Tips from those of you who commute

[nagadad99]

As far as the weapon goes a shoulder rig is the best for an on the body carry. I have a tank bag with a compartment in the lid with a zipper. Not as fast and you cant leave the bag on the bike but for comfort its the way. Of course the law always applies. Also if you go down the bag is the first thing somebody will steal. Watch your six.

jp

[Epic Ed]

Originally Posted by JP

As far as the weapon goes a shoulder rig is the best for an on the body carry. I have a tank bag with a compartment in the lid with a zipper. Not as fast and you cant leave the bag on the bike but for comfort its the way. Of course the law always applies. Also if you go down the bag is the first thing somebody will steal. Watch your six.

I'l probably keep the firearm in the tank bag in a SafePacker from The Wilderness:

- Wilderness Tactical Products, LLC

...and then just put it in the usual CCW holster when not on the bike. I definitely don't want it on me when riding. I can't imagine it would feel very good as it impaled my spleen during a wreck.

For storage a Givi v46 top case is going on the (one week old) bike today.

John

That's exactly the case I've been considering. Please post up with some feedback after you've used it a while. I already purchased a tank bag similar to the large one CHEMIKER mentioned -- can't remember the brand, but it looks very similar. I'd like to keep it as light as possible, but this will be my "emergency" bag that I can strap on and walk home with if necessary. It should hold a pair of trail running shoes, pair of shorts, and a tshirt.

Ed

[MarinaFazer]

Commuting setup: jeans/dickies, leather jacket or mesh jacket depending on heat, gloves all the time, sidi boots all the time. Generic Backpack and spider net under the seat. I keep my dress shoes and suit pants and jacket at work. I'm looking to getting a Givi topcase for teh back of the bike tho...

canyons: leather jacket, pants, race boots, gloves, underarmour cuz it's damn hot hot hot

[steveindenmark]

I have a top box which removes in about 3 seconds. I almost never take it off.

Its good for putting all sorts of stuff in.

If people don`t like the look of it then its not my problem. I don`t see it because it`s behind me.

Steve

[Canada17]

For my commute, the 36 litre Shad hard top case is a god-send. It locks to the bike and locks closed. It is big enough for my laptop and some other stuff. When I park, my tank bag goes in it with my gloves and sometimes pants. I usually only wear my ballistic pants if it is really bad weather. The biggest tip I can give is make sure your office-mates understand you are commuting on bike, this will get you some leeway when you do come in looking less than professional!
I try to wear my riding boots when on the bike and bring my work shoes but unless it is a super formal meeting, now I just wear my riding boots all day (icon field armour). Good luck!

[Epic Ed]

Those are the exact same boots I just bought. Pretty comfy, so far, but I still wouldn't want to walk home in them (28 miles). One planning problem I'm facing is my office dress code is almost too casual. During the summer we're allowed to wear shorts and sandles. I'm thinking of buying a pair of Icon field armor shorts and then wearing regular shorts over top of that -- then the Joe Rocket mesh pants over top of those. Anyone have any experience with the field armor shorts? Are they comfortable enough to wear all day as a base layer?

Ed