Messenger bags vs belt packs?

I have a short commute... maybe 5 miles one way to
work.

Any advice on using a small messenger bag to carry
stuff to work vs a belt pack?

What do YOU prefer and why?

Do you hate belt packs and love messenger bags?

One more option, check out a basket:

front
http://www.rivbike.com/webalog/baggage_racks/20098.html
rear
http://www.rivbike.com/webalog/baggage_racks/20102.html

baskets are cheap and can hold alot of stuff (just make sure you have a
tie-down!)

I've used panniers, a backpack, a rack trunk, and a bike bag. I like
the bike bag best. The Timbuktu has a strap you can use to keep it from
rotating. It holds a day's change of clothing, papers, and assorted
junk. When it gets too heavy i clean it out. I think it's a bit cooler
than a backpack in the summer because it doesn't cover as much of my
back. That could be detrimental in the winter though, but I haven't
noticed.

The rack trunk was too small. The panniers had cranky attachments and
would fall off every once in a while, which was a big pain. Although I
had a nice one with an integrated rain cover, I still prefer the
messenger bag.

I commute a 15-mile round trip as many days a week as I can and have
done so for about 15 years. I carry more stuff on mondays and
fridays--I'll leave the trousers at work for the week and bring fresh
shirts. I keep shoes and a belt in my desk drawer. We have no showers
so I change in the stall. I also carry a swimmer's towel to wipe down
on hot days in the summer.

HTH,
Michael Davis

wrote:
I have a short commute... maybe 5 miles one way to
work.

Any advice on using a small messenger bag to carry
stuff to work vs a belt pack?

What do YOU prefer and why?

Do you hate belt packs and love messenger bags?

Depends on what you're carrying.
If it's a laptop and/or clothing, a messenger bag or, my preference, a
small backpack. Backpack ESPECIALLY if it's heavy.
For small stuff, like a spare tube and a tool and another nicknack or
two, a belt pack is fine, but a saddlebag might be better.

/s

the shoulder bag can strap down onto the rear rack and rest there.

writes:

I have a short commute... maybe 5 miles one way to
work.

Any advice on using a small messenger bag to carry
stuff to work vs a belt pack?

What do YOU prefer and why?

Do you hate belt packs and love messenger bags?

Rack or basket. Much more comfortable to get the load of your
back. Less sweat, less hassle, etc. Messenger bags solve a set of
problems which don't really apply to commuters.

On Mon, 02 May 2005 15:08:02 -0500, wrote:

I have a short commute... maybe 5 miles one way to
work.

Any advice on using a small messenger bag to carry
stuff to work vs a belt pack?

What do YOU prefer and why?

Do you hate belt packs and love messenger bags?

The bag holds more, but requires more hassle to deal with it. If a
belt pack will hold what I need to carry, a belt pack is what I use.
I resort to a backpack if I need more load capacity in most cases, and
a modified m-bag some of the time.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
Some gardening required to reply via email.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

I prefer a Carradice saddlebag, mounted to the seatpost via their SQR
quick release system. They are able to carry a great deal (mine is a
Super-C), they mount/unmount from the bike very quickly with the SQR
system, and their affect on bike handling seems pretty small to me.

They aren't all that common though, nor are they all that cheap. The
company itself has a website - www.carradice.co.uk. A few online
dealers carry them - Wallingford Bike, Harris Cyclery, and Peter White
Cycles, for starters.

wrote:
I have a short commute... maybe 5 miles one way to
work.

Any advice on using a small messenger bag to carry
stuff to work vs a belt pack?

What do YOU prefer and why?

Do you hate belt packs and love messenger bags?


I have a fairly long commute (16 miles each way) and I've tried
messanger bags and backpacks. I finally settled on a lumbar pack from
REI. It's like a small-ish backpack, but it straps on around your hips
(plus a single, diagonal shoulder strap if you want). It rides down
low on your back, so most of your back is free to breath. I can get a
change of clothes, lunch and other essentials in there. It has worked
out great

wrote ...
I have a short commute... maybe 5 miles one way to
work.

Any advice on using a small messenger bag to carry
stuff to work vs a belt pack?

What do YOU prefer and why?

Do you hate belt packs and love messenger bags?

I use a messenger bag, by the time I shove a change of clothing, papers,
lunch and warm clothing for the trip home (it gets cold at night where I
live) into the bag I wouldn't want that much weight in a belt pack.

I like the Patagonia Critical Mass, the T-strap system lets me carry stuff
low on my back but it still stays in one place. It works well as a shoulder
bag off the bike, too.
--
mark