Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 12,689
Likes: 2,094
From: Madison, WI
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
Decide if you want the waterproof panniers or not. And decide if lots of external small pockets are important to you. Once you make these decisions, that makes your decision a lot easier as the list of options gets much shorter.
I have Ortlieb classic rollers, front and rear. I also have some nylon ones with external pockets. If I was going somewhere that would be dry most of the time, I would leave the waterproof Ortliebs at home. But this summer where I go it may rain more days than not, I plan to use the Ortliebs. I also have the waterproof duffle that goes on top of the rear rack but I will also carry a mesh duffle to use instead for dry days if I have things that I want to dry out instead of steam in the heat in an airtight container.