Givi CIT03 motorcycle backpack

The problem with an ordinary backpack: the laptop sits in the main compartment under everything else. To reach it you open the top, lift things out, take the machine, then repack. Do that two or three times a day and it wears thin.

How this one does it: a separate zip runs along the back panel and opens straight into the laptop pocket. Lay the pack down, unzip, take the machine out. The top stays shut and nothing inside gets disturbed. The maker specifies thick cushioning around this pocket.

A benefit few people notice: with the opening on the side that faces your back, the zip is pressed against you while the pack is worn. Nobody can reach it from behind in a crowd or at a red light.

How it closes: the fabric mouth folds down over the front, then two side clips snap shut and hold the fold. It is not a magnetic flap, and it is not a zip across the top.

What that buys you: the fold presses two layers of fabric together, so rain running down the pack has no horizontal gap to enter, unlike a zip lying face up. And because it closes by folding rather than at a fixed height, a light load folds deeper and a full load folds shallower.

Worth knowing: both clips have to be done up. Leave one open and that side lifts, the fold parts, and that is exactly where water gets in. It takes seconds, and it is the easiest thing on this pack to do carelessly.

The plain reality: ride with a pack on at midday here and half an hour later your shirt is soaked across the back. That is not the pack failing; it is the panel sitting flat against you with nowhere for sweat to go.

How this one reduces it: the back is mesh stretched over thick cushioning, leaving a gap for air to move through instead of pressing flat. It will not stop you sweating, but the difference shows on the first day.

On the straps: both shoulder straps are thickly padded and adjustable, using what the maker calls an advanced webbing adjuster to hold the pack steadier on a long ride. The chest belt has a quick-release buckle and adjusts for height, sliding up and down the straps to suit different builds rather than sitting at one fixed point.

The real level: the body is laminated 190T fabric, which handles drizzle, morning damp and road dust. A long downpour it does not. This is a city pack, not a waterproof touring pack.

Know this before buying: no rain cover comes in the box. If your route gets wet often, buy a separate cover sized for fifteen to twenty litres, or put the laptop in a large zip bag before it goes in. The second costs almost nothing and protects the expensive item.

At night: reflective piping runs along the bottom of the front panel. Sitting on the bike, that line is roughly at headlight height for the vehicle behind, so it works exactly when it matters.

Take the CIT03 if you ride through the city daily, carry a 15-inch machine, and get it out several times a day.

If your laptop is 17 inches, the GIVI EA129B is the one that fits, and it adds a moulded hard front pocket for sunglasses plus a rain cover in the box. If your load changes a lot and you often end up holding a helmet, the GIVI EA104C expands and has somewhere to hook it. If dry contents after hours of rain is the first priority, the sealed tarpaulin GIVI PBP02 is the answer, though it has no laptop pocket. And for a cheaper 15-inch option without the rear access, look at the GIVI RBP03.