Originally Posted by
staehpj1
Different strokes. I am sure Ortleibs are nice panniers, but have been pretty happy with inexpensive panniers like Nashbar and Performance house brands.
I think that the old hook and bungee system is plenty adequate and think that some of the higher end mounting systems are overkill. On off/dirt road tours I did use a little strap or a cable tie to keep the hooks in place just in case. When using panniers mine tend to stay on the bike for the whole tour, so quick removal isn't a big deal.
I've used both. I've had many of the hook and bungee panniers run alongside me as I'm going down the road which isn't as nice as you'd think
The Ortieb mount is good enough that I've even retrofitted it to other bags before I decided that to switch entirely. The clamp around the bars of the rack is solid and never lets loose...no matter how rough the road or trail is.
As for leaving them on the bike, I much prefer to take my bags off in camp. It's easier than trying to get items into and out of the bag while packing or cooking.
Originally Posted by
staehpj1
Personal preference, but I do like the one big compartment approach much better than the many pockets approach. I also like the waterproof approach. I find it easier to organize my gear in ziplocs or stuffsacks rather than pockets.
Same here. I've had bags with pockets and found them to be mostly useless. Items are either too small and get lost in the pockets along with lots of other small items or they are too big and won't fit in the pockets. Mostly the pockets go unused because they are mostly useless.