Pannier for a laptop

I currently carry my laptop in a messenger bag, but I'd like to get the weight off my back and onto the bike.  Looking around online, the two panniers that caught my eye are the Jandd laptop pannier and the Arkel commuter.   Generally I really like Arkel, but the commuter looks just a little too large to carry around comfortably, it's hard to tell from pictures. 

By the way, as a side note, does anybody in Chicagoland carry Arkel panniers? I'd love to take a look at one before I bought it but I have never found Arkel bags in an LBS in Chicago.  The Arkel site lists some dealers in Chicago, but the ones I've gone to don't seem to actually carry the product line.

Does anyone have experience with either of the above, or do you have other suggestions?  Ease of the attachment system is very important, but most important to me is reliability and quality; I want to feel very secure that the pannier won't fall off and the laptop won't get damaged.  

Thanks for any comments or suggestions.

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Permalink Reply by Joel on August 31, 2010 at 9:41am
I thought putting "the same" in quotes would help make it clear. I've only borrowed an Arkel pannier from a friend, but everyone I've talked to seems to really like them. They look like super solid products.

My point was that most people will look at the Axiom pannier that does the same thing, but costs a third as much, and think the price of the Arkel is crazy. And by "same thing" I mean they are both bags that hold things and hang off a rack -- I'm not commenting on the actual quality of the product. Almost any pannier will be able to carry a change of clothes to the office.

I imagine the sticker-shock this is especially true at more local places that cater to commuters rather than world tourers. Stocking your shelves with products that rarely sell is expensive. However, I'm sure they would be happy to order you something from Arkel if you talk to them.

The same thing happens with other products. You might see a couple Brooks b17 saddles in a store, but I doubt many keep a stack of the high end titanium models around.

Craig S. said:
Do you have first hand experience with Arkel products, Joel, or are you making a judgement based upon their cost?
Joel said:
$$$

Arkel bags are expensive. They might be good, but it can be hard to sell a product that costs twice as much as another brand's pannier that is "the same". David said:
I've never seen an Arkel bag in Rapid Transit. Last time I was looking for a bag, I visited most (thought not all) of the dealers on the Arkel dealer list, and none of them actually carried any Arkel bags. I'm not sure why it is, but they're very rare in bike stores.

Holly said:
I don't know where I read this, but I think that there was a link to dealers somewhere on the Arkel site that showed that Rapid Transit (in Wicker Park) carries the label. I haven't checked on that in person, but you might want to give them a call.

I'm about to get a pair of their panniers this week! I have heard nothing but good things about their bags. Was also considering Jannd and Orlieb, which seem to be equally as good.
Permalink Reply by Craig S. on August 31, 2010 at 9:50am
I've been an Arkel T-42 owner/user for ten years. I know first hand how rock solid the products and customer service is.

To the OP, I recommend their products in a heartbeat.
Permalink Reply by Bob Maher on August 31, 2010 at 10:12am
I've carried my laptop inside a Deuter Superbike 24L backpack, and placed the backpack inside an Ortlieb Bike Packer Plus pannier. I've toured for months with this setup and the MacBook still works fine. The panniers themselves still look new - I've been very happy with them.

I chose the Ortliebs because of the quick release mechanism. On or off in a second or two, and I've never had a bag come loose.

Ortlieb makes a slightly smaller pannier, and I suspect that a padded sleeve would help with road vibrations.
Permalink Reply by David on August 31, 2010 at 2:31pm
Yeah, I get that, and I understand why most local shops don't carry high-end items.

But this is Chicago, the 2nd3rd-largest city in the US. I'm really pretty surprised that somebody doesn't carry this kind of stuff. 15-20 panniers would pretty much cover the major lines of the major manufacturers. I mean, I'm about to toss off $150-200 online that I'd be happy to spend locally. Am I really that weird and different? (never mind, don't answer that)

But I really don't know anything about the economics of an LBS, high end or low end (a good idea for the new professional corner, IMO). And I haven't seen any numbers, but I suspect the number of commuting professionals in Chicago is much lower than some of the bike hype leads one to believe.

Joel said:

I imagine the sticker-shock this is especially true at more local places that cater to commuters rather than world tourers. Stocking your shelves with products that rarely sell is expensive. However, I'm sure they would be happy to order you something from Arkel if you talk to them.
Permalink Reply by Chris B on September 1, 2010 at 5:05am
I have some Ortleibs, big enough for my huge laptop (desktop replacement hp) but doesn't help with shaking though I just throw my pants on the bottom and then put the laptop in. I have the Back Roller Classic and it's big enough for padding plus a laptop if you supply your own padding. Plus it's waterproof. The only thing I don't like is when using the shoulder strap it pulls up on the fold over top. I'm thinking of upgrading to the Bike Packer Plus.

I was trying to compare Arkel and Ortleib and found this link, it doesn't help much with your question but I found it interesting and thought others might as well:
http://www.bicycletouring101.com/SaddlebagReview.htm

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