Touring - Pannier Volume?

Hello, I'm just wondering what a good size rear pannier set would be. My dad got me some at 2110 cubic inches, and I'm wondering if that would work. I plan on doing transcontinental touring and I'm worried these are too small.

i'm a newbie myself, haven't done any touring, but i'm going to soon, and have been researching it a lot.. those sound like about the right size to put on the rear (if not even a little big, depending on whether you're going to strap your tent/sleeping pad to the rack, assuming you're camping) , and then get some more to put on the front. seems like if you get huge huge ones to go on the rear and then don't need any for the front, your weight balance would get strange.

ok, I'm an idiot. they're actually 1220 cu.in. And since I posted, I did some looking around online. Yeah, they're definitely too small. :(

Even 2000 ci seems small for fully loaded touring. Just strap them onto the front!

My rear pans (Arkel T-42) are roughly 2500 CI, and I use pans with either 1500 ci or 2000 ci on the front, depending on the venue. Of course for a couple of days only, 2000-2500 in the rear might work, but it is poor weight distribution in any case.

ok, I'm an idiot. they're actually 1220 cu.in. And since I posted, I did some looking around online. Yeah, they're definitely too small. :(

Ortlieb Front Rollers are 1500 cu. in. The rear ones are around 2200 cu. in. While a 1200 cu. in. front might be a bit small, they would be useable. Use these as front bags and get some slightly larger ones for the back. The problem with really big bags is you want to fill them with stuff. Smaller bags restrict your load to what you really need...and just a little bit more :)

Trippin,
What kind of coast to coast touring are you interested in? Kinda hard to tell how much space you need until we have some idea how much stuff you need to carry.

By using small bags, it forces you to REALLY consider your gear choices. Limiting the amount of weight you end up taking, by limiting the amount of space you have to store it.

Whatever you end up using, I would suggest you keep some spare room (or have rack space available) for extra food and perhaps water.

Mind that for my upcoming tour, I'll probably be carrying a kitchen sink. Yeah, it may well be a fold up version, but still...

The panniers I have are one piece (two bags connected over the top) so there's no way to use them on the front. I'll just have to get new ones, and maybe sell the old. Or I can just pack REALLY light, though that's going to be hard on such a long tour.

As far as what gear I'm taking, I don't really know yet. I mean, I'll be camping and basically will be totally self supported, but I really need to sort of try out what fits, plus I plan on doing some shorter "training" tours before setting out for the big one, so that I can get a feel for what I need.

But just for a basic estimate, I'm looking for rear panniers around 2200-2500 cu.in.?

Yes, 2500 cu in for the rear pair is really about the minimum for longer self-supported trips. There are certainly larger ones but not nec if you have some front pans and pack efficiently.. Also make sure they are really in the ballpark by doing the math, using the supplied dimensions, some manufacturers are pretty optimistic on their ratings.

3500 is minimum for an internal frame backpack, that includes thebag. so the same volume on a bike is perfectly reasonable considering all the stuff one can pile on the racks.

The problem with really big bags is you want to fill them with stuff. Smaller bags restrict your load to what you really need...and just a little bit more :)

This is exactly how it tends to be. Regardless of pannier size it will be filled to the capacity. And then some. If it is a fully self-supported tour, your panniers should not be totally full when you leave. You will need some space for your food and drinks for the evening & tomorrow's breakfast.

I'm horribly bad at packing myself, but some people manage to tour with very little stuff. See the Loaded Rigs sticky thread for examples.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=69234

--J