Originally Posted by
tjspiel
One thing I noticed during the couple of months I used panniers is that they would get pretty messy in foul weather. Not sure I'd really want to throw one covered with water and road grit on my back. A backpack strapped to the top of the rack would probably avoid that issue.
You're right. They do get road grime on them in wet weather. At least on the bottom half of the side of them facing the wheel. The Ortliebs hang down near my hip, so frankly they don't transfer much crud to me or my clothes. I can always flip them around when carrying them, but usually don't. I suppose the Arkel Bugs are a little worse at potentially getting some road grit on your back. Honestly, I have never really been concerned with it because it doesn't cause a problem for me.