"simply avoid the rain" well said for someone who doesn't live in the pacific northwest. a 30 minute commute through a week-long torrential downpour left my panniers waterlogged to the brim. more than once. i'll take my chances with the waterproof bags i think
Fair! I just happened upon a VeloBin on FB Marketplace and might make another video about them. Essentially big Tupperware containers that are literally the most waterproof pannier ever!
You're lucky with that 30 minute rain weather, I'm used to the first drizzles often signaling the start of a couple of absolutetly soaked days of constant rain and all permeating moisture. If I see dark clouds when I'm about to head out I usually prep as if spending a weekend at the bottom of the atlantic ocean
I think it's better to have them, personally. For my needs. I like to bike in the rain, and for traveling via bike, i'd also say they're necessary. Even just the spray from wet roads will get the underside of a pannier wet. It's just such a nice thing to know once you seal them up, your stuff inside will stay dry. If you're worried about wet stuff inside, you could always add a grommet to the bottom, or something. Now if I lived somewhere where there was little to no rain, for sure i'd think differently :P
Even the cheapest panniers are "shower proof". But if you put a bog standard small bin bag that costs pennies over the top and secure it with string or a bungee cord or whatever, it makes it almost entirely rainproof even in a downpour. And yes, I am cheap and proud 👍😜 I can only think of a couple of times my cheap €10 each 20L shower proof panniers actually got soaked in five years. I got a bike poncho for myself and now keep a couple of those small white bin bags in the bottom of one of those panniers just in case. 99% of the time, if it's raining raining heavily I will delay or postpone anyway.
Excellent overview with some very good points (from the perspective of the daily commuter - which, I guess, is your primary perspective). I agree with what you say, but not as a long distance bike tourist. My "come to Jesus" moment came on a day when I was half way between Montreal and Ottawa. I got hit by a rain storm outside of Montebello ON, and ended up pushing peddles for 6 hours straight in the pouring rain all the way to Ottawa. The water resistant bags I had purchased from MEC (four in total) left everything I was carrying completely soaked. Bad times, to be sure. I have since used plastic bags and dedicated rain covers to help with this shortfall. But its a pain in the ass (sorry for the language). My advice to anyone planning to travel any distance exceeding a full days ride: buy waterproof, even the cheap stuff from China. By the way, I loved the dunking with the bucket of water you took at the beginning of this vid. Kudos!! Cheers from Montreal QC
That's completely fair! I'd say for "most people", they're fine but in your case with multi-day trips, yeah, rain covers or fully waterproof bags would potentially be a better idea haha! Thanks for the comment and thanks for the vote of confidence regarding the bucket of water - 'twas fun! 😂
I thought the same until I was in a 4 day trip in the Andes mountains in South America. At 14,000 ft high and almost freezing temperatures, we had 3 days of rain and when you need dry and warm clothes but everything is wet or moist you risk hipothermia.
Pro tip. Make rubber sheets out of inner tube tire rubber use super glue. Rubber is waterproof depending on your seams and insulates well. Its good for both heat and cold. Throw it over your pannier nad secure with a bungee. Clips or whatever diy options. Made some awhile back and find myself making more. Usually put eyelet grommets on the corners.
Here in the PNW it seems like most everyone was sold WP panniers. I was thinking more like you so didn't waste the extra cash. I did spray them with a can of waterproofing from the thrift store. Also I've seen people dissolve silicone in naphtha to WP cloth but so far it's not been a problem.
It does not work to put a phone in your pocket! I got stuck in the rain with my iPhone in my pocket and that was all it took to make wifi stop working. Apple store told me they do not repair phones that get wet, it was useless to me without wifi so was it was trashed. Don't know if data worked to access internet because I did not have phone service and relied on wifi to access internet and used Google Voice and Skype phone.
I think it’s good advice for most people. But, well. I go to school (30-40 minutes) whatever the weather is. I don’t have a waterproof bag so my paper gets all wiggly, but it’s still usable after I let it dry. And it’s a real tempest only a handful of times a year. I would not carry a laptop or important paper though, rain will absolutely go through and ruin it
"Here in Ontario, our rain goes in spurts"...Ya right. I live in Ontario. I bikepacked from a Friday morning to a Sunday evening. Left Friday morning and at noon it started to pour down. It continued to pour right into Sunday night. I am thankful I had my 6 years old waterproof panniers. Which I also used as hang bags for our food. I am also thankful for the extra tarp I dragged along.
I don't totally agreed with you on the waterproof pannier; nevertheless, the logic with the money part (cost more and less selection) and less compartments sounded.
I have an ebikeling pannier, water resistant. For $25, it's perfectly designed. I don't want pockets. Just 2 open spaces. Got caught in Fla torrents a couple times & everything inside stayed dry.
Yep! 100% odds! Living in Fake London right now and trying to get cycling to be more of a thing. I strongly believe that e-bikes are the best way to do this with just a sprawled out city 👍
Here I am on TH-cam trying to decide between several style of Ortlieb waterproof panniers when the algorithm serves this up. Great points! Mostly I want big enough capacity that I can get a decent haul of groceries home on my new ebike -- but I will likely not feel that motivated to grocery shop by bike when it's raining. :)
Very true, my votes for groceries are large panniers that are mostly square-bottomed. I grocery shop all the time with a combination of these panniers... And sometimes I've been rained on a little bit and yet "somehow" my groceries don't melt if they get a drop of water of them haha 😂
Everything depends on your usage of bike. If you drive local rides , going to grocery , using bike for basic recreation on sunny days , buy cheap and basic panniers. If you plan long rides , bikepacking , live in area where it rains a lot - just invest in fully waterproof panniers
My bags are water resistant and not water proof. I spray them every year. I use a 10 mil plastic bag inside. the type used for asbestos removable. they latterly last years. Of heavy use. In my 50 years of touring I have never had a problem of gear getting wet. For my phone and paper map I carry a "Stacher Bag(s)" brand name It functions like a zip lock but will last for thousands of reuse it is made of silicone, which is flexible glass and seals water tight. Over the years I have been caught on the road in one or two really bad rain storms and I don't recall having any wet gear. in my water resistant bags. When it is raining like crazy I try to get to shelter and out of traffic. If I'm lucky it is a cheese factory or a bar
Yep, I'll put a £2,000 musical instrument in a showerproof pannier bag and then ride in the rain ... that's a no, if you didn't realise. I suppose that's covered by "most people don't need one", but I wonder who "most people" are? I have other panniers, and baskets that I use for shopping, so it's not like my options are cut down by using one proper waterproof pannier just for the instrument.
Just get waterproof bags, it might not mean much for shopping trips and commute (though even then it might, especially depending on bag and weather). But for actual longer tips waterproof bags are absolutely necessary. And those waterproof bags are not really much more than regular ones, so why buy twice?
Pretty good summary. I use dry bags inside my normal pannier for important "must never get wet" items and the option of plastic bags is pretty good for most things. The cost of a coupe of dry bags is way less than say a single ortleib pannier. Having said that... ortleib make awesome gear!
Wrong Question.... Good Question would have been: Best panniers for Money? e.g. Ortlieb panniers last easily for over 20 years and you get spare parts...
Not really. Who is in torrential rain for only 4 minutes? Sustained rain even at low amounts will eventually soak everything in non-waterproof. What's more important - your laptop or some random TH-cam dude after clicks?
Sorry no offense, but I don't think it makes sense to compare a laptop and cellphone with a cardboard. maybe cardboard won't break when exposed to a little water, but electronics won't. just a little water into the laptop the consequences are fatal. in a country located in the tropics, rain can last for hours so sometimes it is impossible to wait for the rain to stop
Hold up, you're saying that I should have tested this out using 3 laptops and 3 phones? 🤣 And fair, I don't live in the tropics so rain comes and goes. If waterproof bags are right for you, get 'em! I just want people know that this is an option too :)
Ortileb are excellent and fully worth the money *if that's what you need*. Buying cheap panniers and then having to replace them is also expensive. Just be cautious with clickbait vids.
There is no one size fits all solution and you shoot your own idea in the foot by proving it only takes 4 minutes for water infiltration in 4 minutes average or less on breathable ones if you know your going to be wet waterproof is the only option. For daily carry commuter bags you want easy it's a no brainer with your click bait
That's exactly why I made this video: if you only get waterproof bags, you don't get to use other amazing ones! We love our grocery panniers and other ones but only need to swap out for something more water resistant.... Like 4 times per year haha. What you're saying is like "get a monster truck so that you can drive to work that ONE time when there's a huge snow storm... Even though no one else would show up so ya never needed to make it into the office anyway." Or something along those lines lol
Dude, there are cheaper brands than ortlieb 😑 but yea, whatever works for you is cool, just don't make it sound like you've single handedly made a world shattering discovery or something
@@BenDurham hahaha no, cleaning proper waterproof bag takes 20 seconds with microfiber and water no matter how badly it looks on the inside and outside. Try that with mud in cloth or synthetic material.
POV: company gives me a brand new pannier. Can't do the originally planned video (because of the "illness"), so I try to destroy the bag instead 😂
"simply avoid the rain" well said for someone who doesn't live in the pacific northwest. a 30 minute commute through a week-long torrential downpour left my panniers waterlogged to the brim. more than once. i'll take my chances with the waterproof bags i think
Fair! I just happened upon a VeloBin on FB Marketplace and might make another video about them. Essentially big Tupperware containers that are literally the most waterproof pannier ever!
You're lucky with that 30 minute rain weather, I'm used to the first drizzles often signaling the start of a couple of absolutetly soaked days of constant rain and all permeating moisture. If I see dark clouds when I'm about to head out I usually prep as if spending a weekend at the bottom of the atlantic ocean
Ouch! That's unfortunate. I guess SW Ontario's different in that way!
'Unless you need waterproof panniers for a specific purpose'
Yes. Purpose: Ireland.
Lol that'd do it!
I think it's better to have them, personally. For my needs. I like to bike in the rain, and for traveling via bike, i'd also say they're necessary. Even just the spray from wet roads will get the underside of a pannier wet. It's just such a nice thing to know once you seal them up, your stuff inside will stay dry. If you're worried about wet stuff inside, you could always add a grommet to the bottom, or something.
Now if I lived somewhere where there was little to no rain, for sure i'd think differently :P
That's fair! I recently picked up a VeloBin hard topped pannier for $15 for fun. 100% waterproof IS interesting haha
Even the cheapest panniers are "shower proof".
But if you put a bog standard small bin bag that costs pennies over the top and secure it with string or a bungee cord or whatever, it makes it almost entirely rainproof even in a downpour.
And yes, I am cheap and proud 👍😜
I can only think of a couple of times my cheap €10 each 20L shower proof panniers actually got soaked in five years.
I got a bike poncho for myself and now keep a couple of those small white bin bags in the bottom of one of those panniers just in case.
99% of the time, if it's raining raining heavily I will delay or postpone anyway.
Love to see/hear it! :P
So nobody's gonna talk about just putting a cheap raincover over them? You know, the kind you can buy for backpacks, it works absolutely flawlessly
TRUEEEEEE. I even have one that I've used a couple times this year for my pannier! Just forgot to include that option 😅
Excellent overview with some very good points (from the perspective of the daily commuter - which, I guess, is your primary perspective). I agree with what you say, but not as a long distance bike tourist. My "come to Jesus" moment came on a day when I was half way between Montreal and Ottawa. I got hit by a rain storm outside of Montebello ON, and ended up pushing peddles for 6 hours straight in the pouring rain all the way to Ottawa. The water resistant bags I had purchased from MEC (four in total) left everything I was carrying completely soaked. Bad times, to be sure. I have since used plastic bags and dedicated rain covers to help with this shortfall. But its a pain in the ass (sorry for the language). My advice to anyone planning to travel any distance exceeding a full days ride: buy waterproof, even the cheap stuff from China. By the way, I loved the dunking with the bucket of water you took at the beginning of this vid. Kudos!! Cheers from Montreal QC
That's completely fair! I'd say for "most people", they're fine but in your case with multi-day trips, yeah, rain covers or fully waterproof bags would potentially be a better idea haha! Thanks for the comment and thanks for the vote of confidence regarding the bucket of water - 'twas fun! 😂
I thought the same until I was in a 4 day trip in the Andes mountains in South America. At 14,000 ft high and almost freezing temperatures, we had 3 days of rain and when you need dry and warm clothes but everything is wet or moist you risk hipothermia.
I bought waterproof bags and then put a brass grommet through the center of the bottom of the bag as a drain hole
That splash alone deserved the thumbs up.
Haaah thanks! 'twas a was a blast to film 🤣
Pro tip. Make rubber sheets out of inner tube tire rubber use super glue. Rubber is waterproof depending on your seams and insulates well. Its good for both heat and cold. Throw it over your pannier nad secure with a bungee. Clips or whatever diy options.
Made some awhile back and find myself making more. Usually put eyelet grommets on the corners.
Great video. I’m sold. I like to pack using packing cells so I’m going to switch to dry bags. Thanks for the video.
I burst out laughing and scared my wife when you got hit with the water.
Haha we actually had to do TWO takes for this and this was the second one 😅 so I'm glad you two enjoyed!!
Here in the PNW it seems like most everyone was sold WP panniers. I was thinking more like you so didn't waste the extra cash. I did spray them with a can of waterproofing from the thrift store. Also I've seen people dissolve silicone in naphtha to WP cloth but so far it's not been a problem.
As you mention a plastic garbage bag is the answer to the problem.
Tada! I mean if you do live in a very rainy area, things might be different. But most people are riding in nice weather most of the time anyway 😅
It does not work to put a phone in your pocket!
I got stuck in the rain with my iPhone in my pocket and that was all it took to make wifi stop working. Apple store told me they do not repair phones that get wet, it was useless to me without wifi so was it was trashed. Don't know if data worked to access internet because I did not have phone service and relied on wifi to access internet and used Google Voice and Skype phone.
I think it’s good advice for most people. But, well. I go to school (30-40 minutes) whatever the weather is. I don’t have a waterproof bag so my paper gets all wiggly, but it’s still usable after I let it dry. And it’s a real tempest only a handful of times a year. I would not carry a laptop or important paper though, rain will absolutely go through and ruin it
Oh for sure, more people could go with this advice. But some need waterproof!
"Here in Ontario, our rain goes in spurts"...Ya right. I live in Ontario. I bikepacked from a Friday morning to a Sunday evening. Left Friday morning and at noon it started to pour down. It continued to pour right into Sunday night. I am thankful I had my 6 years old waterproof panniers. Which I also used as hang bags for our food. I am also thankful for the extra tarp I dragged along.
Not my experience here in London, Ontario. Sorry!
I don't totally agreed with you on the waterproof pannier; nevertheless, the logic with the money part (cost more and less selection) and less compartments sounded.
That's fair! Just my point and still stand by it after all these years. But different things for different people in different situations! :)
I have an ebikeling pannier, water resistant. For $25, it's perfectly designed. I don't want pockets. Just 2 open spaces. Got caught in Fla torrents a couple times & everything inside stayed dry.
What are the odds that both you and Not Just Bikes are from the same town (London). Or "Fake London" as he likes to call it.
Yep! 100% odds! Living in Fake London right now and trying to get cycling to be more of a thing. I strongly believe that e-bikes are the best way to do this with just a sprawled out city 👍
Here I am on TH-cam trying to decide between several style of Ortlieb waterproof panniers when the algorithm serves this up. Great points! Mostly I want big enough capacity that I can get a decent haul of groceries home on my new ebike -- but I will likely not feel that motivated to grocery shop by bike when it's raining. :)
Very true, my votes for groceries are large panniers that are mostly square-bottomed. I grocery shop all the time with a combination of these panniers... And sometimes I've been rained on a little bit and yet "somehow" my groceries don't melt if they get a drop of water of them haha 😂
Everything depends on your usage of bike.
If you drive local rides , going to grocery , using bike for basic recreation on sunny days , buy cheap and basic panniers. If you plan long rides , bikepacking , live in area where it rains a lot - just invest in fully waterproof panniers
Ya aren't wrong!
My bags are water resistant and not water proof. I spray them every year. I use a 10 mil plastic bag inside. the type used for asbestos removable. they latterly last years. Of heavy use. In my 50 years of touring I have never had a problem of gear getting wet. For my phone and paper map I carry a "Stacher Bag(s)" brand name It functions like a zip lock but will last for thousands of reuse it is made of silicone, which is flexible glass and seals water tight. Over the years I have been caught on the road in one or two really bad rain storms and I don't recall having any wet gear. in my water resistant bags. When it is raining like crazy I try to get to shelter and out of traffic. If I'm lucky it is a cheese factory or a bar
thank you so much for doing such a great experiment!
Glad you enjoyed the craziness! Cheers :)
Yep, I'll put a £2,000 musical instrument in a showerproof pannier bag and then ride in the rain ... that's a no, if you didn't realise. I suppose that's covered by "most people don't need one", but I wonder who "most people" are?
I have other panniers, and baskets that I use for shopping, so it's not like my options are cut down by using one proper waterproof pannier just for the instrument.
All's good! Just an opinion :)
Dude.. im so glad i watched this
Just get waterproof bags, it might not mean much for shopping trips and commute (though even then it might, especially depending on bag and weather). But for actual longer tips waterproof bags are absolutely necessary. And those waterproof bags are not really much more than regular ones, so why buy twice?
Answer: less variety and designs to choose from! If you _need_ waterproofing, definitely get waterproofed panniers!
This is pretty cool
Agreed!
Thank you 😊
Convinced! Thanks a lot
Woot woot! Get out there and bike! :)
Cleaning mud off the bag 'is' an issue.
I just wipe my panniers down every month or so. But if it's raining, that's a free bike + pannier wash! 😂
Damn those green tiles are so nice :)
Thanks! We have yet to Reno that bathroom haha
Pretty good summary. I use dry bags inside my normal pannier for important "must never get wet" items and the option of plastic bags is pretty good for most things. The cost of a coupe of dry bags is way less than say a single ortleib pannier. Having said that... ortleib make awesome gear!
0:10 AHAHAHAHAAHAH That was so unexpected 😅
Hahah we laughed WAAAY too hard throughout this entire shoot. Comes outta nowhere! 😂
한글로 내용을 적어주셨는데, 한국분들이 아무도 댓글을 달지 않았네요~!
영상 잘 보고 갑니다.^^.
좋은 영상 많이많이 만들어 주세요~~~~~~~~
아하~ 아니군요. 구글이 알아서, 자동번역을 해준 것이네요.
암튼, 어쩌니저쩌나, 좋은 영상 보고 갑니다.
Wrong Question.... Good Question would have been: Best panniers for Money? e.g. Ortlieb panniers last easily for over 20 years and you get spare parts...
Not really. Who is in torrential rain for only 4 minutes? Sustained rain even at low amounts will eventually soak everything in non-waterproof. What's more important - your laptop or some random TH-cam dude after clicks?
I'm still here after 10 years with laptops that have never died so 🤷♂️ you do you and I'll do me. Go make a reaction video of this if you'd like lol
Ok so move to Ireland and we'll review your video
Me gusto tu video,GRACIAS
Thats why you need a water proof bag, any water on electronics are a disaster, no matter how little
I'll let you know when one of my electronics finally dies. 10+ years and still zero!
Pan-yays 🤣
Pan YAYs!
You deserve way more views man. Thanks
Thanks! Glad you think so - I'll keep on posting regularly :)
Sorry no offense, but I don't think it makes sense to compare a laptop and cellphone with a cardboard. maybe cardboard won't break when exposed to a little water, but electronics won't. just a little water into the laptop the consequences are fatal. in a country located in the tropics, rain can last for hours so sometimes it is impossible to wait for the rain to stop
Hold up, you're saying that I should have tested this out using 3 laptops and 3 phones? 🤣
And fair, I don't live in the tropics so rain comes and goes. If waterproof bags are right for you, get 'em! I just want people know that this is an option too :)
Great information. You convinced to me go for panniers that are half the price of the usual suspects (Ortleib) that are plenty good enough.
Glad to hear it! I know Ortleibs have their place... but for "most people", you're fine without them 🤷♂️
Ortileb are excellent and fully worth the money *if that's what you need*. Buying cheap panniers and then having to replace them is also expensive. Just be cautious with clickbait vids.
Hi
Hello
There is no one size fits all solution and you shoot your own idea in the foot by proving it only takes 4 minutes for water infiltration in 4 minutes average or less on breathable ones if you know your going to be wet waterproof is the only option. For daily carry commuter bags you want easy it's a no brainer with your click bait
You're right, there is no one size fits all! You do you and I'll do me 🍻
@@BenDurham I'm not the only calling you out for your click bait crap test and passive aggressive issues 😂 how about you do it right and not wrong
stop.....saying.......pannier!
Hahaha what's the proper way of saying it?
just get ortlib panniers they save your day if it rains, that simple, don;t waste money on other brands all are garbage
That's exactly why I made this video: if you only get waterproof bags, you don't get to use other amazing ones! We love our grocery panniers and other ones but only need to swap out for something more water resistant.... Like 4 times per year haha.
What you're saying is like "get a monster truck so that you can drive to work that ONE time when there's a huge snow storm... Even though no one else would show up so ya never needed to make it into the office anyway." Or something along those lines lol
Dude, there are cheaper brands than ortlieb 😑 but yea, whatever works for you is cool, just don't make it sound like you've single handedly made a world shattering discovery or something
But I did 😜 jk but was just trying some stuff out.
Try cleaning waterproof vs normal bag, they arent that expensive now and the comfort is waaaay better
Cleaning both seems just fine?
@@BenDurham hahaha no, cleaning proper waterproof bag takes 20 seconds with microfiber and water no matter how badly it looks on the inside and outside. Try that with mud in cloth or synthetic material.
@@szolekxxx aaaah I see whatcha mean! The funny thing is I never wash my panniers so... Whoopsies 🤣
@@BenDurham I'm hoping you are cleaning your drivetrain haha
@@szolekxxx yep! Once every two months or so 😅