Originally Posted by
hfbill
Nowadays, I keep my wallet in one of the easily accessed side pockets of my little cellphone holder, not the locked panniers. It's in my field of vision while riding so it's very unlikely to fall off without my notice. Also, if I ever get injured & separated from my bike, and consciousness, I doubt it would take the authorities very long to find my wallet, figure out who I am, and pass my medical info on to the paramedics etc.
Reasonable enough, but I figure I'd rather have it on my person than trust them to keep track of my bike and possessions in the event of a mishap. Also I like just having my wallet stuff and phone with me without having to do anything to take them with me when I go into a store, for a hike, or whatever. Just a preference though
As far as finding stuff. It's actually easier than it was with my old fabric panniers with all thier many pockets and zippers, "Is it in this pocket? No, guess not, maybe it's in this one....? ".
That sounds like the same old choice between one big envelope pannier and one with pockets faced even when choosing between styles of cloth ones. I always preferred the one pocket ones any way so the hard shell ones would be no hardship at all in that regard. I don't even mind the roll down closures on waterproof models since I seldom open a pannier during the day. Typically I plan what I will need during the day and have everything out or accessible in some manner. Other items that might be needed unplanned are always in places that easy to find and accessible. I do pack items in little u/l silnylon color coded stuff sacks. It makes them easy to find and easy to compress. I don't bother with compression ones except for a few items like sleeping bag or any other down items, but find that by sizing them correctly and stuffing them tightly I can reduce gear/clothing volume greatly.
All that said I have been using alternate packing schemes more often lately and forgoing panniers altogether. Since I have been using ultralight packing techniques and gear I have experimented with a variety of different methods. I have used roll top stuff sacks strapped on with good success. I have also carried a few pounds of stuff in a very small and light backpack. When the base gear weight gets down to 10-15 pounds lots of options become possible and I have found I can camp and cook in pretty much the same comfort and ride in much more comfort when not weighed down.
I figure that bags designed for bike packing would suit my needs well enough, but have mostly resisted them so far other than to have bought a seat bag that I may use next trip. The price of them is relatively high and they generally wind up being heavier than the impromptu stuff I have used. They would have an advantage for riding off road especially on single track, but my impromptu setup worked fine in an tour off road two track setting.