Originally Posted by
erbfarm
just got a pair of Nashbar's Euro compact panniers in prep for my first tour next month. They look huge to me (I think around 1,000 cu in). I can strap my tent, sleeping pad, and sleeping bag to my Blackburn rack. I have a small front rack and bag that will carry tools and small supplies. The only stuff I have left to pack is sheet, pillow, change of clothes, camp sink, ground cloth, rain gear, and probably a few other things I'm forgetting right now. It seems that all of that could easily fit into a bag half the size of even one of the panniers I have. I don't have to carry any food or cooking gear since that is supplied by the tour. I looked around for smaller panniers but even the compact ones I found are still around 900 cu in. Is there anything out there around 600 cu in or so? Or any other ideas for packing set ups for a short-ish (4 days, 3 nights) tour in central MA (no wilderness or high mountain peaks)? thanks
I agree with other posts, I'd stick with what you have for the moment, extra room in bags is a good thing to take along on a tour. However, to do this you have to be disciplined about your gear list; it's easy to take useless stuff just because you have the room and you'll end up with an unnecessarily heavy load. If you do more touring you'll get a feel for how you like to tour and what you need. If you then decide that you can use smaller panniers you could look at using some small front panniers on the back of your bike. Something like the Ortlieb and Carradice SuperC front panniers are half the volume of the Nashbar Euro compacts.
Take a look at the gear lists on the forum. After using panniers when I was younger I've gone over to a rather idiosyncratic way of carrying my gear using a big saddlebag, handlebar bag and small racks. With experience you'll adapt the way you carry your gear too.