I normally post in the 50+, but also I wanted to post here. I'm considering getting a set of these to use on the rear. Standard size panniers are a bit larger than I need for daily commuting and I find that I fill them up with stuff I don't really need. (I'm a believer in the adage that if you have space you'll find a way to fill it up.) I'm interested in: 1. ease of mounting, 2. ease of use, 3. actual ability to keep things dry, and 4. longevity. These seem to be a bit pricey, so I don't want to make the investment to only regret it later. So, I'm interested in the experince of folks who have used them for five or more year.

the roller closure is already well known in the river/water sports world ... where if you flip the boat,
your gear in the bags will still be dry ..

Have a pair of Ortlieb Sport Packers*, and a pair of front rollers . orange & black.

There are other companies making a welded seam bag , the Qrtlieb mounting hooks
open by lifting the strap connecting the 2 hooks

weight in the bag opens the catch so when you put them back on, the act of releasing the strap.

In addition any parts needed , are available at most any country in the world.

We see Hundreds of Bike Tourists in the Summer on the Oregon coast, lots of them use Ortlieb panniers .

They now have a simpler Shopper pannier , the F snap is bonded into the sides of the bag M parts on the top edge of the bag.

the roller closure, but it does not include a shoulder strap, 1M end 1 F end.
and a hook on the lower outside face to take the strap length, when riding


* I paired my Sport packers to come off and stay together , On
the Bike friday front rack. with the 8mm bar insert in the top hooks it works well ..

Nothing at all wrong with using front panniers on the back. I prefer the Packers to the Rollers, but my commuting panners are a set of Ortlieb fronts.

Mine have been flawless for four or five years now. The only issue is that at the time the only fabric you could get in yellow was the Plus fabric. It's textured on the outside and hard to clean. Stick with the regular fabric.

on a rear rack too.. Pairing is easy to do.. there are plastic acorn nuts on the inside
and pointed screws with a Torx tool interface.

I loosened the screw , holding the top rail, inserted a piece of webbing , and poked the screw through It
and re tightened it into the nut.

I have a set of rear roll up Ortlieb's and I like them a lot. They are expensive but they do keep water out, however, if you go touring or commuting with any pannier and you want to make sure something doesn't get wet put the item or items in a zip lock plastic bag to be extra safe. The Ortliebs are suppose to be the best at keeping out water but some things like clothes or electronics you don't want to find a surprise and have one of those oops moments out in the middle of nowhere! I have never found any trace of moisture inside mine even after downpouring rain but I still use plastic bags.

However for commuting I think the Ortlieb may be an overkill, I think you can get a great pannier from Nashbar called the Nashbar waterproof pannier; see: https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product...0052_172282_-1 But if you can afford the Ortlieb and that's the only bag you want and money is not a concern then get them.

I have a set of the Ortlieb Classic Rollers, both front and rear. The front ones are great and I actually use them a lot more than the rear. The rear ones are simply too large for commuting and even the front ones are larger than I need most of the time. I am a huge fan of Ortlieb panniers. They are very easy to adjust, mount and remove. Extremely waterproof and durable. Come in lots of colors. The price is reasonable, IMHO, when you consider their quality, durability and functionality. If you shop around on the net, it is not harding finding Orliebs for 20% off or more most of the time. REI puts them on sale about twice a year. If I recall correctly, I paid about $90 for my front Orliebs from probikekit.com

I have the front roller plus which I use as small rear panniers. I love them! Waterproof, light, small yet large enough for my stuff, big reflective patch in the front and rear, internal zippered pocket, and each pannier can be set up on either the right or left. They were relatively cheap too at about $100 for the set. If you get them, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

While I suspect they may not be the same quality, these seem a bit like the Nashbar waterproof, in terms of style. What is it you like about these over the Rollers?

With the Nashbar you save a small fortune in the cost of panniers, and since it's a commute the distance traveled is quite a bit less than touring thus the Nashbar pannier will last quite a long time. I have the Ortliebs for touring but I don't use them for commuting mostly because I don't need the bulky bag since I don't carry a lot, so instead I got a Garneau briefcase pannier on sale for $14 from $45.

I have been using the plus model (no pvc) for 5+ yrs, they are great. I do prefer the 'front' to the rear because it's easier to use the straps to tie them down and make them less floppy. I also prefer the plus model to the classic, they just fold and fold and refold, no wear and tear from refolding over years and years (and no toxic pvc; I know the toxicity is confined to the manufacture area, not really an issue to stuffing my lunch into these things on a daily basis).

Commuting is the hardest use for any bike part or bike gear, I have no doubt whatsoever. I also don't doubt that nashbar panniers are as immortal as any others, give or take direct car-hits etc...

Just one of my quirks. I've just never liked any bag of any type that rolls up. I can't tell you why, I just don't.

I was happy for the choice.

There is welded seam bag Nashbar/performance inc. gets , the way it hangs off the rack is cruder

elastic + hook stuff is known for bouncing off , onto the road occasionally..
it is cheaper ..

MEC has a welded seam bag too, see folks riding down the coast using those bags.

I just started using a pair of Ortlieb back rollers for commuting myself... the mechanism for attaching to the rack itself Just Works. It's fantastic.

So far, the snow/salt season has not affected the items in my panniers at all. My professional clothing actually looks better than those who drove, as they had to walk a block in the nasty weather from our parking garage!

I've found myself only using one of the panniers (on the right side). Aside from some low-speed wobbliness I've felt no difference.

REI's got 'em on sale right now. To me they were worth the spend, as I like luggage that threatens to outlive me.

All of Bob's advice on this thread…
+1.