sknhgy 

I plan on doing some overnighters as soon as the weather warms up. I've been looking at the Axion waterproof panniers. They sell a medium - 1500 cu. in. and a large - 2000cu. in.
Although I won't be carrying a lot of stuff for a 2 or 3 day trip, I was thinking of getting the large panniers. I figure it's better to have them too big rather than too small. And maybe I could get everything in them, including my sleeping bag and tent.

Anyone have any words or wisdom about this?
Thanks

nun

One of the mantra's of ultralight backpacking is to reduce weight, first reduce the volume of your pack. So it might be good to look for smaller panniers as this will force you to pack less and I bet you'll enjoy the tour more with less on the bike.

cyberpep

Hi sknhgy, I agree that smaller panniers will make you pack lighter but if you are like me I perfer to put everything in the panniers both for security and to keep dry. When I go loaded touring and are camping I use 2600 cu in on the rear and 1700 cu in on the front, I am able to store everything in my panniers out of sight and dry. I hate to bungee things on the bike. I find that if I am camping that it doesn,t matter if I am going for 2 days or 2 weeks I still take the same amount of stuff. You didn,t mention what kind of bike you are using or if you are using 1 or 2 racks (front and back). If this is your first tour then you will pack different the second time around, every tour is a learning experience. My suggestion would be go with the large panniers and go have a good trip so that you will want to go on a second tour.

JamieCompos

Get the big panniers. You'll be glad to have the extra room.

I agree that smaller panniers can motivate you to travel more lightweight, but touring and backpacking are two different things. On a tour you have access to all sorts of stores and places where you can pick up any manner of things you may wish to carry along. Weight is less of a factor on a bike, especially if the primary activity is overnighters, as opposed to a long haul.

staehpj1

I prefer smaller panniers front and rear. I think the notion of having everything in the pannier to keep it dry is a two edged sword. I prefer to have a wet tent on the outside so the rest of the stuff in the pannier stays dry. Also no need for a dry bag for the tent. It is rolled up with the waterproof bottom on the outside so it stays dry on it's own. Unfortunately it stays wet too but that is the case inside or outside of the pannier.

That said, there is no right or wrong on this. Go with what works for you.

BTW: I agree that long tour or short tour you take about the same amount of stuff. I wouldn't eliminate much if anything from the list of stuff I carried on the TransAmerica if I were going for a few days.

robow

I say go with the larger ones as 2000 cu. in. really isn't all that large. I'll bet you won't have much if any room left over.

sknhgy 

Thanks. I'm going to get the large.

knatchwa

panniers - depending on the route I would guess ... and if it is pure backwoods or camp to camp. I use relatively large panniers currently but am looking at the lightweight more and more. Depends on how it goes good time of the season for touring.