Ways to carry things while commuting for a software job?
I live in Boise metro area (USA) and use a Lectric XPedition cargo ebike.
Basically I'm trying to figure out a better way to carry things for commuting to work:
- Laptop - Needs protection from weather/sprinklers and bumps. Earlier my laptop got bashed up from all the bumps and I suspect that contributed to or caused its death, and its pointy corners put holes in my waterproof pannier that I guess I need to patch somehow. I bought another laptop and wrapped it in a sweatshirt for more protection but now it is destroying my sweatshirt. So I definitely need something better, and if it's less expensive than my laptop then it's worth it.
- Other electronics - needs to go in a weatherproof container similar to my laptop
- Lunch/snacks - I want this to be separated from my electronics
- Rain clothes - Also needs to be separated from my electronics
- Emergency bike tools
Right now I have two waterproof Ortlieb panniers but they don't fit on the XPedition so I have to attach it to a basket in a wonky way but one is what I put my electronics in right now. I also have backpacks that aren't waterproof which I wear one and carry my lunch/tools in it. And two panniers designed for the ebike but neither are waterproof so I'm not using them for this.
I am most concerned about my laptop obviously and I think a cheap workaround is buying a sleeve off Amazon/Aliexpress but it's still a chaotic and poorly secured setup. I saw that there seems to be panniers and backpacks designed for this which I am considering but there are a lot of options. So I'm wondering how other people carry their valuables and items.
EDIT: I just saw that Ortlieb has an insert for carrying a laptop which looks like a decent option but a better way to attach the pannier to the bike would be nice.
10 replies
I have multiple bikes but usually with my laptop I either keep it in a padded sleeve and stick it in a bag, strap it to a rack, or put it in a basket. My go-to work bag is currently a 174 Hudson pannier backpack that you can wear or clip to your rear pannier rack, it's water resistant but also comes with a cover that works pretty well. It has separate parts where you could store everything in different compartments but I still usually put my food in another bag (just a simple insulated roll top bag) and my drink goes into a cupholder/nylon feed bag on my bars.
On my e-bike, the pannier bags are big enough that I can put my entire bookbag in it if I need to, but since switching to the 174 Hudson I don't really need to anymore.
By the way, I've made your post a featured post in the community to help get more responses. Hope it helps you find the best solution for you!
I usually put my laptop in my backpack, then my backpack (also filled with a lunchbox and usually a sweater) goes in a large tote that I've ziptied to the orbitor (think rails to let kids ride on the back) on the back of my xpedition. I haven't noticed any bag or laptop damage, so I think that everything else in the tote must pad the laptop enough to prevent damage. (Though to be fair - I'm new to bicycling to work, so it's also possible that the laptop damage just isn't visible yet.)
It sounds like you need some kind of padded carrier for your laptop. Do you sew, or know someone who sews? Can they make a really thick padded slipcover for your laptop, and then you put your laptop in a basket/milk crate/pannier?
I do know someone who sews. My concern with putting the lunchbox and laptop in the same pack is the lunchbox leaking somehow which I've had happen before. Right now I'm leaning toward getting a weatherproof messenger laptop bag and Lectric's waterproof pannier and putting it in that, and getting another one of those panniers for the non-electronics. Or alternatively the Ortlieb commuter insert if there's a good way to make the pannier attach since it would be sad if I have to waste them (but at least I could keep one as a backpack).
Given the disparate concerns, I think it best to divide them logically.
For the laptop, I would suggest looking at a laptop case or laptop bag, since it sounds like you were otherwise transporting the laptop naked or wrapped in a sweatshirt. Being your primary work tool, it does warrant its own protection, irrespective of an ebike or automobile or airplane commute. Laptop cases are like phone cases, in that they stay attached to the machine whether opened or close, usually by straps around the bottom. Some laptop cases are hard sized, and thus offer a lot of physical protection.
But a laptop bag would work equally well, such as those which look like messenger bags. Such soft sided bags offer less protection than a hard sided case to impacts, but they often are water/rain resistant when the bag is zipped up or the flap is laid over the top. I personally use a messenger bag with a laptop compartment, so I can carry my other work tools, like pen and paper, phone charger, and meeting headphones, whether I'm commuting to the office by car, bike, or walking.
In all circumstances, this layer of protection is bidirectional, preventing the laptop from sustaining damage but also protecting your panniers from holes. So now we get to panniers. Ideally, your laptop case/bag should fit into the pannier, and the pannier would be waterproof. This augments the rain resistancd of the laptop bag, while being flexible for other non-laptop payloads like groceries when you're not commuting.
Since you mentioned transporting other electronics as well as lunch, a dual pannier setup can make sense, where you laptop case/bag plus electronics are on one side, and lunch on the other. I do carry dual panniers on my acoustic bike, and it's terrible convenient when I don't want my payloads to unbalance the bike.
For rain clothes, presumably you would be wearing these while commuting? Do these need to be stored in the panniers? Or would this be in preparation for a rainy commute on the way back home? I personally prefer rain gear that I can shed anywhere, so I use breathable snow pants that still function in the dry, and a windbreaker than isn't too cumbersome to wear even if it isn't raining.
My bike tools are stored in an undersaddle bag which never leaves the bike. This means I need them to be fairly compact, but I do keep the essentials on me wherever I may run into trouble.
I think the key thing to remember with a bicycle commute -- electric or otherwise -- is that things will bounce around. It's not like in a car where something can be placed in the passenger footwell and it'll mostly get to the destination in one piece. No, stuff in panniers will bump into things, the side walls, and sometimes even try to escape out the top. Things like bike tools won't care about that, but electronics can be marred or damaged. Fortunately, this can be really easy to manage, with the simplest solution being a reusable grocery bag that you can tie shut. This clumps all the things together, so while the whole clump can still bounce around inside the pannier, they won't smash into each other. A step up would be some kind of padded bag, like what's used to transport cameras, with movable walls.
I wish you good luck in optimizing your bike commute! Don't be afraid to try stuff out and do test things to their limits so you have confidence that it'll serve you under all inclement conditions.
Thanks for the helpful advice!
That's another option I was leaning toward, and it looks like a great size to contain my electronics. Do you think it's a good idea to get both a sleeve and a laptop bag to protect the bag?
Right now I have a rain coat and rain pants but I don't want to wear them when it's not raining since it gets hot. There are days where it rains in the morning but not in the afternoon so it's still wet but I'm not wearing it.
I have a small container with most of the tools already, I think it's designed to attach directly with the bike actually but I don't know if it works well and I need to remove it anyways so it doesn't get stolen so it was more convenient for me to put it in another bag.
Lol so true, I've had multiple things damaged in precarious setups since there's no suspension to soften impacts. I was transporting a chest freezer once and it got dented.
This might be excessive, but I think the other problem you'd have is that most laptop bags are sized to take a naked laptop. So if a sleeve takes up the remaining margin, you might it very difficult to slide the encased laptop into the bag.
I'd probably start with the option that is most adaptable first, so if you always carry a USB C charger along with your laptop, then a laptop bag would store both of those and thus you can eschew the case. Though if you have free returns, then there's no harm in also trying the laptop case for a while.
In this case, I'd roll the coat and pants into a cylinder and then strap them down with a bungee cord over the top of your rear rack. Clothes are soft and squishy, so the tension of an adjustable bungee cord will keep them in place. BTW, an adjustable bungee cord is a valuable bike accessory in any scenario.
I don't suppose there's any way to store your bike indoors at work, or in a bike locker if your workplace has those? With how opportunistic bike theft is in the USA, you'll want to holistically assess which parts of your bike can be stolen, against how annoying/difficult it would be to do so, and by the price or inconvenient of that part. It's a rough calculus, for sure, but considering how the rear wheel of an ebike (which usually has the hub motor) is the most valuable removable component, everyone makes their own choice whether and which smaller components also need to be guarded and to what degree.
It's a fair question, about which parts to take indoors if you can't bring the whole bike in. But your risk assessment will be a lot different than mine, so I can't really give a more specific answer.
One last thought before I forget: with waterproof panniers, always check them every so often, since if they can prevent water from getting in, they can also prevent water from getting out. I once went riding in the rain where it was cold enough for water in the air to condense inside the pannier, which drained to the bottom but had no way to escape. So it just sat there in a small puddle, until I noticed.
Waterproof does not mean airtight, and humid air can carry a decent amount of water under the right conditions, especially if it can accumulate over time and no checking is being done.
Just tossing this out there as a possible option. Hikers often use rain covers for their backpacks and things. They do a better job of waterproofing, and you don't have to compromise on a backpack or bag that you really like.
I use waterproof covers on my pannier bags and backpack: Would recommend.
That said, if they already have Ortlieb Rollers, they're already covered pannier bag wise: Those are the best of the best.
Padded laptop sleeve that zips up? There's about a billion out there, find one that fits the bill basically, I would think.
https://search.brave.com/images?q=laptop+padded+sleeve&source=images
My Thule paniers have been flawlessly waterproof for years now (plus two winters and 16,000km of sailing tied outdoors to my lifelines) They have a sleve on the inside that keeps the laptop away from the side edges and tight against the rigid backing of the paniers.
Backpacks have been horribly harsh on laptops in my experience but that's nothing a good case wouldn't help with although to resist a crash you'd probably need a rigid case or a rugged laptop (that's what I went with but for other reasons too)