good to know what you are using.
First of all, Arkel stuff is good quality all around, and the cam lock system is known for being robust and effective. I personally have been using Ortliebs since about 93 or 94, but know that the Arkel system is a great , proven system.
its pretty easy to fatten up the rail a bit, but the cam lock motion may abrade the tape a bit over time. Probably no harm in just trying out some electric tape , or cloth hockey stick tape (which is pretty tough, Ive used it on bike parts for eons, and it hardens over time which is nice)
and you can see how it works. Personally that little amount of play wouldnt bother many people, but I admit that I eliminated play with my Ortliebs before doing some long trips that I mentioned.
Mind you, I commute on a bike with older ortliebs and some play, and it doesnt bother me.
If you do try the tape it fatter route, its probably better to cover more length of rail than you think, in case your panniers shift forwards or backwards a bit.
re the bottom movement of the pannier coming away a bit from the bike. I guess its personal also, but that doesnt bother me too much, as long as the top stuff is not coming off--and lets face it, you'll be on paved roads the whole time, so I really dont see it as an issue---but, heck , throwing on a really solid and secure strap seems pretty darn easy.
You just really want to be sure that it doesnt end up in a wheel, thats all--but from all the stuff Ive read, and as the last guy said, its a pretty common trick to keep things stable.
In the grand scheme of things I think the pannier rattling is the least of my concerns so I'll probably just leave it for now. It's only an issue when going over rough roads or the concrete transitions between cycle paths/roads/driveways. It's more of a mental thing that I don't like the sensation of the load wiggling around. I've actually got a couple cam-lock straps that I might bring with me.
The Arkel system does seem really solid and nearly impossible to shake off the rack when the cams are engaged properly. The only downside in my view is the need for a bit of extra space for the cams to swing without hitting the vertical parts of the rack. When I first started using them there were a couple occasions where I had one end become unhooked because I wasn't paying attention to make sure the cams were fully engaged.
for what its worth, the weather forecast seems to show that the killer heat we are having is going to lessen by friday, so hopefully you won't be starting out in these 31, 32, 33c days with humidity to match.
as you already said, I think it will be good to just have the mindset that you may have super hot and you may have pretty cool at nights also.
I'm sure this mixed bag will be the reality.
Yup, it looks pretty good at the moment and should make things a bit easier for us starting out. Although I'm a little off-put by the current forecast for rain on day 1 (Saturday). I'm hoping we can enjoy our cleaned and lubed bikes for at least one day.