Ortlieb Regular vs. Plus Fabric

[jckid]

I'm planning to buy a set of Ortlieb panniers.  I was going to go with the Roller Classic's, but I noticed that they are now available in the new "Plus" fabric.  Now I can't decide whether to go with the regular or plus.  Is the plus fabric worth the extra money?  Does the plus fabric look better?  The regular fabric seems like it would be easy to clean after a tour.  I'm wondering if the plus fabric would be as easy.  Also, the plus panniers come with their new, supposedly "improved" hook system. Is it that much better than the original system.  Anyway, any feedback from those of you that have had experience with either model would be appreciated.

[MassLiberal]

I got the plus simply because it was lighter.

[adventurepete]

I have the regular bags and I have nothing but good to say about them. On a tour through the Yellowstone and Teton area we had a full day of rain, slush and snow. My buddy had to fuss with rain covers which did not keep the contents completely dry. Everything in my bags stayed dry! The bags which were a mess cleaned up with a quick rinse after the day of pain was over.
I like the heavy duty fabric, they have taken a lot of abuse and still look new. The bags go on and off the racks so easily I don't see how they could improve things.


Travel Safe.  Peter Campbell

[mike_khad1]

I own the Plus Packers and never had the top rollers. My perception is that the top rollers are probably more waterproof than the plus packers I have. However, as silly as this will sound, I prefer the plus fabric just based on appearance. Additionally, it is waterproof enough for my needs.

[litespeed]

I got the Classic Ortlieb panniers after a very rainy 10,000 mile tour around the country in 2004 with Bruce Gordon panniers. I liked the panniers but got thoroughly sick of fooling with rain covers. I used the Ortliebs on the 5000 mile loop from my home in Florida here to Utah and back this spring and summer. They worked great - very well designed and convenient. I recently replaced my battered Jandd handlebar pack with the standard Ortlieb model. Next year it's Mexico here I come.

[Dan]

I started wtih the back rollers classic and have since gotten the front roller plus.   I like the fabric better on the plus but have pros and cons with both mounting systems.  The water profness is eually good in my opinion and both are easy to fix in case of small holes.  The classics have done the n. tier and the GDMBR while the plus's have just done the GDMBR.  I found on the rough dirt roads the top mounting hooks on the classics were a bit tighter on the old man mountain rack than the top mounting hooks of the plus's were.  The plastic mounting clips on the plus's actually started to eat away at the aluminum on my rack with  constant jarring/vibration so I had to use electrical tape on repeated occasions to help protect the tubing.  With the classics this was not the case.  The lower mounting hook ate away at the rack with both kinds of  panniers but tape at that end worked too.  Has anyone else had this problem on off road trips?  The fabric of the plus did stain when covered in mud for many days but mine are black and I don't mind the mud stains.  The classics fabric is more plastic like and won't stain as easily but weighs a bit more.  If I bought another set of panniers I'd go with Ortliebs sport packer Plus due to the fabric, mounting, weight, and I think it might be easier to open/close than the roll tops.