Hi All. I'm new to the forum but thought I would add a few thoughts re: panniers. I've been touring in SEA (I live in Thailand) for about 10 years now on my Surly LHT. I'm using some vintage Cannondale panniers on the rear and Taiga Mountain panniers on the front. The Cannondales are great because they have 3 external pockets along with an elasticized pocket for storing small gear. They're also easy to organize because of this feature. They're waterproof to a degree but i always pack my clothes in large ziplock plastic bags. The front panniers (1 external pocket) are also waterproof to a degree. Ziplock bags here as well as an extra precaution especially since I carry my 10" ASUS notebook there . The front panniers are affected more by heavy rain than the rear ones. This year I bought some Axion rain covers for all 4 just to be on the safe side. My Topeak barbag has its own rain cover as does my Topeak trunk bag. We get lots of rain in this part of the world.


Not sure yet how to add some pics.