Banjo Brothers Commuter Backpack

My name’s Elijah and I’m a shopaholic…for bike stuff! My bike commuting bag collection includes two timbuk2 messenger bags, three panniers, three types of racks for the panniers, a backpack, and now this backpack. But this backpack is special. It’s designed especially for bike commuting – Banjo Brothers Commuter Backpack. When I saw that a backpack was designed just for my small subgroup (at least in this part of the world), I had to have it. I’ve tried panniers, but on a fixed gear bike it didn’t make much sense, because my stopping ability was greatly hampered (can’t skid or skip/skid with that kind of load). I ordered my bag, and a few days before it was to show up at my door, I saw this post on bikecommuters.com – nice. My favorite mode of carrying stuff has been my large classic timbuk2 messenger bag, but I plan to commute with a laptop in the near future, so wanted something that wouldn’t cause pain to my already injured lower back. Today was my first ride with it. Here are my first impressions:

When I got it out of the box, I immediately saw the quality and thought that must have gone into designing it. I love a well designed… anything. You can see a pouch on the left side of the bag made for a bike lock. Underneath the large flap are small pouches that i put my keys, wallet, garage opener and pen. I don’t quite see the point of three pen slots. It’d make sense to me to have one pen slot and widen the pouch right next to it. The bag is sturdy, comfy and water proof to boot. It’s meant to be worn low. It rests on my ample butt-ocks (as Forest Gump would say).

First thing I noticed is that the straps are super long, so I taped up the excess. The waist strap connector to the bag digs into my nicely rounded love handles, so I easily remedied that by looping them behind the bottom of the shoulder straps.

The bag rolls open and closed. It’s just the right width for rolled up clothes to fit nicely. It’s the perfect size for clothes, tools laptop and lunch, and even a pair of shoes and belt if need be. Before buying the bag I was skeptical about the lack of a zipper, but I quickly realized how great this opening system is. I found that when I hang the bag on the bathroom stall door that it stays open and tilts just right to give me easy access as I change.

Here’s what I rode with this morning. You see my clothes, including my not tight whities, a towel for wiping down, a binder, phone, small toiletry bag and a fluid container. I use the toiletry bag to stash my bike tools. I think it’s ironic that I use this high end bag given to my mom on a first class flight for bike tools. And the container is for lunch. I’m working on my weight, so I drink a vitamin shake. It makes sense, because I work at a nutrition company that makes the stuff. Also, I’ve got my pump and a saddle. Doesn’t everyone ride around with a spare saddle? You never know. Actually, it’s to give to my brother (it’s a family business and actually quite an enjoyable workplace too). He wants a saddle for his beater bike and I have a couple spare.

Ride Impressions
The first mile I felt uncomfortable. The bag felt scratchy to my back and I could feel the weight of the bike lock on my left side. By the fourth mile I didn’t notice the itchiness nor the weight of the lock. But I noticed the difference between this bag and my usual messenger bag. I didn’t know if I liked it, but promised that I’d give myself a couple more weeks with it before making any final judgments. By the tenth mile, it felt well balanced, and doesn’t move around even when I’m riding out of saddle. Since the bag hangs so low on my back it doesn’t block my vision any more than a messenger bag does when looking over my shoulder. It also doesn’t ride up onto my neck like my other backpacks tend to do. By the end of my commute, I noticed that my right shoulder was a bit sore. I attribute this to the fact that I’m used to using my messenger bag, which slings over my left shoulder. I think this is a good thing for my back that the weight is more evenly distributed. So far so good. We’ll see how it holds up to a couple more weeks of use, but I have a feeling this bag’s gonna be the winner.