Blackburn Wayside Bike Backpack & Pannier

I've had this for about four months now and I have only good things to say about it. Going from a 22L bike sack to a 19L one I was a bit concerned about space but I was completely wrong. It might look small but it can definitely more than a lot. For example, one typical Saturday at work I had a pair of shoes in there, a pair of trousers, a shirt, a t-shirt, lunchpack, a book, a tube of rice cakes, a pack of chicken slices...you get the point! If space is what you're worried about this, there's no need to worry. The front pockets make all the difference. They're so convenient and long, you can fit all those little bits and bobs you carry around with you everyday. I usually use them for headphones, chargers, glasses, sunglasses, suncream, keys, pencils - yes, I am aware I do carry a lot or random stuff with me! The mesh pockets inside the pockets help with organising the space a bit so happy days. I was reading reviews about how long it takes to go from a backpack to a pannier bag, and I honestly don't understand how spending about 30 seconds to set this up will create a massive disruption to your commute. Never had a problem with that; my problem was my rack wasn't allowing for proper alignment of the velcro straps so one of them was a bit off. But even like that, I never had a problem with bag falling off or anything. They're extremely strong and in the one event that misaligned velcro went off, the other hold the bag entirely on its own for a good 5-10' before I realised. What really made me love this bag so much though, it that it looks good - if not even better - as a backpack. I love the fact that it just stands straight when I put it down and doesn't just lean awkwardly on one side, it's sturdy and fits my back nicely; which makes the perfect travel bag as well. I think my other travel bag might have an issue with that! I've taken it on ride bikes and airplanes and fields and out and about in the city and it fits perfectly in every setting so couldn't ask for more really.

The Velcro straps to secure this to your bike are weak. Mine came off on the commute home, on the first day of using this bag. My work laptop was badly damaged as a result. This product is by nature defective; the Velcro straps should be clips.

Have used this for 6 months or so for daily commuting and it has been an excellent purchase - really high quality, waterproofing works well and it is easy to fit and detach. The bag looks good too, easy to turn into a rucksack when getting off the bike, takes no time at all. Only note of caution is that I've managed to lose some of the detachable velcro ties that you can loop around the base of a pannier rack for extra security. However even without these the main inbuilt velcro straps at the top have held up well, the only chance of them coming undone while riding is if you didn't fasten them securely to start with in my experience. Highly recommend this for anyone who is looking for a single pannier primarily for commuting.

The velcro system doesn't work. Multiple time I've had it come undone while cycling on the road. Incredibly dangerous. Do not buy this bag.

An okay backpack, an okay pannier. Can’t have it all. Major downside is the fact that it hangs on a rack entirely by Velcro. After using it a few days I got a little sloppy in attaching it to the rack, then when I hopped onto a curb the weight was too much for the Velcro and it came off disastrously. Now just to be safe I hook one of the backpack straps around the opposite chainstay like in the picture. It also is a bit too floppy for a pannier when empty and might easily come in contact with the wheel. As a backpack it’s alright, it works for school, work, or groceries. The elastic on the sides leaves a lot to be desired, but it’s there. The rest of the construction of the bag is pretty nice and it’s roomy. It looks good and does get a few compliments although I’m not crazy about the way it hangs or how it feels on my back empty or full. It definitely takes a minute to switch between backpack and pannier but that’s not too much trouble really. I have a Thule pack n pedal convertible pannier that’s faster to convert but I still prefer this Blackburn. It’s pretty much the best option overall if you want pannier and backpack.

I have been commuting with this pack for a week now and it is a great pack. Connecting it as a pannier takes a little bit longer than you would expect one to two minutes, wrapping velcro and stowing the straps is slower than standard pannier hanging hooks. I only use the pannier function on the longest leg of my commute because it is a little bit annoying to hang it. On the other hand, it is a great bike pack period, so even if I didn't use the pannier much I wouldn't feel bad about the purchase. If hanging super fast is a must for you, look at the banjo brothers convertible instead. It isn't as good as a backpack in my opinion, but it hangs much faster with standard hooks. The water bottle webbing on each side is roomy and fits a standard bike bottle easily or a medium sized reinforced ulock. A quick note about velcro as a securing mechanism. I was a little leery about this being strong enough or seeming like it would hold up over a reasonable period of time. Having used it, I now feel better. This is wide velcro and looks like it is very high quality stuff. At some point a few years in I might need to replace the strips somehow, but I have faith in it for the real life of a bag like this. And a big plus is that velcro can't bounce off the rack if you take a nasty bump. I have had this a couple of times over the years with normal pannier hooks, won't happen with a velcro wrap going all the way around. There are a couple of very minor things that could be improved here. The molle strap loops down the middle are sewn way too tight to be useful. There is exactly one of them that you can actually use to start, the rest are basically decorative. However, if you force paracord through to make a little loop tree it totally works as intended. But you shouldn't have to, the loops should be loose enough to use alone. And an odd omission is there is no internal key hook I can find. I thought I had read in a review somewhere there was one, but that wasn't the case. This isn't a huge deal, but I like that feature and will probably rig one in to mine. Generally, folks who think they might want a bag with this function, and we know who we are, there are only two real options out there: this bag and the Banjo Brothers unit. Everything else is insanely expensive and/or uses proprietary rack systems. I have used both and for my needs this one is a no brainer buy, it is the much better better backpack. If the backpack is secondary and you really need a fast hanging pannier you are only going to put on your back now and then, the Banjo Brothers is probably more your thing. The good: * plenty of room * padded notebook sleeve is awesome * pannier connection works well, the velcro is stronger than you might think and looks like it will hold up for a long time. * looks great Not so awesome: * takes 60+ seconds to convert and secure to rack * molle loop strip is more decorative than functional * would like to see an internal key hang loop

Wow a great pannier/backpack. It was a little more then I wanted to pay but perfect for my trip around Netherlands-Belguim. PERFECT! heavy-Duty with velcro to attach to my bike rack. Hard to find this nice of a quality multi-use day trip pannier. worth every penny!

Pros: Pockets give great accessibility to contents of bag Wide, padded straps which tuck away in a zippered pocket work effectively and are comfortable Nice material,appeared a little darker than shown in pictures- more brown, decent water resistance. Top velcro straps are easy to use and securely hold the bag on Large main pocket space Cons: When the bag is empty and put on my bike rack, the bag is not rigid enough and goes into my rear wheel Bottom velcro straps do not tighten on well enough and fit loosely, although the bag makes it easy to use a different strap if you have one Fairly time consuming to covert from backpack and mount on rack

Better than I hoped for. Perfect for my bike/Bart commute. Delivery was as fast as ever.