The Lone Peak PD-200 Mount Olympus Backpack/Pannier

June 20, 2008 by Darren Alff

Pannier Backpack Two days ago I reviewed the Lone Peak BP-500 Briefcase/Pannier that I used on my recent tour of Aruba. Today I want to talk about another one of Lone Peak’s packs – The PD-200 Mount Olympus Pannier/Day Pack.

Like the BP-500, the PD-200 has two functions. The bag fastens to your bike rack and works like a normal pannier, but once you get off your bike, the bag can be quickly converted into a backpack – thus enabling you to carry your things with you when you are away from your bike.

Here are some of the things I really like about the
PD-200 Pannier/Day Pack:

First of all, the bag is 1230 cubic inches, which is just slightly smaller than the size of one of my rear panniers (P-500 Mount Olympus Pannier). The size allows you to store a good amount of gear inside the bag. It is definitely not a tiny bag. It has plenty of room.

Secondly, the PD-200 is also very easy to convert from a pannier to a backpack… and then back into a pannier. On the backside of the bag is a large zippered flap. On the outside of this flap are the hooks that secure the bag to your bicycle rack. But once you unzip this flap and fold up the extra material inside the pouch on the product’s bottom, two padded shoulder straps are quickly exposed. Just fling your arms through the straps and you’ve got yourself a backpack! It’s easy and it’s fast.

The other great thing about this product is that it comes in two colors: Red and Black. In my case, I have red panniers, so I can easily swap this bag with one of my regular panniers and it fits right in with the rest of my set. No one would even know that one of my rear panniers also doubles as a backpack.

But there are some things I don’t like about the PD-200:

The main thing I dislike about this Mount Olympus Pannier/Day Pack is the way that it fits on me when I wear it as a backpack. It sits way up high on my back and I traditionally like a backpack that hangs much lower. Because I don’t really like the way the bag feels as a backpack, I typically use just one of the shoulder straps. I could probably just cut off the other strap if I wanted. If I were to re-design this product, I would make it with a single strap or I would make it so that the bag hung much lower on my back.

The other negative is that with my large (size 12) feet, my heel occasionally rubs up against the bottom of the bag while I’m pedaling. This doesn’t happen with my normal panniers, but with this product it has been an issue. I’ve found that if I simply push the bag as far back on the rack as possible that this is no longer an issue, but it’s still something worth complaining about.

In the end, the PD-200 Mount Olympus Pannier/Daypack is a great product if you are looking for a way to carry some of your belongings when you are off of your bicycle. I know that I will likely use this bag while on my next tour here in the United States. I like to hike and explore when off of my bicycle, so this is a great way to do that! I will simply swap this bag with one of my rear panniers and then whenever I go on a hike or run into a grocery store, I will have a bag I can use to carry all my things.

You can purchase a Lone Peak PD-200 Mount Olympus Backpack/Pannier here.

Lone Peak PD-200 Pannier Day Pack