I trt to take everything I need in the back pockets of my bike jersey. So no need for a bag.
This does involve driving to work one day per week with a big bag full of the week’s clothes, and home again with a bag of dirty laundry.
here’s today’s pita looking a bit worse for travel
beautiful tail wind today, just needs to drop by evening ready for the ride home 
I really like my Craft Cadence - it’s an excellent bag. It’s in perfect nick still. Not interested in panniers personally, i’d much rather have a backpack, for various reasons.
Though as i don’t commute any more, the Mrs has commandeered it as her winter swimming bag now!
It’s definitely not in the ‘no sweat’ camp though. Has the usual air vents etc, but it still makes your back hot. But then i’d never even dream of bike commuting without showering, as it doesn’t take much to get me sweating!!!
Thanks 
I commented on @Whisk Strava, as his commute is similar to my Cov one.
I won’t wear cycle clothes for <8km.
But he does 
But I’d be using panniers for that.
Manchester commute is ~23km in, then ~50km home I’m looking at.
I wonder what backpack Prince Andrew used? 
Twice the price of my Amazon Ettore tho! I’ve got the 25L; I hate the white - but in winter its probably better.
And that’s twice the price of my Planet X one
The 20L planet X one looks huuuuuge! Not sure if it’s just longer and not as wide.
That aside did like the look of it.
Do they have laptop sleeves inside?
I’ve got the 30l, it looks huge but once the top has been rolled down it’s not really. Takes a (big) laptop, lunch, clothes and shoes. Very basic, just a big waterproof bag with straps on!
So I know this going to go a bit like the @joex run thread, but surely the solution here is to not ride home with anything, organise the week around that ride being a nothing ride - your pannier the ride before / ride after, and ensure that you work from the office the day after so don’t need the laptop on the ride home - gives you proper ride on the group ride home, without any worry.
Could say that about anything though!
Lots of people happy in Planet x bibs for 20 quid. Yet many buy assos bibs for 200!
Don’t disagree - just couldn’t see where it maybe had any added value.
Say I liked those planet X ones Rob mentioned; but I do value the laptop sleeve in mine enough that I probably wouldn’t swap - even for something non-white (which I particularly hate in summer).
I was happy in my planet x bibs till they shredded my 'nads 
Can’t.
Office in Manchester is a shared workspace, rent-a-desk by the day type thing.
But yes, when I was doing it on the regular, that’s what I did.
Have you ever used one of those huge saddle bags that gravel types use?
Or is that still too small
I have never tried one but feel like I’d probably prefer the weight there than on my back, or on a pannier 
Not wide enough.
It won’t fit in my torpedo or frame bag. 
It’s about a forearm wide 
what she etc etc
When my old commuter was assigned to the scrapheap and the pannier rack bolts had rusted on, I started using a backpack. I bought an alpkit gourdon 20L and it was big enough for my laptop and clothes but I did leave work shoes and toiletries at work. A sweaty back was inevitable but I rode easy with the climb I live at the top of being the only bit of work I did. It kept my stuff dry through winter and I used one of those highviz covers but that was for visibility. Panniers were much more comfortable and my new gravel has the rack on there for when I am at the office.
When it snowed I would run to work with it if the roads were not safe for cycling.
Poet already silently moderated/deleted my post, so I wouldn’t go down that route.
You must know what shape a laptop is right?
CLUE - very different to bike packing bags! 
@Poet I fitted my panniers to the frame with p clips … quite easy to remove compared to mounting bolts which rust into the frame over a winter
Cheers.
Looking like the least worst option is a new rack for one other bike (Ribble).
Then I can just leave it on there.
And look like I’m doing “mad training” on a Sunday with my rack still on
Although I’d have liked to take a more “fun” route to/from work on the gravel
OR!!!
Just get fitter and do the club run on my fixie 
Until I stopped commuting, my winter bike had the pannier rack on permanently.
Adds 0.5kg, not enough to get any sympathy from riding companions IMHO 
whoops missed the bit about the laptop
I’ve never had to ride a bike with one of those so it never even crossed my mind that @Poet would. Can see that he said so though 
it’s much easier when all you need to take is a pita and a phone 
