Ortlieb Vario on Special Offer
A rucksack and a pannier in 1
This is a great idea, it's a back pack and pannier in one - allows you to unmount from the bike and strap it to your back and get on with stuff.
The straps live in the front panel and whip round to the rear when needed. Handy.
It uses the tried and tested roll closure system, QL2 mounts, helmet flap, internal pocket and carry handle. You even get reflective panels! Win.
>Read the review on road.cc
Is it a pannier or is it a rucksack? The first thing you notice about the Ortlieb Vario, aside from its Ninja friendly good looks (it does come in two colours other than post-industrial mat black- red/black or lime green/black) is that it’s got all sorts of complicated looking bits and pieces attached to it.
Setting these aside for the time being, it’s 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-Lock2 fastenings (anti-theft locks are available as an extra) much as a normal pannier. It’s both left and right side compatible. Ideally sized for commuting, the bag will easily take a 15.4” laptop in protective sleeve as well as a change of clothes, although that’s pretty much the lot.
The bag consists of a single main pouch, with a small zipped mesh pocket inside and a stretchy neoprene pouch pocket on either side on the exterior. The main point of difference for the Vario, though, is its ability to transform quickly and easily into a rucksack, making it ideal for extended carrying. A discrete zipped stretch fabric compartment on the front of the bag houses the rucksack harness which simple 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-Lock2 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.
A nice extra is a simple but effective helmet strap on the front of the bag, which can easily be removed when not required, but works well with the bag when employed as a rucksack.
The only thing I’d have changed is added a little extra reflectivity. Two fairly small reflective patches are present, but certainly with the black version, a little more would have been preferable. A strap is available as an optional extra to secure the bag at the bottom, to prevent banging off the frame (this wasn’t a particularly bad problem anyway) but it would have been good to have this as standard.
The price isn’t bad considering how robust the build quality is, the fact that it’s a fully waterproof pannier (or rucksack), is smart and versatile enough to be used as an office bag and that it’s of a size to be genuinely useful on a daily basis.
Verdict
A well made, nicely featured, versatile fully waterproof commuting bag that doubles as a comfortable rucksack. |
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Customer Reviews
Average rating:  | Vario successful, 13th Jan 2012 | Reviewer: Justin Cork | Purchased this last year and it has been an excellent purchase. All my old panniers have been cheap and cheerful but never last so given the cost of this I was worried I would regret buying this.
Well I wasn't dissapointed. It's well built, very weather resistant I have been cycling in extreme rain and everything inside is bone dry. I have found the role down closure a pain if I need to quickly put something in while it's raining but you quickly learn as with all ortleb products to prepare before departing and put what you need near the top. Storage is good, I take my iPad in the rear insert along with a D-lock. I keep my bike kit in a separate net puch which easily stores the pump, repair kit and essentials etc. the main bag holds my waterproofs and a change of clothes & shoes plus small lunch box.
The bag converts very easily to a rucksack when needed. It fits onto my bike racks with ease and you can switch sides easily enough. You do however need to purchase a strap separately to give the bag some stability on the bike due to the length of the bag. This is probably my only gripe with this bag. It hangs over the rear gear changer, whist it doesn't cause problems it does get very dirty on the lower half but is easily cleaned.
This bag could have benefitted with more reflectives but you can attach lights if needed. The side pockets are handy for storing easy needed times such as keys and phones etc but be warned if it rains you won't want to leave them in for long.
It also looks smart on my bike ;o) |
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