The Ortlieb Velocity is a summer-travelin’,
bike-friendly backpack. It’s also a shoulder-saving solution, a sack to
shuttle a computer, a camera and a bunch of lenses around without
inducing a permanent sideways slouch. How’s that for a geek-friendly man-bag?
The idea idea came, as ever, from the Lady. Last week, I was walking
around Rome with a Nikon D700 slung over my shoulder, plus a couple
lenses in a bag. The body alone weighs a kilogram, or around 2.2 lbs. I
was starting to wish I’d brought something lighter along. The solution?
A backpack.
The problem is that I hate them. Backpacks are usually dorky looking,
they’re difficult to access quickly and they make your back sweaty. The
Lady suggested I find a cool backpack. Maybe like my bike panniers.
And here it is, the Ortlieb Velocity, a 20 liter (5.3 gallon)
roll-top back pack with enough neat features to keep a gadget-freak
happy, and cool enough looking for the fashionista. Here’s a closer
look.
First, the outside. The Velocity is made of the same stuff as the Back Roller panniers, called Proofed Performance Fabric. It’s just that, a waterproof, gloss finished material welded to a more fabric-like section, also plastic and also waterproof.
The bag also shares the same roll-top closure — the whole opening is rolled down and kept straight with a thin plastic bar. A few rolls is enough to keep out the worst rainstorm and certain models can even be submerged and keep the contents dry. That’s good news if you’re carrying electronic gear.
Round the back we start to see the technical bits. The first thing that strikes you is the skeleton-like layout of the padding. It is designed to both keep things comfy (there is a thin, semi-rigid sheet inside the bag, but things could still poke you in the back) and cool. Those pads let the air circulate and therefore stop your back from getting sweaty.
It works. I was hot after cycling uptown to buy the bag. Coming back is downhill and my back was damp and getting cold. I decided to wear the bag empty to keep my back warm — it failed. The air kept flowing.
The straps are comfortable and as sturdy as you’d expect from Ortlieb. The sternum straps in particular keep things in the right place and the main weight on top of your shoulders. The waist strap is also very comfortable, but you don’t always need it — when walking around town with a light load, for example. In this case, even when tucked away, the straps dangle and get annoying. On a bike they could even reach the spokes.
The shoulder straps also have a couple of D-rings for dangling extra kit, and Ortlieb will sell you a cellphone bag which clips on. Fastenings and adjustments are all easy and sure. The only real problem is that the down-part of the shoulder straps, the non-padded section, can rub on your ribcage. It only seems to happen with an empty bag, though.
Finally, two of the bottom corners are rigid plastic, giving a firm base to stand on and protection against wear.
Inside there is almost nothing, giving you access to the full 20 liters. It’s easily big enough for a weekend away, clothes and all, and if you pack it too tight you can use a supplementary Velcro strap to close it. Of course, Ortlieb will sell you one, or you could just use any old strip you have laying around.
There is one, detachable section which clips into the interior:
It has a zippered compartment and a few pockets at the front. In there you can fit a phone, a notebook, a small folding cheese knife and a compact camera (there’s actually a rather chunky Canon G9 in the picture). And because it unclips, the whole lot can be pulled out and dropped into a smaller shoulder bag — perfect for those people who have far too many manbags to choose between.
Do I recommend it? Yes. It’s flexible enough to be useful in almost any situation, from a city walk to a grocery trip to a holiday, and it should even comply with airplane carry on rules, depending on where you fly. It also looks great (sadly there was no red, so I went for the more understated cream seen here. You can also buy blue, yellow, silver, white and black).
Product page [Ortlieb]
The price could be a concern, but remember that the Velocity, like most Ortlieb bags, comes with a five year warranty. Mine cost €80, or around $106. In the US, I have found it online for a little as $85, so shop around.
I have one question. The technical specifications (pdf) contain this bullet point:
• Removable inner pocket for keys, change, mobile phone, can also be used as waist strap pocket.
I can’t work out how to do it. There are no press-studs on the waistband, just a couple of plastic hooks which appear to be for keeping the strap itself neat. Any ideas?
