Thanks for the further suggestions, but I have some plans on Paint that I am working on.

As to the duffel bags, yes, we have gone that route, and I've done the strapping-the-panniers-together routine, too. But when there is 70lbs of gear all up, the package is still not the easiest thing to tote around. Just as the airline baggage handlers (which is another point, with the 20kg limits now imposed by many airlines on suitcase sizes).

And while I recognise that there are issues with stuff such as snow and sand and cobbles, they aren't particularly significant in the context of what we have been dealing with.

The problem isn't really as complicated at it seems; it's just that I don't want to wreck the waterproofness of a couple of good sets of panniers at this point mid-trip, and I may wait until I get home and play with some others sitting in storage.

But as with most things human, we want to complicate things, so I will get back to the drawing board and my carbon fibre wonders (which are looking quite smart, even if I do say so myself).