Thats an understandable concern but I would think you could find someplace to keep your panniers so you dont have to haul them. The nice thing about bike touring is that you can carry some luxury items that you would not take on a hiking trip. How about leaving them at ranger stations and such? How about locking them to the bike or attaching them to the rack permanently? Ortlieb sells pannier locking skewers and cables. If you are confident in the return policy and don't mind the price go for it and let us all know how it works out!