Just received my new rear panniers...Pockets! Lots of pockets! Went with Lone Peak P-500 Mt. Superior...Ortleib lover's probably gonna hate, but that okay, I think they're great!

Sewn panniers cannot be watertight in the rain.. , so think about zip loc, stuff sack, bagging everything, and perhaps rain covers.

Unless an Ortlieb lover is riding your bike, that don't much matter

I've got some old Schwinn front panniers that are essentially identical to the Lone Peak fronts. Nothing wrong with them whatsoever.

Yeah. Definitely will be getting some seam sealer and rain covers. Overall, they do look great. Now that I have them, I can determine whether to get the Mill Creek (bigger) or Sundance (smaller) for the front.

But regardless of the extra maintenance issues and what-not, I read great things about the Lone Peak panniers and for me, they're locally made, so no complaints there.

I have a pair of older lone peak panniers; they have held up well over the years. They're a good design and well made.

They look great. I have Ortlieb classics- they are functional/ waterproof but kind of ugly. I must say I like the looks of the denier fabric ones better.

I don't know an Ortleib lover may see it and change their mind.

Put it on the bike and they look fabulous. Glad I went with the red instead of blue. Not that I'm fashion oriented

Sweet pannies! Looks really good on the bike too.

I'm just Ortlieb curious. I'll keep the Ortliebs in the back and the Schwinns up front

But I agree on the color scheme, I think the red and blue work well!

I've been using similar Lone Peaks for years....front, rear, handlebar and trunk. They've been on many tours in all kinds of weather. I use the rain covers and that seems to keep the water out. I love my Lone Peaks and all those pockets. In fact the red bags in my handle refer to my red Lone Peaks.

Try trash compactor bags inside instead--cheap and effective, not prone to abrasion. Also, consider that you might not need both to be waterproof. If your clothing and sleeping insulation fits in one bag, consider that one "dry" and let the other(s) get wet. My food bag, tool kit/spares, and tent can get wet, so I don't bother waterproofing that pannier.

Looks nice, I like my Ortliebs but yes, they don't have many convenient outboard pockets. Recently I saw an int'l tourist riding into DC with loaded 4-pannier set-up incl huge rear panniers w/rack-top section; at first I thought he was towing a trailer, heh. OTOH everything incl tent was stowed inside, very tidy & professional-looking.

I have same and love the red. Not sure why so many pannier come in such dark colors. Dangerous, but stylish?

I like the look!

But as an Ortleib lover, waterPROOF function reins, especially in the rain!

Yeah, I really debated the whole waterproof vs water resistant issue. Finally, I found a forum on here that really shed some light on the subject. It was from a few years ago, but really answered a lot of questions regarding both types.

My conclusion was either way, both types of bags will require some extra maintenance in some form and really, IMO, mooted my ultimate decision. Waterproof has its advantages, but at the same time has its downfalls. Likewise with the water resistant types.

Untrue: maintenance for Ortlieb = None. They are very sturdy and should last at least ten years or more, with no special attention. I have used several brands, and yes they all work, but again...no-worry-waterproof is king!

I agree; one sees so many bikers/runners etc wearing hi-viz clothing, makes sense to have hi-viz panniers but many models not available in safety green or orange.

In re waterproof panniers it's a nice feature but OTOH using a plastic bag liner isn't very difficult.

I was watching a video of a couple of touring riders. Recording was from behind and they had black panniers. You could not see pedaling motion, so nothing but black shape moving up a hill, on a curve, on what looked like a high speed roadway. Funny that some panniers have bright colors on the sides, but black front and back.

I usually put things in their own waterproof bags (those things that I want to stay dry like my sleeping bag). With fully waterproof panniers or like my waterproof backpack, the first morning when you stuff in your dew-wet or rain-wet stuff everything in there gets wet and the bag stays wet for days.

I have Ortliebs on all corners of my 520. I added the clip on mesh sack to one and the external roll top dry bag to the other. A little heave when empty and being waterproof adds piece of mind. I still put clothes and sleeping bag into dry sacks for organizing and just in case.