Hey Y'all,
There has been a few posts related to making your own panniers. I just posted some directions on how to make my own design of panniers and thought I would let everyone here know. They are a little different, but very effective, at least for me. I do not have any plans to go commercial but will not rule out the possibility of doing it someday, so let me know what you think of my design. I realize that most people will point out that there are not compartments but coming from backpacking, two compartments seem better than one, IMO. The directions are at the bottom of the list under "accessories", #12 Bike panniers.
http://www.backpacking.net/makegear.html
Scott Shurlow

interesting...do you have anymore pictures? i'm curious to see more angles of the finished product, especially since i think you mentioned that you'd added a different hook system.

also, do you have an idea of the volume of these panniers...or what panniers they'd compare to?

thanks for the info

I think Rixen and Kaul pannier fittings are probably the easiest to use in home construction. Rivetted through a corrugated plastic stiffener they are light, strong and quick to remove.
A lot of different pannier companies (inc Carradice) use them.

Michael... That is pretty cool. Unfortunately the prices are in euro's so it would seem that a North American supplier would be much easier for all of us on this side of the pond. I also love the Arkel hooks and if I ever attach hooks, it would probably be them. They are a simple two bolt attachment as well, so it seems just as easy. Actually, the webbing was better than I thought it would be. Not as easy as a hook system but secure and lighter weight. They also require that you place them correctly the first time, since there is no adjustability asside from ripping them out and reattaching them.
Mshattuck... I mentioned you could use a different attachment system but did not on my pair. More pics can be found on my photobucket site (along with a buch of other crap) http://photobucket.com/albums/y23/tbdesigns/ The pair in those pictures are my first pair and are saddle bags with a different stuff sack. They are a touch smaller as well. I realy don't know the volume of these. Maybe they are 1000 cu in each wich puts them in line with a front pannier. I liked the adjustable lid, which makes them very expandable. Granted, I pack small, but they are as big as I need them for an overnighter and beyond. When you make things yourselft, you can make them as big or as small as you like. I have never used or owned a factory built pair, so I can not compare them to anything.
Scott

Pretty cool. Nice job Scott. I'm sure you have seen this post: http://www.kenkifer.com/bikepages/touring/bags.htm. I've been considering making my own as well. I do have a set of old Cannondales for some internal framework.

Yup, nice work.