Originally Posted by MMACH 5
Panniers really seem nice, but they are somewhat cost-prohibitive.
Go to Nashbar.com and search for NA-ATP2 - big, nice, and $35 for two.
I have had a pair for over a year and they're holding up fine. About 2500 miles of commuting, about 40% of which was over rough gravel with mud and bumps with loads inside ranging up to 2 gallons of milk and a few textbooks.
One of them got messed up a bit on the side, because I didn't hang it properly when I left and it got caught in the spokes when I turned a corner, but it's still functional. Just one of the side pockets has a hole.