1986 Ecuadoran Andes

2001 Santa Barbara backcountry

2003 Set Up for the Divide Ride

2012 Tour from Lake Tahoe to Bishop,CA. along Highway 395


As you can see from the sequence of photos I early on settled on two front panniers supplemented by a rear rack stuff since the early 1970's. (Unfortunately I could not find my 1970's set up with two Kirtland front Panniers and a rear rack top Touring Cyclist stuffer.)
Over the decades depicted I found the setup beneficial in several ways. Lighter rear weight protected the rear wheel when I unweighted the saddle for potholes and obstacles on and off pavement. No broken spokes or wheel re-truing on the Divide Ride even though I am a Clydesdale rider.
When pushing the bike was needed off-road at high elevation the lack of rear panniers bulging made pushing much simpler and easier.
Just my personal preference from long experimenting.