Originally Posted by
wahoonc
but I subscribe more to the small bag in a large bag system of organization.
+1
Purely personal preference, but... A few advantages I find to one big pocket are:
- Panniers of this style are more easily made waterproof so in most cases they are.
- Panniers of this style are more easily made lighter weight.
- There are fewer places to look for stuff. I can find things faster than if I have to remember which pocket they are in.
- More pockets actually wind up holding less stuff for the same volume and much less for the weight because the space gets used less efficiently when items don't fill the pocket.
- When things shift in categories or priorities of need during the trip pocket sizes stay the same. Ziplocs or stuff sacks in a large pocket make this a non issue.
I have toured with both styles and definitely didn't like a lot of pockets or fancy dodads.