Pannier Options
Alright! So right now I am rolling with some Thule panniers which are shit. They're heavy and annoying in a lot of ways, probably why they stopped making them. Oh well.
Two three basic wants: carry a laptop for commuting, grocery shopping, and paved touring. So let's compare. My laptop is 0.98" x 14.21" x 10.16", so I'll need that much space to work it out. Fitting the laptop isn't necessary, but I'd prefer to just get one set of panniers.
Basically going to rule out Ortlieb here because I don't like their attachment systems. Which pretty much leaves Arkel. But I guess for completeness sake, I'll include them here. Let's get started with the Thule's, so I know what I'm up against.
They're no longer made, so REI and Outdoor Gear Lab will have to source the specs. They cost $120/ea ($240 set), carry 27L/ea (54L set), and weigh 3lb 3oz ea (6lb 6oz set). The commuter pannier carries 18L and weighs 3lb 5oz.
Ortlieb Back-Roller Classic have some neat advantages: lots of colors and I can buy them at REI. They can carry 20L each and weigh 4lb 3.1oz for the set. $190. Dimensions are 16.5" x 12.6" x 6.7", which handily fits the laptop.
Let's look at Arkel's touring line up now. I'm only going to list their biggest entries, but the smaller ones are reasonable choices too.
Arkel Orca 45 are $209 and weigh 5.5lb for the pair. Removing the internal cradle gets that down to 4.56lb for the pair. You get 45L of storage. The maximum dimensions are 17.5" x 13.5" x 6.75", but it narrows down to 9.5" wide at the bottom - this probably disqualifies it from commuter . The removable cradle provides a bit of extra body to the bag, but not a huge amount. There's a single zip pocket on the front.
Arkel Dolphin 48 are $259.99, a high price. But they're 4.8lb and have huge storage capacity, with a lot of features. They're 19" tall, 13" wide, 8.5" deep at the bottom (6" at the top). They have side pockets and a second front compartment. That fits the laptop! They're a bit bulky on the bottom, which means that they might get me some heel strike.
Arkel T-42 'classic touring panniers' are $259.99, like the Dolphins, but are 5lbs and only 42L of storage. They're zipper closure instead of roll-top, which is interesting - top loading panniers can be annoying at times. The dimensions are solid -- 11" wide at the bottom, 13.25" wide at the top. The height of the main compartment is 14.75", and it's 7" deep. This doesn't fit my laptop, so they're out.
Arkel XM-45 are their "bikepacking" panniers, and true to trend, they're super expensive at $299.95. 45L is a huge amount for bikepacking, and I'm not sure why they exist, to be honest, or what makes them "bikepacking" friendly. They weigh 5.45lbs and have the same mounting system as their other panniers. They have side/front access, which is nice.
The GT-54 bags come in at a staggering $420, 6.6lbs, and 54L of capacity. There's a huge array of features, but to be honest, I'm just not interested in that price or size.
Back to sanity, we have the Arkel B-40 panniers, at $165/pair. They weigh 3.7lb and carry 40L of gear - the best numbers on the list! They don't have much in the way of features and are zipper-closure. Not advertised as waterproof, a rain cover is recommended for that. Also they don't have the CamLock system. With ranges from 10.5" to 13.5". They're 14.5" tall and 7" deep. Probably not going to fit the laptop.
Arkel's commuter panniers are more expensive. Let's get into them.
The Signature V has a volume of 28L, weighs 2.9lbs, and costs $170 each. It's V for Vertical. It has a bunch of commuter niceties, notably padded carriers, no lower hook and bungie, and extra handles for using it like a shopping bag. It's 15" tall, 8" deep, and 12" wide, and according to Arkel's website, it fits the laptop.
The Signature H is very similar to the Signature V, but it's horizontal. It comes in at 16" wide, 12" tall, and 6.5" deep. This one definitely fits the laptop. It has the same weight, but only carries 24Lof stuff.
The Commuter Urban Pannier costs $189 and looks nice. It carries 23L of stuff and weighs 2.6lbs, but it definitely is made for laptops! It's weather resistant, not waterproof, and does not come with a raincover.It sits 17" tall, 6" deep, and 12" wide. My laptop should fit, with a bit of other volume left over.
The Metropolitan is $200, but has more volume (25L) and consequently heavier (2.8lb) than the Commuter.
I regret the Orca 45s. I wish I'd gone with the Dolphins. The Orca 45's round bottom and lack of features isn't worth the reduced weight, IMO. They're not great for groceries and they're a bit unstructured for good bike touring.
Two three basic wants: carry a laptop for commuting, grocery shopping, and paved touring. So let's compare. My laptop is 0.98" x 14.21" x 10.16", so I'll need that much space to work it out. Fitting the laptop isn't necessary, but I'd prefer to just get one set of panniers.
Basically going to rule out Ortlieb here because I don't like their attachment systems. Which pretty much leaves Arkel. But I guess for completeness sake, I'll include them here. Let's get started with the Thule's, so I know what I'm up against.
They're no longer made, so REI and Outdoor Gear Lab will have to source the specs. They cost $120/ea ($240 set), carry 27L/ea (54L set), and weigh 3lb 3oz ea (6lb 6oz set). The commuter pannier carries 18L and weighs 3lb 5oz.
Ortlieb Back-Roller Classic have some neat advantages: lots of colors and I can buy them at REI. They can carry 20L each and weigh 4lb 3.1oz for the set. $190. Dimensions are 16.5" x 12.6" x 6.7", which handily fits the laptop.
Let's look at Arkel's touring line up now. I'm only going to list their biggest entries, but the smaller ones are reasonable choices too.
Arkel Orca 45 are $209 and weigh 5.5lb for the pair. Removing the internal cradle gets that down to 4.56lb for the pair. You get 45L of storage. The maximum dimensions are 17.5" x 13.5" x 6.75", but it narrows down to 9.5" wide at the bottom - this probably disqualifies it from commuter . The removable cradle provides a bit of extra body to the bag, but not a huge amount. There's a single zip pocket on the front.
Arkel Dolphin 48 are $259.99, a high price. But they're 4.8lb and have huge storage capacity, with a lot of features. They're 19" tall, 13" wide, 8.5" deep at the bottom (6" at the top). They have side pockets and a second front compartment. That fits the laptop! They're a bit bulky on the bottom, which means that they might get me some heel strike.
Arkel T-42 'classic touring panniers' are $259.99, like the Dolphins, but are 5lbs and only 42L of storage. They're zipper closure instead of roll-top, which is interesting - top loading panniers can be annoying at times. The dimensions are solid -- 11" wide at the bottom, 13.25" wide at the top. The height of the main compartment is 14.75", and it's 7" deep. This doesn't fit my laptop, so they're out.
Arkel XM-45 are their "bikepacking" panniers, and true to trend, they're super expensive at $299.95. 45L is a huge amount for bikepacking, and I'm not sure why they exist, to be honest, or what makes them "bikepacking" friendly. They weigh 5.45lbs and have the same mounting system as their other panniers. They have side/front access, which is nice.
The GT-54 bags come in at a staggering $420, 6.6lbs, and 54L of capacity. There's a huge array of features, but to be honest, I'm just not interested in that price or size.
Back to sanity, we have the Arkel B-40 panniers, at $165/pair. They weigh 3.7lb and carry 40L of gear - the best numbers on the list! They don't have much in the way of features and are zipper-closure. Not advertised as waterproof, a rain cover is recommended for that. Also they don't have the CamLock system. With ranges from 10.5" to 13.5". They're 14.5" tall and 7" deep. Probably not going to fit the laptop.
Arkel's commuter panniers are more expensive. Let's get into them.
The Signature V has a volume of 28L, weighs 2.9lbs, and costs $170 each. It's V for Vertical. It has a bunch of commuter niceties, notably padded carriers, no lower hook and bungie, and extra handles for using it like a shopping bag. It's 15" tall, 8" deep, and 12" wide, and according to Arkel's website, it fits the laptop.
The Signature H is very similar to the Signature V, but it's horizontal. It comes in at 16" wide, 12" tall, and 6.5" deep. This one definitely fits the laptop. It has the same weight, but only carries 24Lof stuff.
The Commuter Urban Pannier costs $189 and looks nice. It carries 23L of stuff and weighs 2.6lbs, but it definitely is made for laptops! It's weather resistant, not waterproof, and does not come with a raincover.It sits 17" tall, 6" deep, and 12" wide. My laptop should fit, with a bit of other volume left over.
The Metropolitan is $200, but has more volume (25L) and consequently heavier (2.8lb) than the Commuter.
I wrote this post a looong time ago. I ended up getting the Arkel Orca 45 pair and a Signature V pannier.
I love the Signature V, but I do wish it had a mounting attachment on the bottom. I feel awful when I have a laptop in there and the bag swings out and slams in to the rack.
I regret the Orca 45s. I wish I'd gone with the Dolphins. The Orca 45's round bottom and lack of features isn't worth the reduced weight, IMO. They're not great for groceries and they're a bit unstructured for good bike touring.
Comments
Post a Comment