Pannier size for an 8 day tour

I'm looking for some advice on pannier size for touring. I've been searching the various groups and
have found alot of great information on the type of panniers that would work best. I'm not sure
about what size I will really need.

I'll be touring on a Tandem which has a carbon fork. This means I can't use front panniers. I was
really interested in the Ortleib and there bigs ones hold 2440 cu in. My next choice is Jandd, which
make some really hugh bags. I believe their biggest comes in at around 6800 cu in. I don't want to
overdo things and end up with 100 pound bags.

Can anyone share an experience or two on this subject?

Thanks, Joe

 

I've been researching racks and panniers for two singles instead of a tandem. However, if your
tandem has cantilevers, you might be able to run a front rack using one of the Old Man Mountain
racks (mounts to front skewer and brake bosses). That way you'd be able to balance out your load a
bit more. Just a thought.

As far as panniers, i'm still looking, but Arkel and Ortleib both look good to me. That said, i'm
sure you'll get more experienced replies, esp. on the issue of size.

--Dolan

"JMG" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I'm looking for some advice on pannier size for touring. I've been searching the various groups
> and have found alot of great information on the type of panniers that would work best. I'm not
> sure about what size I will really need.
>
> I'll be touring on a Tandem which has a carbon fork. This means I can't use front panniers. I was
> really interested in the Ortleib and there bigs ones hold 2440 cu in. My next choice is Jandd,
> which make some really hugh bags. I believe their biggest comes in at around 6800 cu in. I don't
> want to overdo things and end up with 100 pound bags.
>
> Can anyone share an experience or two on this subject?
>
> Thanks, Joe

 

"JMG" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I'm looking for some advice on pannier size for touring. I've been searching the various groups
> and have found alot of great information on the type of panniers that would work best. I'm not
> sure about what size I will really need.
>
> I'll be touring on a Tandem which has a carbon fork. This means I can't use front panniers. I was
> really interested in the Ortleib and there bigs ones hold 2440 cu in. My next choice is Jandd,
> which make some really hugh bags. I believe their biggest comes in at around 6800 cu in. I don't
> want to overdo things and end up with 100 pound bags.
>
> Can anyone share an experience or two on this subject?

Well, are you staying in motels or are you camping? Do you expect to spend a day or more away
from sources of food and water? What will the weather be like on your tour? How much stuff do you
like to carry?

All of these things will determine what you will bring and how much cargo room you need. If you are
camping and fully self-supported, I think you are making a mistake using a tandem that will not
accept a front rack (if that is indeed the case). You will need to put all of your weight in bar
bags and your rear panniers. This is not an optimal set up. You probably will need the largest (or
larger) rear bags since both of you will be allocated one rear bag apiece.

I found that there often is very little difference betweeen packing for an 8 day tour or a three
month tour. For me, the difference was in tool selection and spare parts, camera/film/photo-mailer
bags (probably not a big issue if you go digital), fuel containers (stove choice) -- and clothing to
a degree, although depending on when and where you ride, you may need both warm and cold/wet weather
clothes even on a short-ish tour.

With that said, I ran into a guy riding across the U.S. who was perfectly happy with a handlebar bag
and all of his clothes stuffed into his sleeping bag stuff-sack. No rear panniers. I rode with him
in the Ozarks where it was warm even in the rain, and I don't know what he did in the Cascades or
the Blues when it was cold and often wet. -- Jay Beattie.

 

In article <[email protected]>, JMG <[email protected]> wrote:
>I'm looking for some advice on pannier size for touring. I've been searching the various groups and
>have found alot of great information on the type of panniers that would work best. I'm not sure
>about what size I will really need.

You don't need big ones for an 8 day tour. But if you want to do longer tours you may as well
get big ones.

>I'll be touring on a Tandem which has a carbon fork. This means I can't use front panniers.

Get a handlebar bag.

> I was really interested in the Ortleib and there bigs ones hold 2440 cu in. My next choice is
> Jandd, which make some really hugh bags. I believe their biggest comes in at around 6800 cu in. I
> don't want to overdo things and end up with 100 pound bags.

That seems really large. I have done 3-week tours with a lot less pannier capacity (combined for
two people).

Also, keep in mind the first rule of backpacks which is that all available capacity will be filled.
That is a bad thing.

--Paul

 

[email protected] (JMG) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I'm looking for some advice on pannier size for touring. I've been searching the various groups
> and have found alot of great information on the type of panniers that would work best. I'm not
> sure about what size I will really need.
>
> I'll be touring on a Tandem which has a carbon fork. This means I can't use front panniers. I was
> really interested in the Ortleib and there bigs ones hold 2440 cu in. My next choice is Jandd,
> which make some really hugh bags. I believe their biggest comes in at around 6800 cu in. I don't
> want to overdo things and end up with 100 pound bags.
>
> Can anyone share an experience or two on this subject?
>
> Thanks, Joe

Check out LanceRushing.com Pannier comparison

ED

 

On Thu, 10 Apr 2003 10:01:14 -0400, JMG wrote:

> I'm looking for some advice on pannier size for touring. I've been searching the various groups
> and have found alot of great information on the type of panniers that would work best. I'm not
> sure about what size I will really need.
>
> I'll be touring on a Tandem which has a carbon fork. This means I can't use front panniers. I was
> really interested in the Ortleib and there bigs ones hold 2440 cu in. My next choice is Jandd,
> which make some really hugh bags. I believe their biggest comes in at around 6800 cu in. I don't
> want to overdo things and end up with 100 pound bags.
>
> Can anyone share an experience or two on this subject?

Anything beyond 3 days means you're going to be washing your clothes. Once you get to that point,
your load levels off. If you're camping you're going to need to carry a lot more than if you're
staying in hotels, motels or B&Bs: bedding, cooking gear, tent, etc., and you'd better rethink
carbon forks & no front panniers. Finally, that pannier on that tandem needs to carry two
people's gear, not one. How much pannier do you & your partner _need_ to carry 3 days worth of
clothing & sundries?

 

"JMG" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> I'm looking for some advice on pannier size for touring. I've been searching the various groups
> and have found alot of great information on the type of panniers that would work best. I'm not
> sure about what size I will really need.
>
> I'll be touring on a Tandem which has a carbon fork. This means I can't use front panniers. I was
> really interested in the Ortleib and there bigs ones hold 2440 cu in. My next choice is Jandd,
> which make some really hugh bags. I believe their biggest comes in at around 6800 cu in. I don't
> want to overdo things and end up with 100 pound bags.
>
> Can anyone share an experience or two on this subject?

1. You might ask the touring cyclist list; the archive is http://catfood.phred.org/query.asp
and there are some tandem tourists there. This is a very friendly list and they will be
pleased to help.

2. It helps to lay it all out just to see how much space it takes up, maybe using roughly
pannier-sized cardboard boxes. After all, a cubic inch is pretty much a cubic inch -- maybe allow
10% extra or so for the fact that you may not be optimally packing each morning and/or the fact
that the manufacturers might be a little generous in their assessment of cubic inches.

3. If you can't get a front pannier, you probably will at least want a handlebar bag. Arkel makes an
elegant one (just be careful it works with your lights).

4. Racks are points of failure. The welds come apart, the bolts unscrew or shear, etc. A rack that
breaks under load -- and it will never break any other time -- is a real pain. Be sure you get a
tough enough rack.

5. You only have to pack enough to make it through your laundry interval.

 

Thanks everyone for your input. My plan for now is to use a service to transport my luggage between
towns I stay. This will be my first bicycle tour so I'm not sure what to expect. I want to purchase
a set of panniers, because I'll want to carry some things with me, even though I won't be carrying
luggage, however, I want to purchase panniers that will work for future tours I plan to do on my
own. I doubt I will need to fit camping gear, but you never know. The big panniers by Jannd look
awfully sloppy from the pictures I've seen. The ortleib still looks the best and the most durable.

I don't believe I'll be away from food sources for more than a day and wouldn't need to carry
much besides a few snacks and energy drinks. My stoker is most concerned about a place for her
hair dryer!

I like the idea of the 3 day clothing rule. It makes sense. I was looking at Tubus racks and Old Man
Mountain. They seem to be the better ones

I was told by the guy I bought the bike from that Carbon forks will be a problem with front
panniers. I'll be trying to get more information on why.

Joe G

 

[email protected] (JMG) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Thanks everyone for your input. My plan for now is to use a service to transport my luggage
> between towns I stay. This will be my first bicycle tour so I'm not sure what to expect. I want to
> purchase a set of panniers, because I'll want to carry some things with me, even though I won't be
> carrying luggage, however, I want to purchase panniers that will work for future tours I plan to
> do on my own. I doubt I will need to fit camping gear, but you never know. The big panniers by
> Jannd look awfully sloppy from the pictures I've seen. The ortleib still looks the best and the
> most durable.
>
> I don't believe I'll be away from food sources for more than a day and wouldn't need to carry
> much besides a few snacks and energy drinks. My stoker is most concerned about a place for her
> hair dryer!
>
> I like the idea of the 3 day clothing rule. It makes sense. I was looking at Tubus racks and Old
> Man Mountain. They seem to be the better ones
>
> I was told by the guy I bought the bike from that Carbon forks will be a problem with front
> panniers. I'll be trying to get more information on why.
>
> Joe G

Basically, you generally don't want to clamp things onto carbon tubes that weren't made to be
stressed that way (yes, carbon steerers get clamped by stems, but that's part of the design). Nor do
you want to drill holes through them.

Premature at this stage, but if you find you like touring, you might want to have someone make you a
steel touring fork with full braze-ons.

As to pannier size, a highly relevant consideration is how big YOU are. If you wear a 46 Extra-Long
and size 13 shoes, you'll probably need more capacity.

Peter Storey

 

I toured for two weeks in France last summer with just a Carradice saddle bag full of stuff and was
perfectly happy (my bike and saddlebag were all of my luggage for the trip). Did a week-long tour
with the same setup in 2000, also had plenty of stuff.

Having lots of storage space just encourages people to take stuff they don't need. A lot of touring
can be done with minimal stuff, depending on whether you want to camp or if you're venturing across,
say, the Sahara. IMHO less stuff on the bike means a better tour.

Here's a couple of packing lists for tours carrying 15 lbs or less of stuff:

http://www-math.science.unitn.it/Bike/Countries/Europe/#Packing_Lists

And a nice article about a light-loaded camping trip:

http://milly.org/rambouillet/

 

A couple of important points :

- Get compression bags, so you can stuff more clothes in a tight space. Very good for warm clothes
you only need once in a while.

- Prefer paniers that have external pockets, expecially meshed ones : handy for maps a small stuff
you can reach without dismounting.

On my first longish tour (10+days) I ended up mailing back a few lbs of stuff back home
after 2-3 days.

Weight will make a difference on hilly terrain, but hardly any on the flat.

Regards,

Antoine

JMG <[email protected]> wrote:

> I'm looking for some advice on pannier size for touring. I've been searching the various groups
> and have found alot of great information on the type of panniers that would work best. I'm not
> sure about what size I will really need.
>
> I'll be touring on a Tandem which has a carbon fork. This means I can't use front panniers. I was
> really interested in the Ortleib and there bigs ones hold 2440 cu in. My next choice is Jandd,
> which make some really hugh bags. I believe their biggest comes in at around 6800 cu in. I don't
> want to overdo things and end up with 100 pound bags.
>
> Can anyone share an experience or two on this subject?
>
> Thanks, Joe

--
Antoine Gautier

 

Yo, dude, I'm gonna throw you a curve. Think seriously about a trailer instead. I've used many
panniers and worn some out. Always seems like you're having to mess with something - packing,
unpacking, stuffing, strapping, trying to find that deeply buried aspirin bottle. The very reason I
never enjoyed self-contained backpacking. Too much hassle!

I was at the Sea Otter classic today, and Yakima had a booth. They have a beautiful little trailer
for luggage. Quick release fastener binds to the rear hub. My trailer is much, much older, but I've
used it, just like panniers. And,I'd probably pick the trailer over panniers. If it were as light
and mobile as the Yakima job, that probability would go way up.

As for using panniers, you've got plenty of good advice in other answers - bigger w/compression
straps, use front AND rear, etc. Oh, keep the handlebar pack for light loads, and make sure that
your panniers fit your feet with plenty of clearance.

Good riding to ya! Spoking

[email protected] (JMG) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I'm looking for some advice on pannier size for touring. I've been searching the various groups
> and have found alot of great information on the type of panniers that would work best. I'm not
> sure about what size I will really need.
>
> I'll be touring on a Tandem which has a carbon fork. This means I can't use front panniers. I was
> really interested in the Ortleib and there bigs ones hold 2440 cu in. My next choice is Jandd,
> which make some really hugh bags. I believe their biggest comes in at around 6800 cu in. I don't
> want to overdo things and end up with 100 pound bags.
>
> Can anyone share an experience or two on this subject?
>
> Thanks, Joe

 

That's an interesting tip I never thought of, however, the first thing that came to mind is "One
more thing to get on the plane". The panniers would travel more like luggage. I think flying with a
Tandem will be tough enough!

Joe

[email protected] (spokin) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Yo, dude, I'm gonna throw you a curve. Think seriously about a trailer instead. I've used many
> panniers and worn some out. Always seems like you're having to mess with something - packing,
> unpacking, stuffing, strapping, trying to find that deeply buried aspirin bottle. The very reason
> I never enjoyed self-contained backpacking. Too much hassle!
>
> I was at the Sea Otter classic today, and Yakima had a booth. They have a beautiful little trailer
> for luggage. Quick release fastener binds to the rear hub. My trailer is much, much older, but
> I've used it, just like panniers. And,I'd probably pick the trailer over panniers. If it were as
> light and mobile as the Yakima job, that probability would go way up.
>
> As for using panniers, you've got plenty of good advice in other answers - bigger w/compression
> straps, use front AND rear, etc. Oh, keep the handlebar pack for light loads, and make sure that
> your panniers fit your feet with plenty of clearance.
>
> Good riding to ya! Spoking
>
> [email protected] (JMG) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> > I'm looking for some advice on pannier size for touring. I've been searching the various groups
> > and have found alot of great information on the type of panniers that would work best. I'm not
> > sure about what size I will really need.
> >
> > I'll be touring on a Tandem which has a carbon fork. This means I can't use front panniers. I
> > was really interested in the Ortleib and there bigs ones hold 2440 cu in. My next choice is
> > Jandd, which make some really hugh bags. I believe their biggest comes in at around 6800 cu in.
> > I don't want to overdo things and end up with 100 pound bags.
> >
> > Can anyone share an experience or two on this subject?
> >
> > Thanks, Joe

 

For a tanden, since you will be carrying for two, I would recommend small to mediun sized panniers
AND a trailer, such as a B.O.B. Yak. This will keep a lot of the weight off the bike frame itself
and improve your overall stability.

Especially sincy, as you say, you cannot balance the load between front and rear.

May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear for the hills! Chris

Chris'Z Corner "The Website for the Common Bicyclist": http://www.geocities.com/czcorner