Do you have anything to say about Rei Novara panniers and handle bar bag. 1/3 the cost of Ortliebs and much lighter. They do come with a rain cover. Duurability? The lower attachment looks like it could break. You experience and opinions please.

YGWYPF. Sewn Panniers NEED a rain cover because sewing makes Holes , I have owned several, sewn panniers in my time .

They Like so many other distributor/retailers went to Asia to get their brand made .. to sell for less

Ortlieb invested in making their products at Home , in Germany.

You looked at them all in person ?

in the LBS they have some other Pac Rim Imported welded seam Bags, But I'm not there to read brand names.

But the Majority of people touring the Coast seem to have paid for Ortlieb.. (they bought them at home so Local does not Stock them)

I originally had some Nashbar panniers. I was constantly having to mess with them, and they moved a lot while I was riding. Then I bought Ortleibs which are pretty much worry free and totally worth the extra cost IMHO.

I am using the Ortlieb back rollers rear pannier and my front panniers is the Arkel Orca 35

Which model of REI panniers?
Ive seen a couple of their brand bags in store. I wouldnt use either for any sort of multi-day riding, but there probably isnt anything inherently wrong with them. The Deluxe version just seemed more like a commuter pannier. It had a lot of padding and some interior compartments for pens/papers/etc etc.


For $90, there are a lot of non-Ortlieb panniers which are capable.

Any comments about buying from Germany vs buying from USA

For me, Germany isn't as close as the US, since I live here and all.
Also, I can sing a song about eating beef in German, but don't know any words besides what's in the song. So buying from Germans would be more difficult for me.

Why would you have to buy from Germany? What is the advantage?

These are the conditions when you find out the differences between waterproof panniers and panniers with rain covers. Fietsbob, This is the motel at the west end of your town

Two of us rode two days in solid rain. I had Ortlieb classic back rollers and my buddy had Vaude panniers with rain covers. Everything in my bags was perfectly dry. My buddy...not so much. I was glad I paid the premium for the Ortliebs.

Oh my god, Doug! I'm laughing so hard at the pic! Maybe because it looks like you're trying to scare this OP! Funny. 2 months ago at an REI in S. CA, they had one of their bigger versions on serious discount (not at another store tho, strange). Sorry, but there's no way that the design was well thought out. I took one of their racks and attempted to figure out how the pannier would stay on the rack. The employee didn't like that I was questioning it and gave me serious attitude. Don't care - I'm not a stupid chick and I ain't gonna buy crap. So do what I did (with other panniers as well, if you can) and see what you think works. Personally, I think the bungee pull with S holder works best. I did 5 tours with Lone Peak panniers and highly recommend them (if they haven't changed the material). They're made in the U.S. still, but now cost a bundle. For waterproofing, do 2 simple things: line the sectionals which will contain your clothing with plastic bags, and buy a can of waterproof spray for boots and spray the panniers. And remember: it's usually a choice to ride 2 days in the rain!!

I bought all my ortliebs from Germany and the UK. I have bike24 branded Ortliebs on the back and Rose Bikes branded on the front. I went to Rose after Bike24 stopped shipping to the US for Ortlieb products.

Buy Bags/Backpacks by ORTLIEB/ROSE at a great price | ROSE Bikes

Yea, that could have been taken Today ( westernmost means the 101/202 roundabout is in the background )

NOAA.gov says a week of rain ahead.. Break out the Grundens Rain cape and the Sou'wester again.


I use My Ortlieb roller bags for Grocery shopping, so I dont have a puddle of water in the bottom of them

when It's time to put the food in ..

don't think i'd want to spend a lot on waterproof panniers that make me feel guilty about hiding from the rain when on tour. i value having a really good reason, other than just being a wimp, to get out of it! OTOH, for commuting, it makes sense. being presentable and getting to work on time is important.

Maybe--we had one tour with 35 days of rain. We didn't have much choice. It is mostly a matter of attitude and good rain gear

Actually, hiding from the rain was not our main motive. The wind was so strong; it literally blew my wife over twice before we decided-- no camping tonight. We planned on staying at the motel

You can't go wrong with Ortlieb. Note that the Plus (cordura) models of the Backrollers weigh 7 ounces less than the classics. If you remove the pockets you'll save another 5 ounces. Leave the straps at home, another few ounces saved.

Yup! We were planning on staying at Fort Stevens, but changed plans. When we hit the roundabout, the wind really nailed us-- not to mention the rain.

The several-year-old Novaras ($105) that I have are good commuter rear panniers, and the attached, stored cover will work, but they are not ideal for long rides in serious wet weather.
The pair of them have given me good daily service, I have to say. No problems with the fasteners, etc. And they'll each hold a 24-case of 12-oz cans.

Now that I have a pair of Ortleibs ($180) for the rear, I have used the (smaller) Novaras on the front. Works out well. But again, not for serious wet weather.

Two days in the rain for us was dictated by B&B reservations and limited vacation time. Either ride and get to the next B&B or give up the deposit, so we rode on.

I use the Novara Deluxe Panniers for my daily commute. They're solid, well constructed performers. After more than 18 months of regular use I've had not a single problem. The supplied rain cover is a bit thin and light, making them adequate for light to moderate rains, but any heavy rain would probably be too much. I wouldn't know anything about a good, heavy rain residing in parched northern California and all. I used them once for a short three day trip, but it was a fair weather credit card trip so with my light packing requirements I had plenty of room. I like the design of the bags. There are convenient, usable pockets and easy, reliable mounts. All in all, I'd happily repurchase if necessary but I'm pretty sure I won't need to think about that for a long time.

My very first tour was 6 months in Europe in '98. It was the year after El Nino, but the year El Nino reached Europe (at that time I knew nothing about it and having heard about it thought, "Eh, it won't go to Europe."). Of those 6 months, the last 4 had rain almost every day in the afternoon. I got real good at hauling butt and also at knowing exactly where I'd be when that first drop hit. Covered bus stops in the middle of nowhere in Sweden are sweet! Didn't have too much of a problem tho with the Lone Peaks and plastic bags.