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review

Ortlieb Vario 20

8
£178.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Great design that works both as a pannier and backpack, and does a fine, albeit pricey, job of it
One minute it's a pannier...
...next minute it's a backpack
Fully waterproof
Padded laptop sleeve built in
Zipped outside pocket
Hook for cover can occasionally snag
It's expensive
Weight: 
1,400g
Contact: 

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Ortlieb Vario might just be the bag you've been waiting for – part pannier, part backpack, it can be attached to your bike when you're riding, and put on your back when you get off. The innovative flap system makes it easy to transition from one to the next, and, as you might expect from Ortlieb, it's fully waterproof.

Our best bike pannier bags and pannier racks buyer's guide rounds up our favourite on-the bike luggage options, while our best cycling backpacks buyer's guide is the place for backpacks.

Buy Now: The Ortlieb Vario from Ortlieb for £192.50 / $240

2024 Ortlieb Vario - pannier fixings cover 1.jpg

As bicycle commuting goes, you can't go wrong with an Ortlieb pannier attached to your rack. My wife and I have both been using them for the last seven years, without a single issue. The only gripe I've ever had with it is when you get off the bike – carrying it with the built-in handle is awkward, while the shoulder strap is pretty uncomfortable, the plastic back protectors digging into your back.

Ortlieb actually produces a Carrying System for your pannier, which gets around this by converting your standard pannier into a backpack. It's pretty neat, but Ortlieb's new Vario is a more elegant solution.

2024 Ortlieb Vario - pannier fixings cover 4.jpg

A hybrid design, on one side it has all the gubbins to work like a regular pannier, including the tried-and-tested quick-lock 2.1 system, allowing you to attach to your rack like you would normally with an Ortlieb – pull the handle up, lock it on and away you go.

2024 Ortlieb Vario on rack 3.jpg

The bag comes with a variety of adaptors for racks with different tubing thicknesses. Fitting the adaptors is just a case of slotting it into the quick-lock mounts. As usual with an Ortlieb pannier, you can adjust the mounts along its rail to suit your rack, and an adjustable arm near the bottom keeps the pannier in place while you're riding.

2024 Ortlieb Vario on rack 5.jpg

On the other side of the bag is a full-on backpack – that is, chunky padded shoulder straps that are adjustable, as well as a chest strap to keep it in place, and a decent amount of cushioning along the whole panel. It's as comfortable to wear as any other backpack I've used, and I'd happily walk around wearing it for a whole day.

2024 Ortlieb Vario - back padding.jpg

But the really clever thing about this system is the built-in rotating cover that keeps things looking neat and protected on the side you're not using.

2024 Ortlieb Vario - pannier fixings cover 2.jpg

When you want to swap the cover around, you simply unfasten the hook and rotate the cover around to the other side. Doing so feels a little clunky at first, but the swivel mounts on either side allow the cover to rotate with ease.

2024 Ortlieb Vario - pannier fixings cover 3.jpg

Three loops allow a modicum of adjustment to the tightness of the cover, depending on how full the bag is, and the only negative I found is that the hook that keeps the cover in place occasionally snags when you're trying to unfasten it. It tends to work better when you're not being too ham-fisted though...

2024 Ortlieb Vario - hinges.jpg

Inside, the usual Ortlieb rules apply – it's a big open space, allowing you to store up to 20 litres of stuff (or 26 litres if you go for the bigger model), and thankfully you also get a padded laptop sleeve that will happily carry a 16-inch MacBook, if you need to, while a zipped storage compartment in front of this will also serve to carry your phone, wallet or whatever.

2024 Ortlieb Vario inside 2.jpg

On the outside, you'll find Ortlieb's PS33 material, which is a medium-weight nylon fabric with a PU coating (it's PVC-free, and made in Germany, according to Ortlieb), in four different shades: black, dark sand, rooibos and the petrol blue I tested, which looks lovely in the flesh.

2024 Ortlieb Vario - clasp.jpg

There are reflective panels on either side of the bag, along with reflective elements on the zippered pocket side of the cover, and on the shoulder straps, meaning you're reasonably well covered in all orientations.

Along with the roll-top closure, fastened in place by an adjustable loop and buckle, the same type as used in the rotating cover, the bag has excellent resistance against inclement weather.

2024 Ortlieb Vario - roll top.jpg

Plastic protection on the bottom protects the fabric when the bag is on the floor.

2024 Ortlieb Vario - corner detail.jpg

The cover also features a handy waterproof zipped pocket for storage when the bag is in backpack mode. Although the pocket isn't fully waterproof, it's turned around in pannier mode, protecting it from the elements.

2024 Ortlieb Vario - front zip pocket.jpg

The only slight downside to the hybrid element of this bag is the weight – at around 1,400g (40g heavier than claimed) it's not the lightest option.

2024 Ortlieb Vario - side.jpg

A standard Ortlieb pannier weighs about 900g, so you're adding another 500g for the backpack functionality. Most commuters probably aren't going to quibble about an extra half a kilo on the run to work, though.

2024 Ortlieb Vario - chest strap.jpg

Value

The Vario is available in a variety of configurations. At its most basic level, it costs £178 for the 20-litre variant, or £192.50 for the 26-litre option. Quick-lock 3.1 options are more expensive, at £195 and £210 respectively.

Considering you can get a pair of Back-Roller panniers for less than the price of a single Vario, it's not cheap, though I'd argue the versatility makes it worth it, even more so if you tend to walk quite far off the bike. I've even been using the bag as a regular backpack. Being an Ortlieb, it's likely to last a lifetime too.

The bag doesn't have that many natural competitors, but there are a few out there, such as the Altura Grid Morph, which is much cheaper at £85, though it isn't fully waterproof, and the Two Wheel Gear Pannier Backpack Convertible 2.0 Lite that Mike reviewed – and liked – a couple of years ago. It's gone up to £139 now, so still a saving over the Vario. We also liked the Craft Cadence Metro Pannier Backpack, which was £79.99 but is no longer available. 

Another option could be the Specialized/Fjällräven Coolcave Pannier paired with a waterproof roll-top backpack like the Elops Cycling Backpack Speed 520. The pannier costs £45, while the backpack is just under £70, and both are really good products – put them together and it would cost £63 less than the Vario.

Conclusion

Ortlieb's Vario works really well if you're looking for a pannier and backpack in one neat package. The only sticking point is the price, although if you consider the use you'll get from it, along with its potential longevity, you might just be able to see past that.

Buy Now: The Ortlieb Vario from Ortlieb for £192.50 / $240

Verdict

Great design that works both as a pannier and backpacker, and does a fine, albeit pricey, job of it

road.cc test report

Make and model: Ortlieb Vario

Size tested: 20 L

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Ortlieb says: "The innovative hybrid bag, the Vario, can be converted intuitively from backpack to pannier in just a matter of seconds, offering you maximum flexibility."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

MATERIAL PS33

MOUNTING SYSTEM Quick-Lock2.1

WEIGHT 1360g | 48oz

HEIGHT 45cm | 17.7inch

WIDTH 31cm | 12.2inch

DEPTH 18cm | 7.1inch

VOLUME 20L | 1220cu.inch

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10

Typical German-made Ortlieb quality

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

Easy to mount, easy to convert and excellent waterproofing,

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Early days, but if it's anything like the other Ortlieb stuff I've bought in the past, it'll last a very long time

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
6/10

Fairly weighty.

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
9/10

Very comfortable when used as a backpack

Rate the product for value:
 
4/10

It's very good but it is expensive compared with similar designs, even premium ones. You'll certainly get lots of use from it, though – I used the bag as a regular backpack even when not riding.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

The Vario allows you to easily carry stuff securely, with excellent waterproofing, and it works perfectly in either pannier or backpack mode.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

How easy it is to swap from pannier to backpack, and vice versa.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It's rather expensive compared with similar designs, even premium products such as the Two Wheel Gear option. 

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

It's very good: versatile, easy to use, and very high quality. It's expensive, but this is a surefire investment for commuting on and off the bike.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 39  Height: 6'4  Weight: 175lbs

I usually ride: Condor Italia RC custom build  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, club rides, sportives, mtb,

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1 comments

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IanGlasgow | 2 weeks ago
1 like

I have the original Ortlieb Vario. It's now 6 years old. By far the best feature is the 5 year warranty.
The seams on both the front pocket and the main compartment have failed repeatedly - it was replaced, repaired, the repair was patched and then it was replaced again.
Mine had the QL2.1 attachment system. The springs that hold the clips closed to hold it onto the pannier rail keep failing. Each time they failed Ortlieb replaced the bag because it turns out they don't do the necessary replacement part.
It's now almost a year out of warrany. The seam on the front pocket has failed again (though the main compartment is OK so far) and the spring clips have failed yet again (I managed to get a replacement part which doesn';t have the shoulder strap attachments - so in theory it can still be used as both a pannier and a backpack but it involves swapping some parts that takes several minutes).
Mine cost £120. I reckon I got about 5 year's use out of that - but not continuously the rest of the time it was away being repaired or assessed for a replacement. I absolutely would not spend £180 on one.

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