.... Well done filling your pannier with water for the cause. ...
And well done for realising that's what had been done. As soon as I'd read as far as "milk containers" my attention had drifted to groceries I've packed in different panniers and then onto the time when I overlooked a 4-pack of baked beans in mine and rode to-and-fro between here and Batley with them as ballast.
Overall, the biggy as others have posted is what are you going to carry? Baked beans need a lot more room packed in a 4-pack than they do out of their cans. At a more sensible level most togs need less space than shoes - especially size 13 as mentioned above. A uniform peaked cap takes as much room as an entire uniform, if it's to be ok on arrival.
Psamathe wrote:It may sound daft but also a lot depends on the shape and sizes of different things you are putting in. With my Ortliebs (back) my tent has to go in diagonally (in order to be able to roll the tops down) which means I need to have other smaller stuff that can go in with a wet tent to fit below/under and above/beside the diagonal tent. If your tent would fit vertically then what else fits and how it fits could make a big difference to the effective volume of the panniers.
I find I'm often putting my tent in my panniers wet (even in glorious weather it is normally well soaked with dew each morning) so I end-up with one rear "wet" pannier and the other for dry stuff.
Ian
Re tent packing do you keep poles with fly? We take poles and pegs out so the rest can squish into any nook and crannie.
IMHO dimensions aren't too useful and even volume only a guide. As said by others packing techniques can effectively reduce or increase capacity. Also different brands are more or less generous with their volume figures. You have to have experience of them to be able to compare, not usually the case. So IME you need to find good pannier reviewers to gauge real world volume capacity.
As to large capacity I got on very well with ortlieb 70 litre capacity panniers. I actually believe 70 litres to be an underestimation of volume capacity. I used them on my recumbent bike. They worked well indeed because of low centre of gravity and the planted nature of a touring recumbent. Kind of looked like a motorbike panniers to me.
nsew wrote: Carradice should produce a medium size between the front and rear of about (2x20L) 40L capacity. I’d definitely buy those.
The older Super C (?)from the 1980's was a bit smaller and had a less fussy system of attachment ( just one size of plastic clips at the top and a strap low down), you see them on ebay occasionally. P1130427.JPG
That pannier looks like it preceded the Super C which was first produced in the late 80s. I have the front Super C’s here from the 90s that had the unfussy top clip but they’re a pain to attach to a 10mm Tubus, so swapped them out for the newer attachment. I’m no fan of the lower strap attachment either. I might ask Carradice to retro fit them but ideally want a pannier sized between the two.
Psamathe wrote:It may sound daft but also a lot depends on the shape and sizes of different things you are putting in. With my Ortliebs (back) my tent has to go in diagonally (in order to be able to roll the tops down) which means I need to have other smaller stuff that can go in with a wet tent to fit below/under and above/beside the diagonal tent. If your tent would fit vertically then what else fits and how it fits could make a big difference to the effective volume of the panniers.
I find I'm often putting my tent in my panniers wet (even in glorious weather it is normally well soaked with dew each morning) so I end-up with one rear "wet" pannier and the other for dry stuff.
Ian
Re tent packing do you keep poles with fly? We take poles and pegs out so the rest can squish into any nook and crannie. ....
I keep the pols with the rest of the tent as I don't put anything on top of the rack and I have other gear (OK in "wet" pannier) that efficiently fits in around tend (Ground chair, gas canisters, etc.) so not too much wasted volume. But I think I was lucky that my gear just happens to work with my text in that way.
nsew wrote:That pannier looks like it preceded the Super C which was first produced in the late 80s. I have the front Super C’s here from the 90s that had the unfussy top clip but they’re a pain to attach to a 10mm Tubus, so swapped them out for the newer attachment. I’m no fan of the lower strap attachment either. I might ask Carradice to retro fit them but ideally want a pannier sized between the two.
Carradice stil make Kendal panniers, which are 32 litres each. Maybe they would be willing to make a pair with Super C fittings (shaped lid and webbing handle and plastic buckles).
nsew wrote:That pannier looks like it preceded the Super C which was first produced in the late 80s. I have the front Super C’s here from the 90s that had the unfussy top clip but they’re a pain to attach to a 10mm Tubus, so swapped them out for the newer attachment. I’m no fan of the lower strap attachment either. I might ask Carradice to retro fit them but ideally want a pannier sized between the two.
Carradice stil make Kendal panniers, which are 32 litres each. Maybe they would be willing to make a pair with Super C fittings (shaped lid and webbing handle and plastic buckles).
IME Carradice are usually willing to make a one-off 'special' modification for a modest charge.
And of course they make front Super Cs as well, but they are much smaller than the rears (28 litres a pair; and I have a nearly-new pair to sell, as it happens...)
Thanks for all the feedback, especially the measured capacity of panniers I haven't used and an idea of what extra is available with cap tops extended or roll tops open. All very useful extra information.
I suspect most of us are carrying a similar range of stuff even if the packed sizes of items vary a bit, and by now will have our own packing methods to use available space effectively but this gives me a better idea of what that is likely to be.
wheelyhappy99 wrote:I suspect most of us are carrying a similar range of stuff even if the packed sizes of items vary a bit, and by now will have our own packing methods to use available space effectively but this gives me a better idea of what that is likely to be.
Psamathe wrote:It may sound daft but also a lot depends on the shape and sizes of different things you are putting in. With my Ortliebs (back) my tent has to go in diagonally (in order to be able to roll the tops down) which means I need to have other smaller stuff that can go in with a wet tent to fit below/under and above/beside the diagonal tent. If your tent would fit vertically then what else fits and how it fits could make a big difference to the effective volume of the panniers.
I find I'm often putting my tent in my panniers wet (even in glorious weather it is normally well soaked with dew each morning) so I end-up with one rear "wet" pannier and the other for dry stuff.
Ian
Re tent packing do you keep poles with fly? We take poles and pegs out so the rest can squish into any nook and crannie. ....
I keep the pols with the rest of the tent as I don't put anything on top of the rack and I have other gear (OK in "wet" pannier) that efficiently fits in around tend (Ground chair, gas canisters, etc.) so not too much wasted volume. But I think I was lucky that my gear just happens to work with my text in that way.
Ian
TBH we used to separate but but but a Scandinavian brand tent that is a big 3 person, extended porch tent with poles that folds down to something like 30cm, a lot less than most other tent poles. It's small enough package to sit vertically in a standard ortlieb back roller pannier with stuff either side and on top. A really neat tent IMHO. Tunnel with a wide and long 3 person internal plus a huge, extended porch. Which is able to be opened to the side of the porch with a large door, to the diagonal front section in a small access door or completely open front end of the porch. With the front open the bulk of the porch area remains dry n in all but she driven rain. Nice looking out at the summer rain!!
.... Well done filling your pannier with water for the cause. ...
And well done for realising that's what had been done. As soon as I'd read as far as "milk containers" my attention had drifted to groceries I've packed in different panniers and then onto the time when I overlooked a 4-pack of baked beans in mine and rode to-and-fro between here and Batley with them as ballast.
Overall, the biggy as others have posted is what are you going to carry? Baked beans need a lot more room packed in a 4-pack than they do out of their cans. At a more sensible level most togs need less space than shoes - especially size 13 as mentioned above. A uniform peaked cap takes as much room as an entire uniform, if it's to be ok on arrival.
On its own, capacity in litres is only a guide.
Do you just pour the baked beans into the pannier a bit messy!!
I don't have any measurements for you but my relatively recent rear super c s are vast. It feels like I could tip out the contents and sleep in them. With medium rears on the front, the super cs on the back and tent poles strapped to my rear rack I can carry everything me and my other half need for a month long camping trip. She rides a race bike and doesn't even have a spare tube or a pump - I carry everything.
I've used various types for both B&B and camping trips. Although modern kit is lighter and packs smaller than the gear I had decades back the ones I have, nominally 36L, are too small. I borrowed some huge Ortliebs but found they were excessively wide and putting much stuff in the only external pocket added to that.
I only want two bags and bar bag as among other things I've been doing one way trips in continental Europe, using trains for the other leg, sometimes with semi dismantled bike in a bag for TGV/ICE. Last year's trips got cancelled but Covid permitting more planned. I don't have enough limbs to get/change trains with any more bits of luggage.
Classic post.