I have been using the same Cannondale panniers since 1989. I have a couple other sets, and I have had to pretty much completely rebuild the Cannondales ... but I love them. Even when they really showed their age .... after 15 years of daily use ... they still worked fine. When the zippers busted I attached velcro tabs and also bungeed them shut. They never let me down. I rebuilt them because I wanted to.
Originally Posted by
tandempower
Thick garbage bags are good because you can throw them away and replace them cheaply when they start to wear out. I like good waterproof gear, but it irritates me when it starts to wear out after it cost so much.
For a tree-lover, I am surprised you are so cavalier with your treatment of petroleum products.
Plastic bags are a potential part of the picture, but they are not at all durable ... unless protected. I can use the panniers to hold the plastic bags and the bags last a long, long time.
My latest solution is to buy lightweight dry-bags---more reliable waterproofing, much more durable, and inside the panniers they should last past the end of my life. I am not a fan of disposable ... but it is built into modern life, and if you give trash bags one more use than they would have gotten, that is one step forward.