Somewhere to Put My Cheese in: ISO, Backpacks

Somewhere to Put My Cheese in: ISO, Backpacks

A few months ago, I sold my car in what was not only another stepping stone in my steady ascent toward sainthood, but an experiment. I was mostly curious to see if I really needed a car, and the warmer months seemed like a good time to find out.

Turns out, the PROP is a good community to live in if you rely upon public transit. Most locations within 25 miles are easily accessible by rail or bus, and time spent as passenger rather than driver enables me to blast through books like I was in college again. Also, I find that despite my surrender to gluttony (no saint is perfect; viz. Augustine), I’m able to keep the pounds off because I walk so much (even a brief stroll after dinner to, like, the El stop and home, seems to help).

That’s all very well, but…I need a way to carry books, etc., as well as all the food I pick up along the way.

ReneG is an excellent model of the non-auto-owning chow enthusiast. He goes everywhere by public trans, accepts rides but doesn’t impose on friends to take him places… and he always carries a backpack filled with food items he’s picked up during his boots-on-ground journeys through Chicagoland.

I haven’t shopped for a backpack since Reagan was President, and I’m not looking for anything fancy, no man purse or fanny pack, but something relatively small (no backpacking; daytripping). I’m open to suggestions. If you don’t have specific models to suggest, I’d like to hear about manufacturers with whom you’ve had good luck.

David “Going my way?” Hammond

David,
I have heaped enormous abuse on this bag:

Rick Steves Civita Day Pack

and it has held up perfectly. The bag itself weighs almost nothing and is easy to lug around if it is mostly empty or totally packed. I own 2, one for me and one for the wife. Hope this helps.

Bill/SFNM

Hi,

If you are bringing home leftovers, you may want some kind of softsided refrigerated bag in there plus a few empty quart ziploc bags. In a snap, you can fill the quart bags with ice to nestle between the leftovers to keep them cool and foodsafe.

Regards,

I have a Victorinox bag similar to this that I have been wearing around for years.

http://www.swissarmy.com/TravelGear/Pag ... =30388003&

Not sure if it is more than you are looking for.

Bill/SFNM wrote:David,
I have heaped enormous abuse on this bag:

Rick Steves Civita Day Pack

and it has held up perfectly. The bag itself weighs almost nothing and is easy to lug around if it is mostly empty or totally packed. I own 2, one for me and one for the wife. Hope this helps.

Bill/SFNM

That looks like a good bag. I like the multiple pockets and the net that holds the water bottle upright. The price is definitely right.

Cathy2 wrote:Hi,

If you are bringing home leftovers, you may want some kind of softsided refrigerated bag in there plus a few empty quart ziploc bags. In a snap, you can fill the quart bags with ice to nestle between the leftovers to keep them cool and foodsafe.

Regards,

Food portage is key. What might be good is a small refrigerated bag that I could put inside the larger back pack.

I don't know if you are set on a particular style or ever ride a bike, but I very much favor a good bike messenger bag for use in the city. I like the ability to sling it around when on the train and have access to everything at once without removing the bag. Backpacks are great if you are simply walking all day and rarely need to actually open and close the bag but if you are going to be walking, riding, sitting, shopping, etc... I think a messenger style bag is the best way top go.

I have a bag from a company called Timbuk2. You can order a custom bag from them or go by REI or many other outdoors stores and check them out. http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/products/home

The Mountain Hardwear Sentinel Jr Messenger Bag is more expensive but has every bell and whistle out there (inc a fleece line sunglass pocket!). This is the Cadillac of messenger bags. If I was going to buy a new bag, this is what I would get. I know it costs, but if you use your bag nearly every day, it is worth every penny. Another view

There are lots of other companies making this style of bag in all sizes and costs, but these are my two favorites. Again, you might want to head to an outdoors store and check them out but, bike or not, I just think this design is far more adapted to city life the a traditional 2 looper.

Stagger, those messenger bags are a new concept to me. Gut reaction is they look a little...bulky. Not writing them off at all, but they do seem to lack the aerodynamic shape of other bags I've seen (I realize what I'm saying goes completely against what you'd expect to be the case with a messenger bag -- i.e., you'd expect them to be sleek and aerodynamic).

Really appreciate this and all suggestions. You guys are expanding my mind (again).

PS. I'll be jumping on my bike in a few minutes; it's a Schwinn Classic...so very bulky and non-aerodynamic. Maybe a messenger bag would be just right.

I'm obsessed with different bags- I own 2 timbuk2's, a dadgear bag (for my diaper bag), two different north face backpacks, and 3 brief cases for more formal meetings.

If you are carrying a laptop + books + food then you want this bag:

http://www.ebags.com/the_north_face/sur ... lid=127008

If you are carrying books + food and you don't mind an over the shoulder bag, then you want a Timbuk2 (with shoulder pad), most likely this one in a medium. Be careful, timbuk2's are awkward when they get super heavy:

http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/products/mes ... -messenger

I've got more for special stuff, but generally if I have to do a lot of walking I hate a messenger bag. I also dislike Timbuk2's laptop bags, though their laptop insert is the best one made.

I generally think a backpack is easier to ride a bike with, especially if it's got sloping top sides like the surge- messenger bags have a nasty way of shifting on you when you least want them to.

I've been using & abusing this backpack for about 7 years now, and it's still going strong.

The only problem with it at this point is that the part that rests against my lower back has worn away a bit, so the rubbery padding is exposed & tends to pull my shirt up as I walk. Once it starts annoying me enough that I'm actually compelled to do something about it, I'll probably patch it up with some black duct tape, which should resolve the issue quite nicely

I see this model (Recon) fairly regularly at Sportmart (and similar stores) marked down $20 or so, which brings its price into reasonable range, especially considering that it's the first backpack I've owned that has survived more than a few years of daily heavy use.

Before this thing, I used to swear by messenger bags...but lugging 10 lbs of not-so-svelte corporate laptop & its various accessories around on one shoulder started to get old. I'm now convinced that the good ol' fashioned backpack is the way to go.

David Hammond wrote:but they do seem to lack the aerodynamic shape of other bags I've seen (I realize what I'm saying goes completely against what you'd expect to be the case with a messenger bag -- i.e., you'd expect them to be sleek and aerodynamic).

Do you you want it to fly or carry stuff?

They wrap around your body... you need to see them in person.

Stagger wrote:

David Hammond wrote:but they do seem to lack the aerodynamic shape of other bags I've seen (I realize what I'm saying goes completely against what you'd expect to be the case with a messenger bag -- i.e., you'd expect them to be sleek and aerodynamic).

Do you you want it to fly or carry stuff?

They wrap around your body... you need to see them in person.

I looked at the pictures on the site and I didn't quite understand that wrap-around feature, but, yes, I would like to fly and carry stuff.

If you are carrying a boatload of junk on a bike you either want a messenger bag or a pannier. A backpack sits too high and makes you top-heavy. If you hit something you are more likely to go over the top. Keep your gravity low

The Timbuk2 regular messenger bag has some extra straps you can clip to keep the bag from sliding around. I don't know if others have this or not.

Along the same lines, any suggestions on good pannier bags for bringing some things home from the grocery store or farmer's market on the bike?

It isn't a feature... it is just how they wrest on your body. I can try to take a picture but you should just try one on.

I have a messenger bag that I love and use all the time (except for the conference logo - can't wait to find a nice patch to sew over that), but it doesn't wrap around well because I carry so many flat notebooks and paper matls in it. I've pretty much given up bothering to carry around a laptop computer in it - it goes from convenient to a bulky hulk.) Great for carrying around books and notebooks and pens and such, but given the relative narrowness, a messenger bag is not my idea of how to transport food. For that I'd suggest a more squarish insulated bag such as you find at Walgreens or Target - with plastic insert you can keep in or remove as your flexibility needs demand. Good for the farmer's market, not good for the bike though.

I also make a lot of use of a big canvas boat-style bag that I bought from my local library. (Sunset Foods also sells one, very sturdy but smaller.) I take it to the farmer's market and to grocery stores and put everything that isn't cold-critical in it. Can't remember the last time I brought a paper or plastic bag home from a store.

leek wrote:If you are carrying a boatload of junk on a bike you either want a messenger bag or a pannier. A backpack sits too high and makes you top-heavy....

A backpack also makes your back sweaty. A pannier is great if you are going to be spending the majority of the trip on your bike. I have a single Jandd Commuter pannier (right side) and I like it. However, they are expensive and the quality used to be better when they were not made in China. Go to REI or somesuch store and try on packs and bags until you find what fits your body and your needs. There are some very handy square panniers for shopping bags.

Cheers, Jen

Great discussion! Leave it to Hammond to lead us into new territory. My problem is that I have to drag around books, laptop, frequently food, both to my lectures and when I fly back and forth between KC and Montréal. As all the kühl folks do, I carry my L.L. Bean backpack over the shoulder with one strap, and the damn thing won't stay put. I really like the looks of jpschust's North Face bag. Any idea jps* whether or not it would be stable hung from my shoulder by one strap?

Debbie got me a single-strap shoulder bag a couple of years ago, but it ended up having a really bad shape for the laptop+books combination.

Geo

Geo wrote:As all the kühl folks do, I carry my L.L. Bean backpack over the shoulder with one strap, and the damn thing won't stay put.

Like all the uncool nerdfolks do, I wear my SwissGear backpack over both shoulders with both straps like it was designed for and it stays put just fine.

Also my backpack has been known to ferry produce and such from a Farmer's Market quite well. I found that if I tied a flat of berries down to the back rack on my bike, by the time I got where I was going I had berry preserves. Do panniers stay steadier? Things get shaken up less in the backpack 'cause I am acting as a shock absorber.

Egad, Man! I'm a prof on a university campus! Gotta be kühl, I'd lose cred if wore my backpack on my back. Really. Besides, I'm in and out of the damn thing ten times a day, and the over-the-shoulder dismount is a LOT easier than the full-backpack mode dismount.

My wife and I do much of our shopping during the Summer, by bike, at the Marché Jean-Talon. Lots of soft produce, baked goods, etc. She found this really excellent set of panniers that does a great job keeping things whole and entire. They're connected to the frame by springs, which I think helps. I can't tell you the brand at the moment (I'm in KC for the week), but I could ask her if anyone's interested. Panniers are significantly better than backpacks for carrying soft goods. I've done it both ways.

Geo

Geo-

Please let us know what type of panniers you have. I have now tried two different bags to hang on my rear bike rack, but due to my shorter bike frame and smaller tires, I end up kicking the bags. I'm looking for a better solution to be able to bike to the farmers market or the beach.

-Mary

Will do. I'll ask TODG.

I'm pretty satisfied with ours.

Geo

Check out ebags.com. They carry lots of bags, they generally have good prices, and also have reviews posted, a la Amazon or even LTH.

I have a bag problem, myself. That is, I keep switching them. I must think that if I find just the perfect bag that keeps all my stuff perfectly organized, then the rest of my life will become organized similarly. This, however, hasn't worked yet.

Good luck with the search...

You might also look at Reusablebags.com. They have a variety of shopping bags. lunchboxes, bottles, etc. I got my laptop lunchboxes from them.

Debbie has replied. They're Cannondale panniers. Ours are an older version of the one you'll see on this web page.

Geo

I've been slacking on my LTH reading, can't believe I didn't see this thread sooner. I am a bona fide bag lady and have many opinions on this topic and an unseemly collection of bags to back it up. I don't have a car and am always lugging around a laptop, multiple books, groceries for me & other people, snacks, meals, yoga and running clothes & equipment, all on walks, public transit and my bike in all sorts of weather.

First, backpacks:
I swear by two. First, the North Face brand is obnoxious at times, but it's the only the brand of backpack that has never let me down. As a Canadian, I've really wanted to love Moutain Equipment Co-op's bags, and the few times I've tried to be less dorky I've tried to adopt a Brooklyn Industries more subtle-hipster-sporty backpack. I've had positive experiences with both MEC and BI, but I always return to North Face. I've shopped markets around the world with my NF backpack, carried a week's worth of snacks while riding 500 miles across Alaska in rainstorms on my bike with it. It's relatively light, extremely durable and has logical pockets. Also, I have yet to encounter a size or shape of tupperware that does not fit in it.

The other backpack I swear by is Patagonia's Lightweight Travel Pack. It's not good for a computer, but it's super lightweight, easy to clean and does not absorb even the most abhorrently wonderful cheese odors. I particularly like this pack for shopping at the Dane County Farmers' Market. Of all of my backpacks, the Patagonia pack also makes me the least sweaty when walking around in summer.

Second, bike panniers:
I get everywhere on my bike, and I buy a lot of groceries. There are many good panniers out there, but my heart belongs absolutely to Ortlieb. I own the Back Roller Classic, which has served me without fail on even my most indulgent trips to farmers' markets and grocery stores. They're made of excellent materials. The craftsmanship is top-notch. They're lightweight, and they have the best locking system for securing the panniers to your bike for Chicago's bumpy roads. These panniers are soft and therefore allow for efficient packing, but there's also a flat back interior pocket that I've discovered is perfect for holding large flat parcels of charcuterie.

Lastly, messenger bags:
I know people love Timbuk2, and I do use the one I own occasionally for weekend trips, but my messenger bags of choice are by Manhattan Portage, Freitag and Marimekko. Manhattan Portage bags are the best value of any bags I own. They're durable, come in a variety of shapes and sizes including ones with highly visible reflective stripes and also have very logical compartments. I used mine for regular trips to Fairway, the Union Square Farmers' Market, Zabar's and Whole Foods when I lived in New York and got everywhere almost solely on foot.

I have a collection of Freitag bags, which are also extremely durable and very individualized as they're made of recycled truck tarps (read: they look cool). In the last few years, they've done a great job of making more {farmers'} market-friendly shaped and sized bags. I will say that they're a little heavy as empty bags, but they last forever, and are probably the easiest bags to wipe down and clean, which I can say after one particularly memorable mishap with a jar of honey that went uncapped. Freitag bags also seem to have some insulative properties for cold items.

My Marimekko Olkalaukku bag is the one I use most often and happens to be my favorite bag ever (and not just because of its name). I own three. They're just very classic in design, simple, durable, with logical, easily accessible pockets (no zippers). They not as easy to clean and don't fit all sizes of tupperware well, but the two parallel pockets under the flap are the perfect size to carry snacks (for me, Larabars) and fit books alongside water bottles, jars and smaller pastry boxes very well. (Example: I can get two boxes of small Hoosier Mama pies in there.) The Olkalaukku is also the perfect length to carry a bottle of wine.

Almost all of my bags are 5 years or older. My Marimekko, Manhattan Portage and Freitag bags are going on 10+ years, and all are in great shape. I bought a lot of my bags abroad, but I think they're all very easy to get online now, and, as mentioned above, you can compare prices. Best of luck in your search, and, if you can't find a bag you like, I can lend you one...or three.

happy_"bag crazy"_stomach

Edited to correct spelling

Wow, just when I thought I'd narrowed it down to the Rick Steves (Bill/SFNM) and NorthFace (Khaopaat) recommended upthread, I get a load more interesting options. This is excellent input!

The GP wrote:I have now tried two different bags to hang on my rear bike rack, but due to my shorter bike frame and smaller tires, I end up kicking the bags.

Mary, I'm 5'2" and thus have a smaller bike frame. See the Ortlieb panniers I recommended to David above. Get the smaller ones that hang on your rear rack. They're perfect--will fit all of your groceries, a beach towel, a change of clothes, shoes, whatever you need to carry. You won't kick them. One of the best investments I've ever made...

happy_stomach wrote:

The GP wrote:I have now tried two different bags to hang on my rear bike rack, but due to my shorter bike frame and smaller tires, I end up kicking the bags.

Mary, I'm 5'2" and thus have a smaller bike frame. See the Ortlieb panniers I recommended to David above. Get the smaller ones that hang on your rear rack. They're perfect--will fit all of your groceries, a beach towel, a change of clothes, shoes, whatever you need to carry. You won't kick them. One of the best investments I've ever made...

Sharon-

As soon as you posted something, I clicked on the link because I know you and I are not towering over people. I'll be looking at these for sure. Thanks!

-Mary

happy_stomach wrote:My Marimekko Olkalaukku bag is the one I use most often and happens to be my favorite bag ever (and not just because of its name).
Edited to correct spelling

Great post. The Marimekko is exactly the type of bag I've been looking for.
That shop near Tre Kronor carries it.

Hi,

I always associate Marimekko with Crate and Barrel, is Marimekko still sold through there?

Regards,