Originally Posted by
revcp
Yep, it's a FORUM. (Sorry, caps key got stuck.) I get that, but sometimes I weary of the declarative statements like, "Pannier space is too valuable to waste on tents. If you carry panniers, we can assume that you have a rack and that is the perfect place to carry tent and sleeping bag."
Panniers are
usually used to carry things that need protection from the elements. Clothes, food, delicate equipment, etc. Tents don’t need that kind of protection and, if properly protected, neither does a sleeping bag.
Originally Posted by
revcp
In a pannier is also a perfect place to carry a tent and sleeping bag.
Why? A sleeping bag takes up a lot of room even when compressed in a stuff sack. Even a light weight bag will take up most of a large pannier.
Originally Posted by
revcp
Also, carrying your sleeping bag on the rack, is it in an unsealed, water permeable bag? Your tent? The only thing I carry on the top of my rack is my tent poles. Everything else goes in dry bags in the panniers. I've carried things in dry bags while bike touring, backpacking and canoeing. I've never had a problem with mold, even on six week canoe trips in Canada with several consecutive days of rain. My method works fine for me, but I understand that others choose to do things differently.
Let’s not assume that I’m stupid. I’ve never used anything but a waterproof bag. In the old days, that meant a urethane coated bag but now it’s more high tech and much lighter and much better sealed.
Tent poles of just about any kind will not fit in any pannier. I don’t know about other people but my tent wraps around my tent poles just fine and fits into a neat little bag provided by the manufacturer. It makes for a tidy small package that fits on the rack just about the same as the poles. Why pack them separately?