robertj298 

Anyone use a rear bag with panniers that nestle in the sides of the bag when not is use like this one?

SalsaShark

Might be okay for the occasional times you need the additional capacity, but with no stiffner plate or way to secure the side bags, it looks like they will be flopping around, which could cause a problem getting sucked into the rear wheel if your rack does not have adequate side rails to keep the bags out of harms way.
If you are searching a bag with larger capacity that would be need to be used often, i would look for a proper set of rear panniers.

cyccommute 

I’ve used a Racktime Trunkit bag for nearly 20 years. Here it is folded up

DSCN0387 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

and unfolded




I don’t use unzipped all that often. Most of the time everything I need will fit into the body of the bag but in the winter, I usually need to carry home clothes I don’t need in the afternoon. I’ve never had a problem with the bag interfering with the wheels. There’s just not that much movement.

rocks in head 

I also have the racktime trunkit bag on a racktime rack. The fold-down panniers are nice to have in a pinch, but they're seriously lacking in capacity. Laptop won't fit, shoes won't fit, so it's basically extra stuff-sack for winter gear when you heat up on your ride and your lunch is already in the "trunk".

madpogue 

I've used a Topeak version of this sort of bag. The side panniers DO secure to the rack side rails. I've used it for commuting, put a tablet computer in the side pannier, and a lunch, drinking water for the day, etc. in the central bag.

cyccommute 

Depends on the shoes. I’ve done it with size 10 light shoes (not oxfords, running shoes, or hiking shoes). My wife does it all the time with her shoes but she probably doesn’t count. She has pixie feet (women’s size 5). Her shoes could fit in the rear pocket with room to spare

As for the computer, again, it would depend. A massive laptop from the early 2000s? No. A current computer? Maybe. On the other hand, if you can’t take the computer home, you can’t work from home. It’s an excuse I’ve been using for at least 25 years.

I recalled that I used the same bag for a bikepacking trip a few years ago. I couldn't get everything into the seat bag so I didn’t use the seat bag and went with the rack bag with the sides down. I carried my food over a couple of 4x4 passes without any issues. The side bags never came close to the wheels. I do use a different rack system from most people that makes my bag sit a bit higher. I use an Ortlieb rack adapter on the bike and an Ortlieb basket adapter on the bag. The connection is rock solid and won’t come off even on very rough mountain bike single track. It’s vastly superior to Velcro.

And, yes, the Trunkit has attachments like madpogue’s Topeak version. I just seldom use them.

SJX426 

aaa Yup. Used it for commuting. Weekly stash of work cloths on Monday and take home on Friday.
1997 Specialized RockHopper, on Flickr

gugie 

Add another one to the list. I had one on my commute bike years ago. Sometimes I'd stop by Trader Joe's to pick up some groceries, it was nice to have the extra storage. It was also nice to zip them up out of the way when putting my bike on the train. I even did a bike tour with them when I was getting back into cycling and hadn't splurged for "proper" panniers.

Like all "swiss army knife" type products, it's not great at anything, but does a lot of things reasonably well. If I were starting off in cycling and found one used, it would fill a lot of needs.

SJX426 

Exactly what I did!. Although I would say it is a great commuter bag if you need to haul stuff. Most of my weekly cloths fit in the main compartment. If it was cold in the morning and warm in the afternoon and I wanted to take the Laptop home, it worked great! The top expands as well. I like the versatalityh of just sliding the bag off the rack too. Rack was used as well. I think I spent about $80 for both off of CL.

Had visions of sport touring for a day or two:
104_PaTrek., on Flickr

nlerner

I also have the Topeak MTX bag and rack on my Bridgestone RB-T, which I use for commuting, grocery runs, and misc. errands. It's quite handy, and I pair it with a front basket attached to a Nitto rack, which allows me to haul three full bags of groceries or just a lot of crap.

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