As with all ortlieb products, I can bike in a downpour and have zero concern for my electronics. On Tuesday, February 27, 2024 at 4:14:02 PM UTC-8 Robert Blunt wrote: > Greetings everyone, > I am going to cycle the Zuiderzee bicycle route in the Netherlands in > April (400km) and am trying to figure out the best way to go straight from > the airport to the bike rental place without dragging a suitcase and all > the hassle entailed with that. I am definitely packing in a minimalist > fashion and am interested in the various offerings of backpack panniers. It > will be a three week trip and the 32 liter North St. Bags Woodward > backpack pannier seems like one of the better options out there for having > a carry-on that can transition straight from the airport to a bicycle rear > rack. Does anyone have any experience with this bag or similar products? > Thanks in advance. > Robert Blunt > Pennington, NJ > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/47a9eb34-0202-4285-969e-2d263733c83en%40googlegroups.com.