How to transport your laptop by bike

Although you can carry a laptop on a bike in a courier bag or a backpack, to have such a heavy load on your back for the entire journey it's a bad idea.

In my experience, using a pannier bag is the best way to carry heavy loads, such as a laptop, for journeys longer than a few minutes.


Initially I was tempted to order the laptop specific bag made by Altura, the Altura Urban Dryline Briefcase 15. It's a slimline, sturdy and well padded laptop specific pannier bag, which to be honest, would still be my bag of choice for transporting my Dell Precision 15" laptop.

But since I already own a set of Altura Dryline 32 pannier bags, which are a similar size to the briefcase, all I needed was to protect the laptop inside the bag during transport.

Although the Dryline 32 panniers are pretty strong and durable, they are also lightweight and don't provide any padding. This is by design, since they are meant to be carrying items for touring, which are normally not delicate, and therefore priority is given to capacity and weight rather than protection from accidental knocks and bumpy rides.

The decision was then made to buy a laptop sleeve, and after browsing the net for a good snug fitting one, I purchased a Case Logic TS115 in black.

The sleeve fits my laptop perfectly, preventing unwanted movement when inside the pannier.
It is also well padded all round and therefore protects the screen very well.

The Case Logic TS115 fits the Altura Dryline 32 perfectly too

A fantastic combination, providing a very slim profile, perfect for commuting.