staehpj1

I guess it depends on your priorities. To me the reason for going to these alternate bag systems is to save weight. My 20 liter Sea 2 Summit bag weighs 3 ounces while a Carradice bag that size is about 2 pounds.

Especially when you start adding racks or bag supports it no longer saves much or maybe even any weight. My 30 liter pair of small waterproof panniers weigh 2 lb 2 oz, pretty much the same as a Carradice that is 12 liters smaller, and I could lose almost a pound by removing the stiffeners in the panniers.

So for me, if I want to go moderately light the 30 liter pair of panniers wins out over a Carradice.

If I want to go really light a 3 ounce dry bag wins out over either. A strap adds an ounce of so and the little rack I sometimes use with it adds 12 ounces, but even with the rack and the strap it is still a full pound lighter than a similar sized Carradice with no support.

It seems to me as if the Carradice kind of hit an odd spot in the compromise. If you are really sensitive about the weight a dry bag beats it handily. If you are less concerned about weight a pair of light weight small pannier beat it handily.

If you factor in cost my panniers and my dry bags were both a lot less expensive. The Carradice may last a lot longer though, but heavy, over built things typically do. If you like the aesthetics of the canvas and leather bag, that is another matter, but it does come at a cost, both in price and in weight.