indyfabz

I was forced to replace my custom Robert Beckman Designs panniers when someone stole the matching custom racks along with the bike they were attached to. I don't think Ortliebs are the be all and end all, and never wrote anything of the sort. But they work well and do keep my stuff dry.

You like to engage in drivebys and put words in people's mouths. Keep it up and see how far that gets you around here.

DanBell

​​​​​​​Dude's just trolling. His two contributions to the thread are a recommendation for the panniers that he bought which are apparently as good as Ortliebs but cost half as much (although he hasn't provided any indication what these are), and to denigrate not Ortlieb panniers themselves but the people who buy them, including all of us in this thread. Valuable contributions to the OP's question. But hey, the guy's got a mission to cut down uppity Ortlieb users wherever they may appear to talk about how they like the product. It's good to have a purpose in life, I guess.

djb

riceowls (boy, thats a curious name, neat, but curious) the Alturas look like nice panniers. What I can't see properly is the attachment system, so it might be a good idea to try to see some in real life or at least in other photos.

There are all kinds of good waterproof panniers out there nowadays. As in a lot of stuff in life, a well made item will last longer and work better than a not so made one, especially after many years of use. Here in Canada there is an outdoor store called Mountain Equipment Coop, MEC, and have had their name panniers for ages. Reasonably made, but the attachment system has always seemed a little chintzy, and my wife bought a bag once from them and it didnt hold up really well.
To me, a good solid attachment system, whether with hold on clip things, or simply hooks, is worth it in the long run, but by going to a bunch of bike stores and holding diff bags in hand, you should be able to begin to notice the build quality of diff companies, and how their attachment system seems.

anyway , good luck finding out more info about the models you've asked about. Im a real bike stuff nerd, and personally havent seen these ones in stores, not that I recall, so I cant help at all with the attachment build quality.

to repeat myself tho, spending a bit more on something you plan to use for many years often has merit, and my experience has shown that. Here in Canada, very good quality panniers arent cheap, Ortlieb, Arkel, whatever, so good luck in getting more info about these ones, as they do look like a reasonable alternative.

samkl 

Neither. Lone Peak! Extremely well made, durable, fairly lightweight and with a zillion pockets to keep things organized.

Doug64

Yeah, and I forgot to mention my son and daughter-in-law use Ortlieb panniers for commuting That makes 6 sets of Ortlieb rear panniers in the family! There is a good reason why we use them; we have tried and worn out several other brands of panniers, and Ortliebs are a great product. Oh, and we actually use them for touring.

P.S. We live in Oregon, and it rains a little here.

Tourist in MSN

A friend of mine used Performance house brand panniers on two trips, I was using Ortliebs on those trips. After those two trips he bought Ortliebs. The Ortliebs do not fall off the bike when he hits small bumps.

djb

to Mr Owl, I too have had panniers that have hopped off the rack over bumps, panniers with "regular" attach systems of hooks for the rails and bungees with a hook for the lower part of the rack. Over time the bungee becomes stretched and so the tension holding the hooks onto the rack lessens.
Now putting it into perspective, we ALL had panniers like this, thats all there was, and we all had fun doing trips. I only had this happen a few times, pannier coming off---BUT when I biked with a German guy back in 92, I saw his "Ortlieb" panniers , which I had never seen before, and 1-they were waterproof, pretty darn handy no matter what the use, touring or commuting, and 2- the attachment system made it impossible for the pannier to hop off the rails, as each attachment point fully encircles teh rack tube, until youi pull on the handle and it swings open.
Pretty cool I thought, looked into them here in Canada, and Ortliebs were available here, were expensive, but were the only ones waterproof and with the better attachment system.

today though, there are loads of good waterproof panniers available, and while some use the bungee system, there are excellent additions to the bungee system that stops them hopping off (Arkel for example) and other brands have diff systems similar to Ortlieb---so yes, there are options out there.
Just be observant and look at how solid and well made various attachment systems are, and make a common sense judgement on quality.

Tourist in MSN

A few years ago I met a gal that was in year seven of her long bike tour. She started in S Africa, went North up into Europe, then East across Asia, down into Australia, up into China, then across the Pacific (by plane) and I met her on the Pacific Coast where she was traveling South along the coast. She estimated that her bike frame had 100,000 km on it. Almost all components had been changed at least once or twice, but one pair of her Ortlieb panniers had been with her from the beginning of her seven year trip.

It is hard to come up with a stronger statement than that for reliability and durability.

She had so may stickers of various places she had been on her bike frame that I could not find a brand or model on it.

djb

and I would also add that given that Mr Owl is planning to do one trip, and you have panniers already, if they work reasonably well, then there is always the option of just using them. Sure, go the "good sturdy plastic bag" route for your stuff inside, but then maybe put the money towards other stuff on the trip, especially if you may only use panniers very infrequently.

despite the onyerleft fellow and his not particularly appropriate comments (in my opinion) , have fun on the trip no matter the panniers you use, thats always the bottom line, to have fun.

stardognine

Don't tell me they're making purple ones? 😀 I'm seriously thinking about new panniers, purple would probably sell me. 😎

djb

you know, if you pay good money and I can pry my 1993 or 94 purple ones out of my familys hands who still use them, we might be able to make a deal. My wife actually likes the one she uses because of the colour, albeit rather faded after all these years.

and as a PS, I once weighed my old ones compared to newer ones, and they are surprisingly lighter than newer ones. Partly because they are the Plus models, lighter material, but also because they were so simple. Simple thin plastic backing no inner zippered compartement, simple rubber bungee type thing and hook to attach at the bottom.
I have a piece of paper with all the comparison weights, but dont have it on hand, but they are significantly lighter than my newer rear classic rollers.

3speed

djb

the drylites are fairly small though, so that is a factor. I have a pair and can attest to the removing putting them back on aspect.

re bungie with hook, over time they tend to get looser, hence the possible issue, but can be easily fixed by changing bungee or redoing the knot for more tension.

Doug64

This is a good point. I replaced the bungies and hooks on these Nashbar front panniers. I did one with hog rings, which do not offer any adjustment, and the other with knots. The knots are the way to go. I used high grade marine shock cord and heavy duty nylon hooks.

I use these on my "every day" bike, and have not had any isues since replacing the flimsy stock elastic and cheap metal hooks with better options. I use these almost every day for hauling gym clothes, library books etc. I used them a lot for tours before I replaced them, and they did a good job. They are going on 12 years old. Your Nashbar bags will probably do just fine. However, if I could pick up a set of Ortlieb Classic Rollers for $90, I'd do it.

jefnvk

Heh, I searched in vain for the purple ones they made two or three years ago, good luck finding them! Would have matched her bike perfectly!

Sure, there are fixes. As I mentioned added a locking hook to my Nashbars. It added $20 onto the cost,, meaning if you were buying new today youre spending $110 for Nashbar v. the $138 the Ortlieb went on sale for at Backcountry. I guess my view is that what you can find Ortliebs on sale for regularly isn't a significant difference from what the cheap ones cost.

Eh, I'm quickly becoming a CC preferred tourer, I don't find Ortlieb particularly big or heavy for my use. Good size once I toss a few changes of street clothes, tools, spares, beer and souvenirs in there. They're actually smaller than my Nashbars.

And once you start stopping every few miles to rehang panniers, locking hooks become the greatest thing ever.

indyfabz

Ortlieb Sport Packers are small and can be used on the rear. And they keep your stuff remarkably dry.

Doug64

My wife rode across the U.S. using a pair of Ortlieb Sport Packers front panniers, which included carrying her camping gear. They would be more than enough for a couple of weeks CC touring. However, a pair of Ortlieb Backrollers are not much or any heavier than the Packer Plus small panniers, and would be good if the OP wanted to branch out. It is always easier to not fill a pannier to full capacity than it is to cram things into a pannier that is too small.

indyfabz

What's her favorite flavor of Kool-Aid?

Brittney

I have not had personal experience but have toured with other people who were using the altura ultralite panniers. I would not recommend them at all. Bad for quick on and off. Easily damaged. Poor fastening options.

riceowls

Thanks everyone for their input. I did not expect to open a can of worms with my query but you never know... Anyway, I think I will get Ortlieb... Nashbars that I have are ok but I do not like the hooking system and had the cable come of from its attachment once. Still debating whether to keep these (got on very nice sale) or keep as a spare set. My wife and I may need two sets on a longer trip sometime... I've used Ortlieb on one of the rental-bike trips and liked these. Altura was more of an opportunistic attempt - the company that I am doing UK touring with uses that brand and I've checked prices in a few UK online stores I've shopped before and was surprised how cheap some models are....

djb

In general, folks here are helpful and enjoy respectfully sharing ideas, but being the anonymous internet, you get the odd grumpykins or strange comments.
Again, enjoy the trip whatever you decide to use.

Around what area is the trip in?

riceowls

Peak district.

Tourist in MSN

I was in an REI store yesterday, Ortliebs were on sale. At times Sierra Trading Post has had Ortliebs too.

str

for UNDER a week touring your fine with a saddle bag and a hand bar roll, no panniers needed.

djb

well, enjoy and do the old "plan for the worst and hope for the best" in terms of weather/clothing, as well as expecting climbing up some steep hills at times.