Author Topic: Panniers. Waterproof or non waterproof?  (Read 15770 times)

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Offline CanvasAndSteel

Re: Panniers. Waterproof or non waterproof?
« Reply #15 on: March 27, 2019, 11:12:54 am »
I only buy waterproof bags. Tried water resistant bags and covers; nuisance, and never completely protected contents. Condensation only happens if you put wet things inside bag; waterproof fabric keeps outside moisture out, inside moisture in. Have little trouble finding things inside bags; everything is organized; toiletries in one small bag; kitchen utensils in another, etc.

Not nitpicking, but this is what I don't get.  If people are going to use bags to separately organize things--and most do--why not just make those bags dry bags and not worry about whether the panniers themselves are waterproof?  Please understand, this is not a "You're doing it wrong, you should do it my way" post.  I'm just trying to understand the thinking behind waterproof panniers.

Offline BikeliciousBabe

Re: Panniers. Waterproof or non waterproof?
« Reply #16 on: March 27, 2019, 03:31:45 pm »
I only buy waterproof bags. Tried water resistant bags and covers; nuisance, and never completely protected contents. Condensation only happens if you put wet things inside bag; waterproof fabric keeps outside moisture out, inside moisture in. Have little trouble finding things inside bags; everything is organized; toiletries in one small bag; kitchen utensils in another, etc.

Not nitpicking, but this is what I don't get.  If people are going to use bags to separately organize things--and most do--why not just make those bags dry bags and not worry about whether the panniers themselves are waterproof?  Please understand, this is not a "You're doing it wrong, you should do it my way" post.  I'm just trying to understand the thinking behind waterproof panniers.

Personally...Because not everything is goes in separate bags before getting packed in my panniers. In fact, very little of my stuff does. Toiletries and meds go in one separate bag. My Kindle along with paper cue sheets and any other pieces of paper I want to make absolutely certain stay dry have their own bag. Everything else goes in either the main compartments of my Ortlieb Packers or their limited internal and external subcompartments/spaces.

To me, it's more of a PITA to have to open and close individual bags to get stuff. I organize my stuff by bag. My cooking at eating equipment is all in my right front pannier. Off-bike clothes and sleeping bag in the right rear. Riding clothes in the left rear. Sleeping pad, pump, papers and Kindle, off-bike sandals and certain other items in my left front pannier.  The right rear external pocket holds specific items that I will almost certainly only need while in camp (e.g., Kindle and phone chargers). The left rear external pocket holds items that I may need to access while on the road, such as sunscreen. I am consistent with my distribution so I always know which pannier something is in and where in each pannier it is.

And maybe I am abnormal in this way, but it's not like I have numerous clothing items that need to be separately segregated so I can find them. For example, for around camp I've got a long sleeve shirt, a short sleeve, a couple of pair of underwear, one pair of convertible pans, one pair of warm socks and a hat. Riding clothes consist of two jerseys, two bibs, two pair of socks, arm and leg warmers and a few items of other foul/cold weather gear. I have a harder time finding stuff in my dressers at home when I am packing than when I am actually out on the road. One of the reasons I like touring: The simplicity due to lack of clutter.

Offline dkoloko

Re: Panniers. Waterproof or non waterproof?
« Reply #17 on: March 28, 2019, 12:46:08 pm »
I only buy waterproof bags. Tried water resistant bags and covers; nuisance, and never completely protected contents. Condensation only happens if you put wet things inside bag; waterproof fabric keeps outside moisture out, inside moisture in. Have little trouble finding things inside bags; everything is organized; toiletries in one small bag; kitchen utensils in another, etc.

Not nitpicking, but this is what I don't get.  If people are going to use bags to separately organize things--and most do--why not just make those bags dry bags and not worry about whether the panniers themselves are waterproof?  Please understand, this is not a "You're doing it wrong, you should do it my way" post.  I'm just trying to understand the thinking behind waterproof panniers.

In the first place, everything I have in bags is not in waterproof bags. Secondly, everything is not in bags (sorry for that confusion); small things I might have trouble finding are in bags; rest not. Even when I was using bags that were just water resistant, I found using number of waterproof bags inside was a poor way to go; easier I found was to use one stout waterproof liner to protect all; better yet was to just use waterproof panniers, which is what I am doing.
« Last Edit: March 28, 2019, 12:55:42 pm by dkoloko »

Offline John Nelson

Re: Panniers. Waterproof or non waterproof?
« Reply #18 on: March 28, 2019, 01:06:39 pm »
I put a few things in inner bags, but not many. E.g., it's useful to have your toothpaste and toothbrush in the same bag because you always need them together and you don't want to spend time to find them separately. But most of my things do not go in inner bags. When I want a clean pair of socks, I just want to reach in and grab them--I don't want to have to open up some other bag to get to them.

For things that do go in bags, I like easily-opened clear bags like Ziploc. But note that Ziploc bags are not really waterproof. They will keep water out for a while, but I wouldn't count on them in an all-day rain. Truly waterproof bags do not open easily and quickly--they require fiddling.

Offline CanvasAndSteel

Re: Panniers. Waterproof or non waterproof?
« Reply #19 on: March 28, 2019, 01:36:20 pm »
I put a few things in inner bags, but not many. E.g., it's useful to have your toothpaste and toothbrush in the same bag because you always need them together and you don't want to spend time to find them separately. But most of my things do not go in inner bags. When I want a clean pair of socks, I just want to reach in and grab them--I don't want to have to open up some other bag to get to them.

For things that do go in bags, I like easily-opened clear bags like Ziploc. But note that Ziploc bags are not really waterproof. They will keep water out for a while, but I wouldn't count on them in an all-day rain. Truly waterproof bags do not open easily and quickly--they require fiddling.
Yeah, it really does come down to preference and habit. After a few thousand miles and scores of canoe trips, I'm just used to bagging everything, so that's what I continue to do. There are very few things I will need to pull out of a pannier during the day, and since I almost always know ahead of time what they will be, I make them easily accessible. Everything else is needed only in camp, so by and large my bags are just emptied and filled, meaning it doesn't take much fiddling.

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Offline hikerjer

Re: Panniers. Waterproof or non waterproof?
« Reply #20 on: March 29, 2019, 09:48:43 pm »
Color coded stuff sacks are your friend.
« Last Edit: March 30, 2019, 06:45:04 pm by hikerjer »

Offline BikeliciousBabe

Re: Panniers. Waterproof or non waterproof?
« Reply #21 on: March 30, 2019, 03:16:20 pm »
I put a few things in inner bags, but not many. E.g., it's useful to have your toothpaste and toothbrush in the same bag because you always need them together and you don't want to spend time to find them separately. But most of my things do not go in inner bags. When I want a clean pair of socks, I just want to reach in and grab them--I don't want to have to open up some other bag to get to them.
Exactly. Toilet items go in a Zip-Loc because when I head to the bathhouse I am likely going to be using several items in that bag so they are all in one place and in something I cary carry easily in one had. But when I need a riding kit in the morning, I just reach inside my one big compartment and pull out the necessary items. It's not a game of hide and seek.

Offline CanvasAndSteel

Re: Panniers. Waterproof or non waterproof?
« Reply #22 on: March 30, 2019, 03:54:10 pm »
I put a few things in inner bags, but not many. E.g., it's useful to have your toothpaste and toothbrush in the same bag because you always need them together and you don't want to spend time to find them separately. But most of my things do not go in inner bags. When I want a clean pair of socks, I just want to reach in and grab them--I don't want to have to open up some other bag to get to them.
Exactly. Toilet items go in a Zip-Loc because when I head to the bathhouse I am likely going to be using several items in that bag so they are all in one place and in something I cary carry easily in one had. But when I need a riding kit in the morning, I just reach inside my one big compartment and pull out the necessary items. It's not a game of hide and seek.
You all are dead set on "one right way for everyone," aren't you?

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Offline hikerjer

Re: Panniers. Waterproof or non waterproof?
« Reply #23 on: March 30, 2019, 06:49:09 pm »
That's hardly what the responders are saying at all. The folks are just responding to the op's question.  I think most people would appreciate their experience and advice whether they follow it or not. That's how you make informed decisions.  If you don't like their advice, then don't take it. Simple as that.  No one has said it's the only way.