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The Ortlieb Vario Plus is a clever bike bag that credibly performs double duty as a pannier and rucksack.
On one face is an Ortlieb QL 2.2 pannier-rack attachment system (a proven design used across the brand’s bags). On the other are rucksack straps. A clever flap with a zippered pocket can be switched to cover whichever side is not in use.
Attached with a single, alloy hook, the flap pivots on moulded plastic hinges. That sounds fussy, but it’s easy to use in practice.
Building on a proven design
I’ve been using a crunchy old bright yellow Ortlieb Velocity rucksack for years of to-ing and fro-ing from the BikeRadar office.
The new bag shares many positive similarities with this design, but offers some significant improvements over the old Velocity.
Key among these is the switch from the Velcro closure to a hooked buckle to secure the roll-top. Although it's fine for day-to-day loads, the Velocity’s Velcro tab has a fairly meek grip when the bag is over-stuffed.
I usually got around this with a supplementary strap, but this new style is far sturdier. It’ll also enable you to carry unusual loads that stick out of the top of the bag without leaving it agape.
The Vario Plus’ perforated shoulder straps feel more substantial and a touch better ventilated.
Although I'm an infamously sweaty Scotsman suffering in the climate of BikeRadar’s practically tropical southern-England home, I can’t admit to having ever found the Velocity’s straps clammy. But these ones definitely feel a wee bit nicer.
Like the Velocity, the Vario Plus’ rucksack straps are affixed to plastic buckles at the base of the bag. I was initially concerned these would dig into the small of my back.
However, I can only dream of having a dump-truck ass – alas, my hips are as curvy as a rattlesnake’s. I’d encourage those blessed with a curvaceous booty to try for size before buying.
Like my old bag, the Vario Plus interior is a simple, cavernous sack with no fussy internal dividers (just how I like it). A removable laptop sleeve with a zipped pocket is fitted to the rucksack side of the bag.
Who’s this for?
So far, so good, but it’s fair to point out that this is a fairly expensive product designed to solve a niche problem.
Carrying a regular ol’ pannier with a shoulder strap, or beneath your arm, is hardly one of life’s great trials. Likewise for simply wearing a rucksack.
However, if you really hate riding with a rucksack, and your multi-modal commute includes long stretches by Shanks’ Pony – perhaps a cycle to a train station, followed by a walk to the office – I can see the appeal.
And at the end of the day, choice is no bad thing – it’s not as though Ortlieb’s expansive range doesn’t have products suited to every iteration of a commute imaginable.
Crucially, if this were a product from pretty much any other brand, I’d approach it with a healthy level of scepticism – repairability and longevity often feel like an afterthought with accessories such as rucksacks.
But as with all Ortlieb products, you can be confident the bag will be durable, and spare parts will be available for a very long time.
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