Pannier recommendations

[uforgot]

My goal this year is to ride EVERY day to school. A short commute. I just re-purchased a Trek 7.2 FX with fenders and a rack as a commuter. I'd like recommendations on panniers. I used the grocery panniers on my fx I sold last year. If I'm going to be riding in the rain, snow, sleet and gloom of short days, I don't think the grocery/open top pannier is going to work. Anyone have a pannier they can recommend? Thanks.

[salsabike]

Ortliebs get us all the way through rainy winters here--waterproof, durable, etc.

[uforgot]

Ortliebs get us all the way through rainy winters here--waterproof, durable, etc.

I went to Wallbike.com and looked at Ortleib. I need pretty easy access. Did you use any particular one? Thanks for your quick response!

[salsabike]

We have the Bikepacker, because the ones you roll up take too long to get into! I agree; that really matters to us too. In the Bikepackers, things stay totally dry but the panniers open fast with a couple of clicks and a drawstring. Piece of cake, honest.

[divingbiker]

I asked the same thing last November and someone else asked it in June, and most people seem to like Ortliebs.

I have the Backroller, and I don't find them hard to get into at all. When it's not raining, I don't put the outside strap on, so you just have to click open one buckle to get into them. Highly recommended.

[makbike]

I would recommend Brushwhacker panniers. I have a set of their Yukon panniers and love them.

[SR500]

We like Arkel panniers Good quality and value.

http://www.arkel-od.com/specs.asp?fl=1&site=

[KnottedYet]

I have Ortlieb Backrollers. Faster to get into than my old REI panniers. Very waterproof, and they hold a ton of stuff.

See a lot of Ortliebs here in Seattle.

[RoseC]

I *just* got some Ortlieb Back Rollers (as in they arrived yesterday afternoon), so I can't officially promote 'em yet. ;-) But they do seem to be the most common model here in the Pacific Northwest. I see a lot of people using them here in Olympia, and if they aren't truly waterproof, they wouldn't make it here! And they come in nice colors. I was super tempted by the bright yellow, but decided the red goes better with my bike. I'm so vain...

The attachment system appears to be solid, though I'm still figuring out the little hook at the bottom... And though you do have to roll the top, it's pretty quick, and I like the fact that if I ever get the sudden urge to do a grocery run with 'em, I can always leave them unrolled and open...they'd hold gargantuan amounts that way. That isn't an option with the Packers (the other style of Ortlieb panniers, which might be a bit easier to access on the fly, I dunno).

I'm planning to run some errands later - get dirty clothes from work, check the bike shop for the new county map which apparently has been out for a few months without my knowing it , and check out a portion of one of our newer trails. Some of the way is pretty bumpy, so I'll have the chance to see how these things stay on! Hopefully I have 'em attached right...

[KnottedYet]

the hook at the bottom is for the shoulder strap. You can leave the shoulder strap attached to the two clips at the rolly-top and slip it thru the hook. Then it can also act like a compression strap.

I don't bother, I usually flip the strap into the rolly-top on days I use the shoulderstrap to carry the pannier (like onto the bus).

[RoseC]

Ah, OK! That makes sense. A little fiddly for me - I think I'd just stick the strap inside, like you do.

My one complaint so far is that the instruction sheet that comes with 'em is one of those international comic strip style instruction sheets, with pictures of how to put everything in place. I've never been good at interpreting those. I want words!

[uforgot]

Thanks for all of your responses. You've given me a lot of types to check out and I appreciate it. I like what everyone has been saying about the Ortliebs. Being able to leave them open like a grocery pannier really appeals to me. I'm going to check on those at Rei.