Originally Posted by
Rowan
I am with the mob that doesn't place much importance on waterproofness of the panniers themselves... and with the mob that likes to have stuff segregated, but in my case in Sea-to-Summit drybags rather than pockets alone (and if you're sharp, you see a bit of an incongruity there).
Ditto on the Sea-to-Summit drybags. As a commuter in an area that gets the occasional tropical downpour, I've had so-called "waterproof" panniers exposed in the past, and let me tell you, it's quite a shock when everything gets wet. I use Deuter panniers, which have a few pockets (although not as many as I would ideally like). Despite the failure of their "waterproof" claim, they have proven to be quite robust -- so far mine have tens of thousands of kilometres commuting and touring on them. Having said that, their one limitation is that the mounting system isn't as secure as I'd like, so they wouldn't be recommended if you ever plan to ride on dirt roads with them. When my current set of panniers finally fall apart, I'll investigate other options.
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That is all.