any advice on a pannier rain cover wouuld be appreciated....thks

use the raincover when it's raining.

yore welcome!

Or don't use them and instead put everything inside plastic bags inside the panniers.

Depending on size, throw a plastic grocery/shopping bag over them (of a large enough size) to tie off in the back/bottom.

Looks are secondary....

I had mine custom sewn .. one covweered top rack load + the 2 panniers, front ones had a flap covering side map pockets,,


Or buy waterproof bags and no covers needed.. Now My Ortlieb bags see a lot of grocery carrying ..

the compartmentalized ones were better on the tour..




..

Rain covers are not needed if you use high quality waterproof panniers, like Ortlieb for example.

yes, high dollar waterproof bags would be ideal, but alas i am poor.....i wonder if a waterproof treatment like scotchguard would do the trick ?

thks for all the replies ......except for saddlesores

Is your location actually Costa Rica? That sounds like the kind of rain that will soak through a DWR treatment on non-waterproof cloth.

If the budget won't stretch to new Ortlieb, you could look for used Ortlieb on ebay etc. Or Alibaba has plenty of vinyl-constructed panniers, I saw some for US$25. Yes buy once cry once, but that's 1/6th the price of new Ortlieb in USA

The scotch guard is only as good as the coverage and thickness... alas, a can doesn't last forever. The guard does weather and deteriate with time. I have a used pair of Axiom waterproof (25usd) I've been using for years, and a pair of cloth Blackburns with seemingly waterproof innards, but only used once on a good day, and plan to throw plastic bags around them if ever needed. My back rack luggage bag (Topeak) I have thrown a plastic bag over when needed and plenty happy.

Scotchguard would not provide adequate protection from rain. Likely a waste of money.

Low budget solution: Like indyfabz wrote above in #3 , I would put everything in waterproof bags inside panniers. Slider-lock style freezer bags would probably work, available in quart, 1 gallon and 2 gallon volumes. Dry bags are more durable and more expensive initially, but possibly cheaper than disposable freezer bags in the long run.

https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-...-goods/3414201

I bought Water resistant Tioga bags that have built in rain covers in the top flap. I wanted those bags as they had an extra bottle holder and separated compartments as well. It was $100 for all 4, from an LBS, and have been quite happy with them without the covers and light rain, and with the covers, in heavy rain. The rain covers are also yellow, so help in wet weather for being seen. You can also get decent waterproofing spray containers, better then S...... guard and lasts longer if you look around..

will check out all those suggestions, yeah i figured scothguard would be too good to be true

fourfa, yes i live in costa rica but i have not been able to fly home since march. airports closed due to corona. they are scheduled to open july 1st but there are strict quarrantine rules in effect and i am not going to put my family through that. so turn your lemons into lemonade right ? gonna do the co canal when i get off my ship july 2ndish

At one point in the past I used some inexpensive panniers with covers. They worked fine. The fact that they were high visibility was a nice plus.

I have also used inexpensive roll top waterproof panniers and liked them better, but they were not high visibility. Their on sale cost at Nashbar or Performance wasn't much more than a set of covers would probably cost. I tend to like the fact that they have one big compartment some may like the other style with a lot of pockets and compartments.

So to be clear, this is to use when you are able to make it back to gringolandia?
where are you in ticoland? Im very familiar with the country and region, hence my gringo joke..

there are of course purpose built rain covers, but going from your posts, plastic bags in panniers are probably your easiest option.
or pop over to Guapiles and snag some blue banana bunch covers (that's a joke)
aren't you the guy asking about a rear rack on a road bike? If so I don't know how you'd source a streamliner, import duties on bike stuff are high in cr, not to mention no flights.

if you go the bags in pannier route, go with thickest bags you can get, less holes ripping in them chances

I do this even though I have waterproof Ortliebs. Keeps everything organized and easy to see what is in the bag

This is my solution also. Plastic bags weigh almost nothing and are cheap. I don't use ordinary trash bags which are easy to tear. I use trash compactor bags which are tough and last a long time.

Plastic trash compactor bags inside the panniers. Ultralight hikers have been doing this for years. They are very durable and waterproof, and cheap.

ok, trash bags it is. or trash compactor bags as suggested . thks guys....

also i just bought this pannier rain cover on amazon for $12.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 complete crap i am sure but maybe will help. i figure the more prepared i am for rain the less likely it will be to rain.

djb, yes this is to be used in the u.s. for a co canal trip. in answer to your query i live in santa anna c.r. as you probably know it is in the suburbs of the capital san jose. it was never my dream to live in the burbs, but when the wife starts cloning herself you gotta go to where the schools are. yes the banna bags in guapiles and siquieres might work. thks for the shout out

Rain covers, 1999 style.

Just to be clear, I’d suggest gallon (or larger) ZipLoc bags as the plastic bags over just one large plastic liner. They are tougher and more organized. I have bags that have traveled over 10,000 miles in panniers and are scuffed, of course, but they are still in good shape.

Mentioned in catalog there are compartmentalized organizer insert bags for Ortlieb panniers now..

I also recommend the large zip lock bags. We've used them before for clothes etc inside a non waterproof duffle bag, and as cycco rightfully points out, they are pretty darn tough and seal well. It's been so long since we've bought them I don't recall the price or anything, but they are great tough bags. Having wet clothes is a drag.

just to be clear, are you saying that you'll buy and receive this stuff in cr or get it in the states?

I've used these for several trips in the muck and rain. No leaks yet. Either in my pannier or bungy directly to my rack. Even when not wet I use one for my dirty clothes. I always have ziplock bags too.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Outdoor-P...y-Bag/10928125

As someone mentioned, just use supermarket bags to organise your stuff and keep everything dry. Rain covers are not needed.

missed your query before. yes i will be receiving this stuff in the states. in fact i have it in hand now. its pretty cheapo (basil rain cover) but i figured that for the price. fits surprisingly well. plan rto follow the ziplock-plastic bag-garbage compactor suggestions as well

thanks to all for their help