Bags and Panniers

What is the difference between panniers and bikepacking bags?

Panniers hang from a rack and carry weight on hooks, which gives you rigid capacity — a typical rear pair holds 35 to 45 litres — and lets you lift the whole bag off at the end of a ride. Bikepacking bags strap directly to the frame, bars and seatpost, so they fit bikes with no rack mounts and stay narrow enough for singletrack, but hold less and are slower to pack. Loaded weight is the deciding factor. Above roughly 10kg, panniers ride better; for a light, fast two-night trip on a bike with clearance problems, soft luggage wins. Ortlieb Back-Roller panniers and Apidura seat packs sit at opposite ends of that trade-off.

How do I choose between waterproof and shower-resistant?

Fully waterproof bags use welded PVC or TPU-laminated fabric with a roll-top closure and no seams to leak through — this is the Ortlieb approach, and it is the right one for a British winter commute where the bag lives outdoors. Shower-resistant bags use coated nylon with stitched seams and a zip, often with a pull-out cover; they are lighter, easier to pack because they open flat, and fine if the bike is mostly garaged. Waxed cotton, as on a Carradice saddlebag, sheds rain well for years but needs re-proofing and will wet out in a sustained downpour.

What should I check on a used pannier?

Start with the mounting hardware, because that is what goes missing. Each pannier should have both upper hooks with intact inserts sized to your rack tube, plus the lower hook or elastic that stops it swinging off over a pothole — replacement hook kits exist but are fiddly to source for older models. Unroll the bag fully and hold it up to the light: welded seams fail at the corners and along the fold line where the roll-top has been creased in the same place for years. On stitched bags, check the seam tape inside for peeling. Zips are the other common failure — run each one twice and look for a slider that no longer closes the teeth behind it. Shoulder straps, buckles and rain covers are frequently absent, so confirm what is included, and check the back panel for abrasion where a heel has been clipping it.

How does a bar bag differ from a basket?

Both put load in front of you, but a bar bag clamps to a bracket, comes off in one movement and usually has a rigid back panel with a map pocket or a zipped lid, so valuables stay contained on and off the bike. A basket is open-topped, fixed, and carries awkward shapes a bag cannot. Bar bags do put weight on the steering, so anything over about 3kg noticeably slows the handling — this is why touring setups tend to keep the heavy items in the rear panniers and leave the bar bag for a camera and a jacket. Both mount in the same place as a bell, so cable routing and bar space are worth thinking about together.

Is a used pannier worth buying?

Yes, more than most cycling kit. Welded waterproof panniers have no moving parts beyond the hooks and routinely last twenty years, so a faded but sound pair at a third to a half of retail is good value, and fading itself is cosmetic. Waxed cotton saddlebags are similar — they can be re-proofed and the leather straps replaced. Pay less for anything with a broken zip, a missing hook insert or delaminating seam tape, since those repairs are rarely worth the effort. Buy new when you need a specific mount to match a rack or bar you already own, when a warranty on the waterproofing matters for daily commuting, or when the used price has crept past about two-thirds of retail. The rest of the bike accessories section covers the racks and hardware these bags attach to.