Bag for Commuting to Class?

So as many of you here know, I'm completely changing my career and going back to school (yay!). I couldn't be more excited!

So...there is no parking where I will be taking classes. There is park and ride, but the bus ride from there is just about as long as just taking the bus from near my home. So...I decided to forgo any park and ride parking permit and just get a bus pass. I might end up walking to the bus, but it's not a short walk, and I doubt I'll have that much patience. Which leaves me biking (or, in terrible weather, DH can drive me to the bus stop - but we'll try not to do that).

I have a messenger bag I love, but I tend to use it when I don't have a rack on the bike I'm riding. It DOES cause discomfort when very loaded, and it isn't comfortable walking (which I will be doing on campus) so....I'm looking at new pannier type bags. I have 2 arkel touring panniers, but they tend to kill me with sharp edges when carrying them (older hooks, designed for touring - were fine when I had a locker), and I have an ortlieb shopper, but it's not really the right size/shape, and isn't great for shoulder carrying either. I don't want to attach something permanently to a bike (esp since I will have to lift it on a bus), and I don't want to leave bags on the bus (it is a college campus).

I will need to carry books, lunch (speaking of which - anybody got a good lunch bag they love?), maybe a laptop, maybe a change of clothes or shoes (but not everyday - I won't have shower access), plus the helmet when I get to campus.

I'm considering:

The Arkel Bug (currently 15% off and free shipping)

The Metropolitan

The Briefcase (probably not likely, but still on the list. Very expensive).

The Switchback - strikes me as a smaller/simpler bug, but would love opinions.

Maybe the Messenger Briefcase - less info on the website about this.

Thoughts? Other brands you like? Am very open to alternatives:) Thanks!!

(I really want the Utility Basket - but not for this purpose, I think. And this is the more pressing need.)

I vote for the Bug. Very versatile. I have an Arkel briefcase and it's not great for carrying (too heavy) and my heel strikes it on the bike unless its way back on the rack.

What will you be studying? Congratulations!

ETA: I like the Bug because it has a place to put your helmet so it doesn't swing around and knock into things. And it's a backpack, which I prefer over one-shoulder bags.

Tulip-

Thanks! You can tell I have a bias towards, Arkel. I do love their products. I'll PM you on what I'm doing and where:)

Can you get a locker anywhere on campus? Having a locker at school means I have somewhere to stash my shoes and helmet during the day. This greatly reduces the amount of stuff I have to haul around all day. I usually leave my books in the locker at night.

I have a Mr. Bento lunchbox that I love. I use a bungee cord to strap it to one side of my rack, and put my pannier on the other side. I like the Mr. Bento because it is hard sided and protects my food from being squished, and it holds enough food for my rather large appetite. It was expensive for a lunchbox, but eating out less means that it payed for itself within a week.

Good luck! I went back to school when I was 29. The undergraduate boys are annoying, but I love challenging myself with my coursework.

Sadly, no locker is possible. That would have made it much easier (and it what I did with my last program). I'm in a weird position with taking classes. I need pre-recs for the degree program I want to do - so I'm part time, non-degree (the only option for me) for 2 years. Everything has been "odd" - from registration, to parking/transportation, etc. The computer systems don't quite agree on what to do with me.

Good to know on the Mr. Bento. I looked at that a long time ago, and never got one. Thanks for the reminder!

Based on volume, I think I'm down the the Bug, the Metropolitan and maybe the Commuter (it does have a way to cover the pannier attachment system - and has a laptop sleeve).

I think I'm leaning towards the bug because of the helmet. Otherwise, it would be one of the others.

Check to see if you can get a study carel at the big library. When I did that, I shared a carel with another student, but never saw her. It's a locked room and I kept my books there. Worth a try.

Don't they have lockers at the gym?
Many years ago, I took a fitness class at ASU and I rented a locker there, as I was getting ready for work after the class. Since this was years ago, I would guess they might have something like this now, at your school.

No gym access for part time students (at least without paying). I already have a gym membership for another year, so I'm not inclined to do that. I tried that.

I'll definitely investigate the carrel option. However, it looks like you have to have an adviser sign off. Since I don't really have a department - you guessed it - no adviser.

Well, with a lot of textbooks being downloadable these days, you might get away with carrying just a few items with you. If you have an iPad or a kindle or a similar device, you might not need more than just the Bug.

Ebooks are something I haven't made my mind up about.

I don't currently have a kindle or an ipad. I have contemplated getting an ipad. But - I've not tried to read extensively on one. I have no idea how it would work for me. I tried to look at a textbook at the apple store, but they couldn't get anything close for me to see. I do like not carrying heavy books or having the environmental impact from them. It seems some professors "approve" of ebooks and some don't (at least as far as the bookstore goes). I wonder how that would work in an open book exam, though (or do they do those anymore - they did in my last degree - all the time). All textbooks (but not the supplemental books) are available via Amazon for kindle.

I'm inclined to stick with regular books for the first semester, and then maybe switch over where possible.

Do you have a laptop? For textbooks, I think that a laptop is much better than a dedicated e-reader. You will flip around a lot more in most textbooks than you ever will in a novel, and that is easier to accomplish with a laptop. All of the e-reader formats have free apps for your computer, and a basic laptop isn't any more expensive than an iPad or Kindle DX.

The first semester you try e-books, just do one or two. I found that I prefer paper textbooks to e-books. Many of my classmates seem to get along OK with e-books. It's an individual thing.

Open book tests are definitely a problem. In a small class you might be able to work out something with the professor (I was able to do this in a class of 14 students) but it's definitely up to the professor.

Another problem with electronic textbooks is that they don't always have page numbers. Some of my professors assign reading by the page numbers. Page numbers are also an issue when it comes to academic citations.

Really good feedback - thanks!

I have a laptop. It's functioning really well (knock on wood), but it's 5.5 years old. I expect I'll have to replace it within a year - but am hoping to prolong that as much as possible by not traveling with it - hence the want for an ipad:) For a lot of reasons, I'll definitely be replacing it with a mac.

The page number thing isn't something I had thought about - thank you! As I said, I think I'm going to try for a semester before trying e-anything, and then go from there. No need to change too much at once:)