Lurker1999

I was looking for an easy way to add some extra small item carrying capacity to my Arkel Bug but have it still somewhat secured in the pannier so I didn't have to grope around in a fully loaded bag for a pen, etc.

I found a reasonable solution. A drop-in sized Purseket clipped via a carabiner to the key hook inside the pannier at the very top allows you a bit of extra storage space for some small items so they don't fall to the bottom of the bag every time. If you flip the purseket behind the sewn-in pouch you can stabilize it further to keep things from rattling out.

nukemm

Sew some patches & loops in yourself, or a dry cleaning/alterations place could probably do it. Heck, if you were closer I'd reccomend my wife or my mom to customize your bag.

Lurker1999

And you'd be sewing right through the water-resistant material in most of the bag. There's only two places you could potentially sew anything without causing leaks and neither is very convenient for pen loops.

Bekologist

ortlieb makes a nice accessory pocket that attaches via velcro; you could glue a strip of velcro to the inside of the pannier. i wouldn't worry about stitching thru waterproof fabric, all you have to do is put some glop on the seams. but i like the drop in accessory idea, i use a variation of that in a messenger bag.

HardyWeinberg

I drop a fanny pack in one of my panniers.

Maybe that is the one engineering improvement of my crazy French Chapak panniers over the Ortilebs, they also have a zipper pocket that snaps on about a third of the way down from the opening so it is both a goody pocket and if you pull it out sideways can act as a horizontal divider in the pannier as well. But I have given up trying to use it either way, as time has passed.

genec

all this points to the very issue of something that I am asking for in another thread... https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/236065-anybody-make-panniers-lots-outside-pockets.html

I am looking for a pannier with small outside pockets that can act just like the pockets on pants. Seems all the pannier makers have gone the route of one large pocket, while forgetting the utility of smaller pockets for those items you want to keep handy... such as change, keys, wallet, and cell phone.

Lurker1999

My Arkel Bug has a small outside pocket. It's quite handy. But I find that if I clutter it up with all the little things I want to keep in my bag it becomes a hazard as I'm worried about opening it up on the street. That's why I wanted an interior organizer as well.