Are You Looking for a Waterproof Backpack?

Ok, so it rains in Seattle, we know that. It’s what makes the city so green and moss grow on our roofs. But come on, it’s June and most of us have probably forgotten some of the beautiful days we’ve had now that November clouds have rolled back in. This past Tuesday though was rather ridiculous. Sure as I made my way to the Search Engine Marketing expo in the morning a light drizzle provided my morning shower, but leaving the expo in the afternoon I couldn’t help but notice as the city disappeared under a blanket of dark clouds. I wanted to get in a slightly longer ride so instead of heading straight back to West Seattle I thought I would head north…bad idea….very bad idea.

Shortly after leaving the expo it started to rain hard, really hard, like Amazonian rain-forest, tropical downpour hard. And it didn’t let up. I cut my ride short, hoping if I rode south I could pedal right out of the storm. Not. It seemed to follow me wherever I went until suddenly, after nearly a hour of getting utterly soaked and chilled to the bone, I broke through the barrier and the rain stopped. Yes I was little worried that my body wasn’t going to deal with this round of immune-busting exercise, but more of a concern to me was the laptop I was carrying in my backpack. I just kept thinking, “Oh shit, this thing is ruined. All my work, folders of digital photographs…” Bad.

Waterproof backpacks…if you live in Seattle and commute any time of the year, you need one. There’s no way around it. You’ve probably heard of companies like Timbuk2 who carry messenger backpacks, but to be honest every time I see someone on a bike hauling one of these around, the rider never appears comfortable as the bag swings back and forth. So if you don’t have a rack and panniers, nor do you want a messenger bag (or want to attach something like a B.O.B trailer), a traditional backpack is the way to go.

I never thought I would endorse this bag due to it’s ridiculous price tag ($170) and extremely fickle waterproof zipper, but I have to admit Ortlieb’s X-Cursion waterproof backpack proved invaluable during this recent rain storm. I rode for literally a hour in POURING rain and when I got home, worried my laptop was toast, it was, no joke, completely dry.