Well-balanced backpack

[Dingfelder]

Mods -- I searched the forums but couldn't find a better place to put this topic.  Please move it where appropriate if necessary.

Anyway, I was watching this video and it made me want a low-hanging backpack like that.  I think it would be better to have a low center of gravity than a high one.

 

Hope I posted that in a way that doesn't take up server space.  Will fix it if I can if I get the heads up.

If you watch about 7 minutes in, it gets dark and the backpack even lights up.  I like that feature for safety!  

But with or without lights, etc., do any of y'all have a favorite backpack for riding?  Even if not a low one like in the video, but the low ones do look like a smart way to go.

Thanks!

 

 

[Hunka Hunka Burning Love]

I think she may have just attached a bicycle light to the loop of the backpack.  Maybe try buying a similar pack and couple of these:

https://www.banggood.com/3-Mode-USB-Rechargeable-FrontRear-Bike-Bicycle-Red-Light-Waterproof-Mounting-p-981412.html

I bought a white version for the front of my Ninebot, and it is insanely bright.  You can't look directly at the light for more than a second.  It's not the best headlight as it doesn't have a well focused beam but rather a strip of diffuse, intense light.  Apparently they can last 2 or more hours on a charge.

Lots of options:

https://www.banggood.com/search/bicycle-light/0-0-0-1-1-45-0-price-0-0_p-2.html

This is a pretty low hanging light that might go well with a low hanging backpack.    What? It's just a heart shaped light!  

https://www.banggood.com/Cycling-Night-Warning-Taillight-Bike-Rear-Light-Bicycle-Tail-Light-MTB-Bike-Rear-Light-Heart-Design-p-1058852.html

 

[HermanTheGerman]

1 hour ago, Dingfelder said:

Mods -- I searched the forums but couldn't find a better place to put this topic.  Please move it where appropriate if necessary.

Anyway, I was watching this video and it made me want a low-hanging backpack like that.  I think it would be better to have a low center of gravity than a high one.

---- ....Video

Hope I posted that in a way that doesn't take up server space.  Will fix it if I can if I get the heads up.

If you watch about 7 minutes in, it gets dark and the backpack even lights up.  I like that feature for safety!  

But with or without lights, etc., do any of y'all have a favorite backpack for riding?  Even if not a low one like in the video, but the low ones do look like a smart way to go.

Thanks!

Confess, if you stared at this boring video for more than 12 minutes, then it was not because of the backpack, but because you wanted to see the frontside of the rider - alas ... !

Seriously, a low hanging backpack is not good, it swings around and can bring you out of balance, and creates an unstable feeling while riding. Better use a light hiking or mountaineering backpack, or even better a small one from the mountainbike scene.

Regarding lights follow the recommendations of @Hunka Hunka Burning Love above.

I often ride with a backpack, and use one of my mountaineering rucksacks. When I go to a client in the city, I use my Laptop-rucksack, which also looks fashionable, but holds tight on my shoulders.

 

[Dingfelder]

7 hours ago, HermanTheGerman said:

Seriously, a low hanging backpack is not good, it swings around and can bring you out of balance, and creates an unstable feeling while riding. Better use a light hiking or mountaineering backpack, or even better a small one from the mountainbike scene.

 

 

I'm surprised to hear you saying that.  I figured the further away from your center of gravity a load was, the quicker and more easily it could throw you off balance.

Couldn't the swinging part be controlled by simply strapping/securing properly?  In the video, the backpack doesn't swing at all.

Normally I'd just defer to experience, but I've got some cognitive dissonance going on here.  It's not that I don't appreciate what you're saying and your feedback ... I'm just having trouble squaring it with my instincts about balance.

[Shemp]

I use a high-riding bike commuter pack (Osprey Pixel). I like it because it is snug and doesn't shift. For sharp turns I make fast/sharp hip movements, and I think a low-hanging or lumbar-style pack would interfere with that.

[Ombre]

Any backpack that shifts as you move will throw off your balance.   A couple of weeks ago one of the guys I was riding with tried a "messenger" bag around his waist and it was making him work much harder when mounting, turning, etc. because it kept moving slightly.  That's tiring.

The best choice is a snug backpack like @Shemp describes.  For example, for long trips I use a Camelbak backpack with a waist loop that hugs my torso and causes no problems at all even with a load of about 5kg.  (That's rapid charger, tire tools, snacks, camera, 3 liters of water.)

Staying put even when loaded is a much more valuable feature than being located closer to your center of gravity.

[dbfrese]

4 minutes ago, Ombre said:

Any backpack that shifts as you move will throw off your balance.   A couple of weeks ago one of the guys I was riding with tried a "messenger" bag....

Yep, that was me. The problem was that it was slung over my shoulder, free to swing about unhindered unlike a backpack, which would be secured close to the body with little extra movement.

The problem was compounded by the extra battery pack and other stuff I had put in the for a long ride. Every movement of mine was accompanied by a swing of the bag in the same direction, magnifying my balancing movements. I would then have to immediately correct with movement in the opposite direction, with the bag swinging again in the opposite direction, calling for countless corrections and counter-corrections.

A rucksack, secured tightly to the back is much more stable. Granted, lower may be better, like a fanny-pack secured tightly around the waist. Might be worth a try if you don't mind derision from the haute couture crowd!

[LanghamP]

I greatly prefer to use an over the shoulder duffel back over a backpack if the weight is more than 15 or so pounds. The weight of a heavy backpack makes me lean way beyond what I feel comfortable or safe. Now a duffel bag puts the weight beside your hips not behind nor in front, and for me that works much better.

Either way, I'm just not that comfortable, and I wonder if some sidebags would work with EUC's.

[HermanTheGerman]

8 hours ago, Dingfelder said:

I'm surprised to hear you saying that.  I figured the further away from your center of gravity a load was, the quicker and more easily it could throw you off balance.

This is of course true, and if you manage to get something, which you can securely fix at your hips (without swinging), that would be good.

My experience from skiing is, that a badly mounted swinging pack in the middle of the body (like some fashionable looking bags) is a lot worse than a 20 pound securely mounted backpack. But again, if you find something nice which you can fix at your hips, it will be fine.

6 hours ago, Ombre said:

The best choice is a snug backpack like @Shemp describes.  For example, for long trips I use a Camelbak backpack with a waist loop that hugs my torso and causes no problems at all even with a load of about 5kg.  (That's rapid charger, tire tools, snacks, camera, 3 liters of water.)

Staying put even when loaded is a much more valuable feature than being located closer to your center of gravity.

As @Ombresays, a Camelbak is great. I use it for running, mountainbiking and EUC riding, sometimes even for shorter ski mountaineering trips. It does not swing, is lightweight, and I  can drink while riding without the need to stop and pulling out a bottle from the backpack.

[Dingfelder]

Okay you guys, I'm convinced.  I'll skip trying a low-riding backpack and check out other options, including Camelbak.

Thanks for all the feedback!