Hey all- I've used North St Bags for several years, both their more basic panniers and also a convertible backpack/pannier of theirs, an older model I believe. I used a set of regular North St panniers and the convertible with its non-converting mate (I had them made custom) on several tours in the earlier teens, including a four-month odyssey across the continent. North St. bags are well made and Curtis stands behind them, repairing them if needed.
I feel that their convertible bag was the best of the type: works great as a pannier and good (though not great) as a backpack. I like how the pannier hooks were hidden in "backpack" mode, no worries about them digging into your back or having some "extra" thing you have to either add or remove to make it work as a backpack. I say it works "good" as a backpack because the pannier stiffener means the bag won't contour to your back, so it's good for more limited use--I definitely felt the "stiff board" for prolonged periods of use. Also, North St. uses the simple "hook and bungee" pannier mounting system--simple and easy to repair, but not as secure as Ortlieb locking style mounts. I don't have my convertible bag anymore as my needs shifted. But I don't regret having one. Best, Shawn in The Portland -- 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/b7564e35-530e-4e76-937d-0cfed6886875n%40googlegroups.com.
