Good cycling pannier for work/office

[chrisbainbridge]

I hope to return to commuting in the next week or so after my collar bone heals.  I normally commute with a rucksack but increasingly need to transport laptop as well as change of underwear and lunch.  I am unable to use a rucksack on that shoulder at the moment as the scar is tender.

I saw a briefcase type pannier from https://www.twowheelgear.com/collections/pannier-backpacks/products/pannier-briefcase-convertible-2018 which looked excellent.  It sat at an angle on the pannier rack to keep it away from feet, was waterproof and took a 15 inch laptop in a padded section.  Unfortunately the UK is out of stock and no more are expected for over 3 months.

Can you recommend a waterproof pannier which looks something like a briefcase, can take a 15inch laptop and will fit a normal rear rack.  I would rather avoid a roll top just for ease and I want a handle on the top for ease of carrying.  Not worried about shoulder straps.

Thank you

[Karla]

The Carradice Bike Bureau is a good bag.  I used one as my everything bag for about four years, at which point I'd run it into the ground so I bought another.  It'll fit a 15" laptop fine and comes with a detachable sleeve for it, plus has plenty of space for other stuff and a flap to cover the bike hooks when you're shouldering it.  The strap is a bit cheesy but is a clip-on affair so is easily replaced.

If you want to spend £150 then Ortlieb do some that are quite nice.  The Ortlieb Office Bag and Commuter Bag can be fitted with the QL3.1 attachment system where the attachment hardware remains on the bike rack so you don't have hooks poking you in the back when shouldering the bag. 

[bludger]

I don't own one personally but I've seen the carradice A4 pannier on rides and it looks good. Quite economical too. I think it will fit your laptop plus sandwiches. It comes with a shoulder strap.

https://www.carradice.co.uk/bags/panniers/super-c-a4-pannier

It doesn't look very briefcase-y though.

[Karla]

The Bike Bureau is £75 at both Spa and SJS, so £20 more than the A4 for something that actually resembles a briefcase.

[hatler]

I bought the Ortlieb laptop case in about 2008. I use it perhaps once a week and it still looks like new. Still waterproof. Bombproof.

Having said all that I did manage to hole it when I came off one time (2014 ?), but the repair has held perfectly.

[Frank9755]

I've got an Altura briefcase pannier. 
Bought it about 16 years ago and have used it regularly.  Maybe on average 2x per week in and out of town. 
It holds lots, looks good enough for me to take it into meetings. It is a wonderful bag.

Commercially disastrous for Altura, though - it has outlasted a couple of bikes and I have never needed to replace it.  There isn't a mark on it.  Thinking about it, I expect it might well last the rest of my working life!

[mrcharly-YHT]

I went through this thought process.

In the end I bought an ortleib pannier and stuck a standard padded laptop case inside it.

The latest Carradice bags don't have the multitude of internal pockets anymore, so aren't really very brief-casey anymore.

Ditto the Ortleib equivalent.

So I decided that I'd be best off with something that would stand up to road grime and was easily washable. If I need to carry a bag in-out of meetings with notebook, laptop, pencils, then the laptop case serves that duty.

One Ortleib carries laptop, clothes, food, various junk. A small pannier on other side carries lock, bike tools, waterproof.

[Ham]

I have an Altura, probably of a similar vintage to Frank, and a Bike Bureau, while they are both good the Carradice wins out hands down if I was to go to a single bag, here's why.

- The Altura is not as waterproof, has a plastic condom thing to make it more so. If I know I'm riding through a downpour and need to carry the laptop, it will be in the BB
- It is smaller, using it for clothes and laptop is not as practical. Clothes, laptop and shoes is stretching it
- it doesn't wear as well, so I tend to leave it at the office when I can, which gives me more flexibility and has kept it alive. The zip to cover over the pannier hooks went years ago, but no big deal