Thanks for your input.

I don’t think that I’ll go for a trailer just to avoid panniers. The only advantage of the trailer would be that I might be able to get rid of the panniers. But the disadvantages (even more weight than panniers, less enjoyable riding, more difficult to use with planes/trains/busses) outweigh that.

With regards to the added weight of the Big Dummy, I don’t believe there’s a huge difference. My bike weighs 15.6kg without the panniers (it’s a small framed touring bike with light racks). Add the empty panniers and the total weight is around 19.3kg. Which is pretty much what I read people say their Big Dummy weighs. As far as I understood, this includes the Xtracycle panniers and snapdeck etc. which is hard to believe - not sure if I got this right? I still have to put the stuff I’m carrying into something, like a duffel or the likes. But this doesn’t add too much weight. The only real disadvantages the Big Dummy has for somebody carrying as much stuff as I do, would therefore be the price and the fact that it wouldn’t be very easy to take on public transport. Travelling on the bus in New Zealand was a PITA with a normal bike already. They would only take you on board as the very last passenger, after everybody else was accommodated.

What I wanted to point out when I said that each pannier needs hardware is this: the panniers are very small compared to e.g. my hiking backpack (which by the way served as a bag strapped across the rack). One rear pannier only has a capacity of 20l. Even my hiking daypack has more capacity than that. I don’t see why the panniers couldn’t be 5-10l bigger. As I see it, it would even improve the stability of the bike, because it would probably mean that the center of gravity would be lower. Actually another disadvantage of the Ortliebs is how high they sit on a normal rack. I will probably get a Tubus rack which allows for lower mounting, and see if that improves things. Increasing the size of one pannier would of course mean that it weighs a bit more. But it would still weigh less than adding another pannier to get the same volume. Apologies if my explanation is a bit confusing.

late: I was considering a custom rack. But I think if you put the weight too far behind the rear axle, the bike won’t ride well anymore. If I were to get a custom rack, I would probably have to DIY panniers.

Credit Card touring is something I want to try. The downside is that it’s expensive and you’re not very flexible. I should have said that I’m not the typical bicycle tourer - cycling is only a part of touring for me. I often spend more time off the bike than on. The daily average on my last 8 week tour was around 30-40km, on days that I rode. I had plenty of days that I spent in one place. I only cycled ~1.500km.

Juha: yes, I also found that it’s no good to put all your stuff on top of the rack.

berner: I’m thinking about a custom frame. But seeing that it would be a very unusual request, it will probably be expensive and I would have to find a frame builder who has experience with tandems and/or long tails. I don’t think that this is going to happen very soon.

Bacciagalupe: I’m working on my pack list. But I don’t think I’ll ever be able to only travel with 2 panniers. As I said, I’m not your typical tourer. Bicycle touring is just a more enjoyable form of travelling. When travelling for weeks or months, I don’t want to sacrifice everything. Most of my pack weight and volume comes from taking a camping hammock in addition to a small tent, and cooking gear plus food. I don’t want to sacrifice either, although it would probably bring me down to 2 panniers, because this would take out too much of the joy of travelling for me. I think in this case I’d rather give up cycling, or travel by car with a folding bike in the trunk.

seenloitering: This sounds similar to what I had in mind. I was more thinking along the lines of using a pack strap system. But mesh might be another option. I think I also want a closer look at the Xtracycle pack system to get some ideas.

staehpj1: I did exactly what you suggested for travelling on the plane. But that won’t help with boarding busses while on tour. And it adds more weight. If you’re not travelling from or to the US, most airlines have a total weight limit of ~20kg checked baggage. My bike weighs that much packed - without any other piece of equipment. Unfortunately, the times when bikes were treated not as checked baggage but as sports equipment with an extra weight allowance are gone. At least on long haul flights.

indyfabz: I didn’t mean to complain. I realize that the average cycle tourer is fine with panniers. I still think that panniers could be designed better. By the way: I have the Bike Packer and Sport Packer Plus. I did not find them cavernous. My sleeping bag fills half of one Bike Packer pannier - or most of one Sport Packer. And this is already the lightest down sleeping bag that I could buy (I sleep very cold). I think the design of the Ortliebs wastes space - instead of being cut \_/ they could be cut|__/. I assume the reason for them not to do this is that you would have a fixed “right” and “left” pannier. Still, in reality, once you set up the panniers, you will have a fixed right and left one anyway.