Across Canada by Bicycle

Touring Bicycle Panniers

Saddle Bags and Carrying Cargo

Since the days of travelling by horse and ox, people have been using saddle bags or panniers to move gear, equipment and supplies with them. The basic premise is to have bags attached to the sides or behind the saddle of whatever paticular mode of transportation is being used. One of the major advantages of saddle bags is easy access to supplies. Rather than unloading a packed cargo trailer it is much easier to simply undo a zipper or set of clips and get access to whatever is needed.

Bicycle panniers usually have rigid backing so they can be mounted to a special frame located on most touring bikes. It is possible to get these frames for both the front and back wheels of the bike and usually the rear frame has a flat surface on top for an accessory bag. Front panniers typically have different attaching mechanisms than rear panniers, although some manufacturers make universal bags.

What to look for in a set of Panniers

If you are planning a long distance cycling touring and are interested in bicycle panniers as your cargo carrying system of choice, then you should look for panniers that meet the following criteria:

  • Panniers should be large enough to carry all the major survival equipment you will be carrying during your bike tour. Pannier capacity is measured per pair of saddle bags, so for instance, a 46 Litre set of bags will have two bags which can each hold 23 Litres (approx 5 Gallons). Long distance loaded cycle tourists should look for panniers with a capacity of at minimum 40 Litres.
  • Are the Panniers water proof? No bags are entirely water proof but a cycle tourist should look for durable, water sealed canvas bags with a good set of overlapping flaps for keeping heavy rains out.
  • Some panniers can be converted to a back pack on a moments notice. I have never seen this in action but I think it could be pretty useful when shopping or doing other non-biking activities.

As a side note, bunjee cords are extemely useful when using saddle bags and for any number of other things.

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