God's Pannier

so...a couple months ago i saw a pannier set online that locked, zipped and clipped into a backpack.  from that point on i had it in my mind that i would like a pannier/backpack for biking around in LA.  this was confirmed by a couple bike-friends telling me that Panniers made a big difference in their daily commuting.  less effort, less back stiffness, no back sweat, etc.

so not knowing where to start i headed to mountain Equipment Co-op in Calgary.  It was Sunday and the car/pedestrian traffic in this part of downtown was heavy.  as i neared the part of town where mEC was i prayed "Lord, i need a good parking spot, a pannier/backpack, and a decent price.

I got to MEC and the parking lot was full, and the parking spots along the road as well, as far as i could see.  Except for one of the best spots.  The spot closest to the store across 8th St. was open and i slid right in.  double checked the parking sign...yep it was legal!  1 down, 2 to go.

I walked into the packed store and asked for directions to the panniers.  an employee in the bike/pannier section toured me through what was available, and showed me a couple models that changed into tote bags, but informed that sadly, MEC doesn't carry a pannier that assembles into an actual backpack.  she left and i kept looking.  lo and behold, discreetly placed at the end of one row facing the back of the store was an interesting looking tall tote bag.  I pulled it out and looked at it.  "Pannier/Backpack/Tote" the tag said.  It was better (more continually spacious) than the bag i had seen online, and i figured out the switchover mechanism fairly easily.  I got my bag!  2 down.

The price with tax was about 70 dollars, which was within the realm of what i was willing to spend. 3 down.

Thank you Lord.

onwards and upwards!