WANTED Suggestions for GOOD LARGE WATERPROOF Panniers

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(re. waterproof and more durable) Nope. I didn't find them to be. The RockBros are truly solidly constructed, and there's no way water is getting inside once they are rolled up, same as an Ortlieb.
I was comparing them to my Topeak fold-down panniers, not the Rockbros. The Topeak are well-made, but not heavy-duty. Regular zippers that would let heavy rain through and just treated nylon fabric. They're kind of a gusseted envelope shape, (for easy folding) instead of a proper box shape like proper panniers would be.


(Re. Topeak MTX)
I can't imagine why anyone would buy a proprietary bag like that. So many better options for both the rack, rack trunk and panniers.
The way it slides on and off quickly and easily and latches sturdily in place. It's wonderful, very easy to bring in with me, nothing left on the bike that might be stolen. Bontrager has something similar, but it's more expensive, of course. Comes with a shoulder strap, so it's easily carried while out on foot too.

I use it about 70% of the time just as an expandable trunk bag; lunch box for work or a small item or two picked up at the grocery store on the way home. It's the right size for a 6-pack and about 5 oranges before being expanded. When my eyes are bigger than my trunk bag, I just fold a pannier out. Or when I need two bags + change worth of shopping, they're perfect, of course.



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I had a set of these (link below) and gave them to a friend. They were actually really good. Not convenient to take off the bike (at all) but if they remained a permanent resident on the bike, they were fifty bucks well spent.

Thanks for the link. I'll save it in case I want something with external pockets and a bit more capacity, once I've tried these "rubber Ortliebs".
 
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Thanks for the link. I'll save it in case I want something with external pockets and a bit more capacity, once I've tried these "rubber Ortliebs".
If you've got the Ortliebs on order, I doubt you'll look any further. They are everything they are cracked up to be. Just expensive and not particularly big, although you can get quite a bit more out of them by not rolling them up fully. Just flip them down and over once and you have a lot more room. The RockBros do the same thing. Put a garbage bag inside the pannier as a liner and you get your waterproofing back.
 
On the subject of panniers, but OFF the subject of waterproof and large, I noticed this convertible backpack one that seems interesting. Watching the video, it only straps down on the lower part on one side, but it seems so convenient for lighter-duty trips, and looks like a proper backpack when off the bike!

 
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I think there's a way you can convert an Ortlieb to a pack. The regular Back Rollers have shoulder straps, too. Maybe you can get a strap, or the backpack thing.

edit: Here it is. REI sells them.


I'm all over that! Thanks!

I could even get two, and have my wife carry one when we're off the bikes.

Edit: this product has mixed reviews (of the three provided) on REI's website.
 
Bags came in today. They STINK bad! Hope the smell goes away, I think it will over time. They are decent looking just smaller than expected.
As to the size they are only 12 inches wide. If they are flattened out and stretched you might get the 18.89 inches they claim in the advertisement. The material is thinner than expected but the quality looks okay so far. I'll likely try and post pictures with measurements at a later date. In my opinion the advertisement appears to be intentionally misleading while skating legality. Just my $0.02
 
They shouldn't stretch at all. The material should be like some kind of vinyl. Can you stuff them with a pillow and set them on your rack so we can see some scale?

This is a pic of the 27L bags and I literally had a pillow in each front bag. The big back bags each had a sleeping bag inside.

img_20200327_123453[1].jpg


I was donating it all and realized I would likely never have another chance to picture the bags all puffed out like this. I would expect your bags to be a little taller than this but otherwise the same width and depth.
 
Pillow great idea and timing! THANKS!!!!! From front to back the bags are 6-6.5" thick, at the top 18ish inches from the bottom they are about 12.5 across and of course they get smaller / narrower at the bottom.
 
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