What panniers are you using?

[Ank@eel]

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[mercalia]

Nobody mentioned Llidl Ortleib clones yet? I've been using them in winter conditions for years, commuting and touring in summer. I bought a new set when they came back in but the originals are still serviceable. Very tough and waterproof.

Are they still available? I looked in my local store and nothing. I could do with some thing cheap as my Karrimor now atleast 13 years old need burying.

[simonhill]

Super Cs

On my second set - the first lasted over15 years and I still use them for daily stuff.

The 'new' ones are about 6 years old and seem like new despite having done at least 11 long, long haul tours.

Who wants plastic when you can have canvas. Makes my bike look so much better than some nasty shiny sacks!

[bikes4two]

Altura Dryliner panniers: hard wearing and keep stuff dry. I have no complaints at all. To put these comments in perspective though, I've never used Carradice or Ortleibs and I'm unlikely to as I'm confident that the Altura will go on for many years yet.

[Slowroad]

Nobody mentioned Llidl Ortleib clones yet? I've been using them in winter conditions for years, commuting and touring in summer. I bought a new set when they came back in but the originals are still serviceable. Very tough and waterproof.

Are they still available? I looked in my local store and nothing. I could do with some thing cheap as my Karrimor now atleast 13 years old need burying.

They aren't available all the time - in fact not for long at all. Lidl (and Aldi) have special offers on cycling gear about once a year, likely to be spring. Look at their website and sometimes someone on this forum gives us a heads-up. There also isn't any guarantee there will be panniers either! If it's any consolation I've a lone Karrimor pannier (lost its mate years ago) which is about 30 years old - now it would be still up to carrying tour weights - I don't think the Lidl ones would, though later models may be sturdier.

[speedsixdave]

We have the Aldi/Lidl Ortlieb copies, about 5 years old now and used every day, and the Carradice Carradry waterproof rear panniers - the ones with the big rear pocket, for about a year. They share three things in common: they're fully waterproof, they're good value, and we've changed the hooks on both!

The hooks on both Aldi panniers snapped at the same time and within a month, when dropping the bike (fully loaded with shopping) down a kerb. Which fortunately was jsut outside my house. Replaced them with Ortlieb QL-1 hooks, which have been brilliant.

The hooks on the Carradry were this sort of Super C which are plenty strong enough (I think) but really difficult to get on and off the main lower rail of a Topeak DX rack. Have replaced these with the [urlhttp://www.wiggle.co.uk/carradice-klickfix-pannier-hooks/]?older Carradice hooks[/url], which look a bit less sturdy but are much, much easier to operate. But still not as handy as the Ortliebs. The moral of this story is that both sets of panniers were bargains, but both bargains that ended up costing £20/pair more than I'd expected.

Otherwise the Carradrys are really pretty good - I like the big and waterproof rear pocket, the size (56L, good on the tandem), the lid, and the sturdy feet. The silver-grey colour is quite attractive but I'd rather they were Ortlieb yellow!

FWIW I quite like the roll-tops for shopping/commuting panniers - you can leave them open and fill them right to the top on your way back from the supermarket, as long as it's not raining!

[Si]

I have a pair of Fieldman 'Mountain' panniers. Fieldman catered for the lower end of the market when I got these about 21 years ago, thus they were very reasonably priced. Capacity is the same as normal front panniers, plus a reasonable zipped pocket on top and another on the side. Inside is a draw string to pull the top closed and a flap covers this with the standard plastic toggles to hold it down. Attaches to rack via a pair of metal hooks, using the rivet heads to hold it in place, and the bit of bungee at the bottom. Another strap connects the panniers across the top of the rack, done up with plastic clips.

Results:
The connecting strap soon lost it's clips and so was cut off.
The bit of bungee was a PITA and so was cut off. I now have a bungee around them to make sure that they stay on the rack.
Not waterproof (didn't claim to be) but is still shower proof.
Metal clips were very tight to start with, but after two decades have loosened up.
Apart from that they have been great. They have had a hard life of touring and commuting (esp the right one), but still keep going. Plenty of soakings but haven't started to niff or gone mouldy, no holes either.
Very much recommended if you can still find them. (but don't confuse them with the cheaper Fieldman ones which are pants).

[Dudley Manlove]

Ortlieb plus - the rollup style. I think the material is slightly less robust than the regulars, but lighter and more flexible - you take you're pick. I have a small split in mine where they've been folded repeatedly after 6 years, but it's fixed with a puncture patch. There's some minor quibbles I have with the attachment hooks, but I get on with them in general and otherwise they've worn fine. I like they fact they're modular and all the bits and replacements are easily available - in fact you can 'sup up' the attachment with extra hooks if you want.

My only regret is not just getting 2 sets of back panniers, instead of 2 front, 2 back. If you're going to stick a front rack and panniers on, with the weight of the rack, the small panniers, the bodging required etc, you may as well go the whole hog - only 200g extra - and stick some decent sized panniers on the front.

[jamesgilbert]

A big advantage for me of the Ortlieb Plus is that they are PVC-free, so there's none of the plastic smell that you get with standard PVC panniers.

I don't know if they're available in the UK, but I've been using MSX for 3 years and found them to be excellent and a fair bit cheaper than Ortlieb - very robust material and still waterproof, despite one being dragged along the ground during a crash.

[Dudley Manlove]

A big advantage for me of the Ortlieb Plus is that they are PVC-free, so there's none of the plastic smell that you get with standard PVC panniers.

Suppose there's that and, if you're bothered, the matt finish - seems a fair amount of people don't like the glossy plastic finish of the regular ones.

[RickH]

Another advantage of the Ortlieb Pluses is the QL2 fitting which is tool-free with a thumbwheel to tighten/loosen the lower hook making it easy to adjust if, like me, you use them regularly on different racks where it needs to be in a different place.

Rick.

[Ank@eel]

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[durhambiker]

Ortlieb. Last week they spent 1 hour on the back of the rib water taxi from Jura to Tayvallich. Much of it of it almost submerged.My mates's kit soaked but mine bone dry.

[Tonyf33]

i'm still using a pair of Pro Action 40L jobs that cost me £10, I've had them for 12 years. The seams had split on one last year and the bases are running a bit thin but I was fortunate enough to get through a friend some 20L yeast bags which were just the right size to insert inside and sew into the bag itself closing up the split...All good for another few years..yay
I had been using a Halfords bag (that I'd got as a pair) for the side that had split until I got round to the repair, aside from the fact they sag a bit with nothing in them, the one I've used is pretty roomy, is decenty weatherproof (contains its own PVC cover seperately in a zipped compartment), bonus was they cost me £14 posted new...

I rarely use fronts but I have a nice pair of old AGU Quorom that are about 20L/pair, they cost me nothing..lol

[The Mechanic]

I have a full set of Creek2Peak Discovery panniers. The are not waterproof but come with a nice orange cover that is and I always put everything in dry bags anyway.. So far they have done 3 tours and have proved to be very reliable. The fronts are 30L and the rears are 56L a pair so they easily hold all my stuff for camping. There are pockets on the outside of both and the back of the rears. They also have reflective strips on them. I like them and they were considerably cheaper than the Carradice and Ortlieb alternatives. I got them from J E James but I think they are no longer available. Fixings are Rixen and Kaul BTW.