18 of the best cycling rucksacks — carry your stuff the easy way

Cycling rucksacks are the luggage of choice for most riders who need to carry stuff on their bikes for relatively short distances. The best cycling rucksacks are convenient, don't need any extra equipment and have features to help keep your stuff organised and dry. And of course a cycling rucksack easily comes with you off the bike. Here's a look at 18 of the best and most popular cycling backpacks.

Convenience is the great advantage of a rucksack. Throw in everything you need, strap it on and away you go, with no faffing with pannier hooks and no effect on your bike's ride.

• Ease of carrying off the bike makes rucksacks the most popular way of transporting stuff on the bike.

• Useful sizes for cycling rucksacks range from about 10 to 25 litres, but any bigger quickly gets uncomfortable.

• Choose from cycling rucksacks with lots of internal compartments to organise your stuff or simple, lightweight single-compartment bags.

• Cycling rucksacks have reflective patches for night-time visibility, high degrees of waterproofing or solve specific problems like carrying a suit.

• One bag to rule them all? A high-quality cycling backpack doubles as a walking and round-town daypack.

18 of the best cycling rucksacks for 2020

• Ortlieb Commuter Daypack City — £104.60
• Deuter Race X — from £46.99
• Scott RC Raceday 60 — ~£175
• Camelbak Chase — £64.08
• Chrome Industries Barrage Cargo — £170
• Shimano Tokyo 23 — £65
• Craft Cadence Roll Top Backpack — £69.99
• Alpkit Gourdon 25 drybag — £35.99
• Osprey Talon 22 — £64.99 - £90.00
• Osprey Tempest 20 — £69.00 - £84.11
• Deuter Bike One 20 Litre — £40
• Proviz Reflect 360 — £69.99
• Deuter Giga — £95.95
• Rivelo Coombe — £100
• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Metro Pack — ~£110
• SealLine Urban Backpack — £149.99
• Ortlieb Vario Pack — £108
• Henty Wingman suit bag — £135 - £155
• Shirt Shuttle — £19.99

There's a huge range of options in rucksacks for cycling, from bike-specific packs with lots of pockets and hidey-holes to help keep your stuff organised, to walking daypacks that can be used on the bike, to ultralight bags for minimalists.

You don't want to carry too much on your back, so our recommendation is not to go bigger than about 20 litres, though we have listed a couple of bigger bags for those who absolutely must take along the kitchen sink.

What else should you think about as well as size?

Water-resistance

Backpacks vary in how well they keep out the wet. Roll-top bags made from seam-welded waterproof materials will generally keep out almost everything. More conventionally-constructed bags need liners to keep clothes and electronics dry; some have built-in raincovers that help.

Organisation

At one extreme you've got bags like the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Metro that has just one compartment and no additional features to speak of; at the other, Deuter bags and especially the Giga Pro have pockets, pen slots, laptop sleeve and more. It's horses for course. Some love to have a place for everything, others prefer to rummage in one compartment. Tip for rummagers: get a bag with a light-coloured interior.

Padding

The more you're going to carry, the thicker the padding on the shoulders and back needs to be. The downside of this is that a thickly-padded bag is more likely to make your back sweaty in hot weather, so look for cooling channels and vents in the padding to keep that under control.

Reflectivity

A rucksack will cover a large part of your jacket in winter, so a bit of extra visibility is a good idea to compensate for the patches of reflective material that wil be hidden.

Proviz takes this to its logical conclusion with its Reflect 360 pack, which is entirely made from reflective fabric. If your pack doesn't have enough reflective patches, Proviz and others make reflective covers to boost your visibility.

Ortlieb Commuter Daypack City — £104.60

The Ortlieb Commuter Daypack City is an excellent bag for commuting, being comfortable when laden, adjustable for fit and storage, and with a removable laptop and organiser sleeve to keep everything in place. It's completely waterproof, lightweight and smart looking, with an external key pocket and loops for holding your lock and a rear light. Pretty much the perfect bag.

Read our review of the Ortlieb Commuter Daypack City
Find an Ortlieb dealer

Deuter Race X — from £46.99

The Deuter Race X backpack might be a bit large for some racers (and it's not like anyone but enduro mountain bikers realy races in a backpack), but its features and design make it ideal for commuters, gym-goers, day trippers and tourers.

The Race X has morphed somewhat over the years – tweaks to the size, shape, straps and access arrangements have led to this version. It's not overcomplicated in terms of pockets and access, with decent ventilation at the rear and through the straps, a comfortable fit plus a splattering of bonus features. While this all makes it stand out among other packs, just be sure to check that it's a sufficient size for your needs.

Read our review of the Deuter Race X
Find a Deuter dealer

Scott RC Raceday 60 — ~£175

It's not a pack for riding, at least not for any significant distance, but the Raceday 60 earns a spot here because it's a terrific bag for organising all your riding stuff when you head to a race, audax or sportive.

This is a near-perfect day bag for the racer or their support team, helping them organise their lives so they can focus on the task at hand. It's not cheap, but it's super-useful and really takes the stress out of packing.

Not all backpacks are created equal, that much is clear from my time spent with this backpack. As the name suggests, it has an enormous 60L capacity that should (and does) cater even for the compulsive overpacker (that's me), and does it in a smart way.

Read our review of the Scott RC Raceday 60
Find a Scott dealer

Camelbak Chase — £64.08

Camelbak’s Chase bike vest is designed as a lightweight minimalist pack for runners and riders, with a 1.5L bladder and a unique design that allows you to still access jersey pockets. It's perfect for fast mountain bike blats or enduro races as well as being ideal for longer gravel bike rides.

The pack uses a rather neat design that keeps the bladder-containing main section of the pack high on your back, with the broad straps on the front then housing some extra storage. This means that you can still access the pockets on a standard road-style jersey while also carrying almost as much as a normal hydration pack.

Read our review of the Camelbak Chase
Find a Camelbak dealer

Chrome Industries Barrage Cargo — £170

Chrome's Barrage Cargo is a bit of a beast when it comes to a commuting backpack. It looks a bit like an extra from an urban video game with the cargo net and is made from super-tough 1050d nylon which should last forever. It has some great details, too, including a well-hidden side pocket, an EVA back panel, and the Chrome buckle, albeit in miniature.

Read our review of the Chrome Industries Barrage Cargo
Find a Chrome dealer

Shimano Tokyo 23 — £65

The Shimano Tokyo 23 urban daypack is a really useful utilitarian rucksack that can fit in a huge amount while being comfortable on your back. It's a bit pricey, but includes some strong features.

As the name suggests, the Tokyo 23 has a 23 litre main compartment, with a roll top – which means that it can hold a huge amount of stuff, and because of the relatively unstructured construction on three sides, it can hold most things even if they are a strange shape.

Read our review of the Shimano Tokyo 23
Find a Shimano dealer

Craft Cadence Roll Top Backpack — £69.99

The Craft Cadence Backpack is a tough, capable, and cavernous no-frills backpack designed for the commuter cyclist who REALLY doesn't want their stuff to get wet. We like it a lot.

In backpack terms 30 litres makes it a big medium, but its shape – basically it's like a roll top pannier but in backpack form – means you can use all of the main (and indeed only) compartment's carrying capacity; it's very easy to cram stuff in. A lot of stuff. And as fully loaded backpacks go, this is comfortable.

The IPX5 waterproofing rating may well be this bag's big selling point. IPX5 means that, short of riding underwater through a pond, the contents of the bag shouldn't get wet. We haven't performed the riding underwater through a pond test, but we have done the next best thing – ridden through three months of West Country winter – and we can confirm that it lives up to its waterproof promise. Given that it's put together from sonically welded 0.6mm tarp, that's not a surprise, plus the roll top closure is extremely effective at keeping out watery ingress.

Read our review of the Craft Cadence Roll Top Backpack

Alpkit Gourdon 25 drybag — £35.99

If you want super-simple, waterproof comfortable gear-carrying at a bargain price, look no further. The Gourdon 25 has one main 25 litre storage compartment with a buckle-fastened roll top, and a narrow pocket that can accommodate a 1L hydration pack. That's it. It weighs less than 450g.

For a bag that's so simple it's surprisingly comfortable to wear. The shoulder straps are padded, and there's a thin waist strap and sternum strap that keep the bag securely in place when you're in full flow on the bike.

Read our review of the Alpkit Gourdon 25

Osprey Talon 22 — £64.99 - £90.00

Watch cyclists riding through any major city and you'll see a lot of Osprey packs. They're popular for their durability, light weight, and comfort, and I have to admit to being a fan of them myself; I've used this bag extensively, even though we've not reviewed it on road.cc.

The Talon 22 has a large main compartment plus zipped pockets on the hip belt, and stretch pockets to stash extra stuff. There's a widget — the LidLock — to carry your helmet when you're off the bike, and if you want to go mountain biking there's a slot for a hydration bladder. It's comfy even when well loaded.

Find an Osprey dealer

Osprey Tempest 20 — £69.00 - £84.11

Osprey's Tempest line of rucksacks is essentially the Talon range, redesigned to fit a woman's shape rather than a man's. The Tempest 20 is well made, comfortable to carry and cleverly designed to incorporate all the features you could possibly need.

Although it's listed on Osprey's website in the hiking rather than biking range, it includes cycle-friendly features – the Lidlock helmet carrier, a bike light loop and hydration reservoir compartment. It's strikingly light, especially considering the number of straps and buckles dangling off it (neatly, I might add). Attention to detail is phenomenal – this pack has so many features that Osprey has a series of handy video clips on its website demonstrating how to use them.

Read our review of the Osprey Tempest 20

Deuter Bike One 20 Litre — £40

Deuter makes a vast range of cycling rucksacks of which the Bike One is among the most popular. Cycling-friendly features include a helmet holder, LED attachment loops, reflective details and lightweight construction.

The back is designed for airflow, there's a zipped panel for bits and pieces, a mesh waistbelt and even a compartment for soggy laundry.

Find a Deuter stockist

Proviz Reflect 360 — £69.99

The Proviz Reflect 360 Rucksack is a stunning way of boosting your visibility when riding at night. During the day the backpack is a subtle grey, but when a car's headlights fall on it, the entire bag reflects back the light.

As a rucksack the Reflect 360 fulfils its task well. It's spacious with a 30 litre capacity which is more than enough for a change of clothes, sandwiches and any other stuff you need to transport. There's also a laptop sleeve.

Read our review of the Proviz Reflect 360
Find a Proviz dealer​

Deuter Giga — £95.95

Deuter's Giga rucksack has a vast array of nooks, crannies and compartments to help you organise your stuff, and it's comfortable to carry on and off the bike.

The Deuter Giga is a rucksack for the super-organised who want a place for everything, and everything in its place. Its 31-litre capacity is split between four compartments of various sizes and there's a pair of side pockets.

That's all held on to your back by thickly padded shoulder straps with a sternum strap to pull them in round your chest.

Read our review of the Deuter Giga Office Pro, its very similar predecessor
Find a Deuter stockist

Rivelo Coombe — £100

The Coombe, from young British clothing brand Rivelo is a fully waterproof rucksack with enough space for commuting or even an overnighter, and is comfortable on and off the bike.

The Coombe rucksack has a claimed capacity of 18 litres, making it a fairly compact option. Fitting a laptop in is no problem, although there is no padded compartment to keep it separate from the other contents. I used it for commuting and there was plenty of space for a change of clothes and some sandwiches. Unlike other larger rucksacks, one thing I liked about the Coombe is that it would generally sit above my jersey pocket, meaning I could use these while carrying the rucksack.

Read our review of the Rivelo Coombe

Hyperlite Mountain Gear Metro Pack — ~£110

If the Giga Office Pro is the Swiss Army Knife of rucksacks, this ultra-minimalist pack is a light sabre, using Space Age fabrics to do one job well — carrying stuff — at the lowest possible weight.

At a feathery 162g – a third to a quarter the weight of a similar-sized full-featured rucksack – it truly lives up to its name. This is a backpack stripped to essentials: a seam-sealed roll-top compartment, a pair of adjustable straps, and, er, that's it.

Hyperlite Mountain Gear has done a great job, nailing the shape of both the bag and the stiff, broad shoulder straps so it's comfortable with a commuting load: clothes, books, keys, wallet phone, towel etc. I didn't miss a chest strap, but you could add one to the loops on the shoulder straps if you can't live without it.

When we reviewed this pack it came from Outlier as the Minimal; the Metro Pack is the same thing.

Read our review of the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Metro Pack

SealLine Urban Backpack — £149.99

Cascade Design's SealLine Urban Backpack shows that Ortlieb don't have the waterproof cycle luggage entirely sewn up – or rather, seam-sealed. For that is what this is: a welded-seam, waterproof, roll-top backpack aimed at commuters. And very nice it is too.

The SealLine Urban Backpack is made in the United States primarily from tough, 600-denier polyester, coated with polyurethane. The base is themoplastic-polyurethane coated nylon. The backpack's outer surface feels like Cordura rather than plasticky PVC (in fact, the bag is PVC-free), which somehow makes it seem less 'bikey'.

Read our review of the SealLine Urban Backpack
Find a SealLine dealer

Ortlieb Vario Pack — £108

Half rucksack, half pannier, the Vario is a well made and sturdy fully waterproof pannier style bag with an effective and simple roll-top closure. It fastens securely to a rack with Ortlieb’s standard Quick-Lock fastenings. Ideally sized for commuting, the bag will easily take a 15.4” laptop in protective sleeve as well as a change of clothes.

A discrete zipped stretch fabric compartment on the front of the bag houses a rucksack harness which simply clips on to eyelets on the back of the bag with sturdy and secure clips, without needing to do anything at all to the Quick-Lock clips. The harness itself is robust and well padded, offering good wear comfort, but is a little tricky to put away again, as the front stretch pocket is quite neat in size.

Read our review of the Ortlieb Vario Pack

Henty Wingman suit bag — £135 - £155

The Henty Wingman is a clever bag that allows you to carry a suit and various other items to work when you commute by bike.

The Wingman is made from a heavy duty tarpaulin fabric, a lot like those used for messenger bags. Think of it as a bit like a standard suit bag that you use to keep a suit clean and safe in a wardrobe, but one that you can roll up and carry on your back when you cycle.

If you prefer to be loaded on both shoulders there's also a rucksack version.

Read our review of the Henty Wingman suit bag
Read our review of the Henty Wingman backpack​
Find a Henty dealer

Shirt Shuttle — £19.99

It's not a backpack, but we're mentioning it here as the most likely way you'd use a Shirt Shuttle is inside one. Keeping the shirts protected against crumpling and creasing, it works really well, offering good protection without being massively heavy.

Read our review of the Patrona Shirt Shuttle

Explore the complete archive of reviews of bags on road.cc