Backpack for commuting

On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 11:12:05 +0100, Dave B
wrote:

Hi Folks,

I have a 4.5 mile commute to work, and I normally have a lot of 'stuff'
to carry. As it is a fairly short trip I am happy using a rucksack, but
the one I am using at the moment is not waterproof and is starting to
fall appart. Could anyone recommend a good sized rucksack (about 25
litres) that has some back air venting and is waterproof? I am looking
to keep the cost down to about £50 if possible, but I understand it
might not be possible :-(.

Hi Dave,

There really isn't a waterproof rucksack (although Macpacs do come
close). What you need is a good. lightweight waterproof liner to use
in your sack. That'll keep everything dry.

There are lots of sacks on the market that would fit your
requirements. For your purposes, the most important thing is finding
something that fits well and sits comfortably. Go to a good
backpacking shop and try some on. When you've found a few that seem to
fit the basic criteria, ask the shop to put some weight in them and
then try again. You could start with the lightweight Lowe Alpine
sacks: I've had one for more than a decade and it's still going
strong. If I use a pack on my bike, that's the one.

Having said that, I have to agree with Pete - panniers are comfier :-)



Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \ pee AT [guessthisbit].co.uk

On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 21:28:27 +0100, Peewiglet
wrote:

p.s. I noticed that you said you'd like to use the rucksack elsewhere.
If you plan to use it as a daysack for walking then the absolute
nicest one around - and it would more than fit your requirements - is
(imo) the Osprey Atmos. They come in 25L, 35L and 50L.

They're more expensive than you were planning, but they're The Best,
assuming you'd like to use them for walking. If you don't want to take
them walking then lots of the benefits would be lost on you.

I mention this just in case :-)



Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \ pee AT [guessthisbit].co.uk

Peewiglet wrote:

There really isn't a waterproof rucksack

Acksherlee there are... Ortlieb, Craghoppers and VauDe all make
fully waterproof ones, and there's no shortage of drybags with
rucksack harnesses of varying quality.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 22:16:08 +0100, Peter Clinch
wrote:

Peewiglet wrote:

There really isn't a waterproof rucksack

Acksherlee there are... Ortlieb, Craghoppers and VauDe all make
fully waterproof ones, and there's no shortage of drybags with
rucksack harnesses of varying quality.

Ok!



Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \ pee AT [guessthisbit].co.uk

Peewiglet wrote:

Acksherlee there are... Ortlieb, Craghoppers and VauDe all make
fully waterproof ones, and there's no shortage of drybags with
rucksack harnesses of varying quality.

Ok!

Looking around again now, ranges seem to have diminished a fair bit...
A few years ago VauDe were doing expedition style internal framed packs
with complete waterproofing, but they seem to have disappeared now (not
really surprised, there's a big price premium, a weight penalty, since
you have to put your wet tent/whatever in it anyway you still need a
liner, and after a while it'll leak anyway so you'll still need a liner
without the wet tent).
More common is a raincover, often in a pocket of the pack. These are
cheaper and can be taken off to save weight/bulk. Quite a few cycle
specific rucksacks seem to have these, and quite a few panniers too.

Craghoppers' pack range seems to have shrunk quite a bit as well, though
they still do a couple of fully waterproof models, 35 and 45 l and a
couple of large waterproof bumbags, 5 & 7 l.

The Ortliebs are all smallish daypacks, but are all fully waterproof,
waterproof gear being Ortlieb's Big Thing.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/