dhb/wiggle panniers

clynmor

hi there

has anyone used/bought dhb elsted panniers
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/dhb_E ... 360030464/

or if anyone can comment on them at all,

they dont state the volume but the dimensions equate to 25litres,
but probably 20 litres comparing to other bags and their dimensions,

would these panniers be suitable to long distances?

i dont think they are waterproof but would using a liner or waterproofing them work?

thanks
carolyn

andymiller

dhb stuff has a pretty good reputation and usually seem to get good reviews.

It depends a bit what you mean by 'suitable for long distances'. If you mean are they durable the answer is probably more than enough to last for a few thousand miles. If you mean 'are they big enough?' the answer depends on what you're planning on carrying: they would be good enough for long distance touring with a tent if you carry the tent on top of the rack. if you need to carry food and water then you'd need front panniers as well. You will probably need a backpack or bar bag as well.

They should come with rain covers and you could waterproof them by lining the bags with heavy-duty polythene ('rubble') bags. But if you are worried about waterproofness why not check out these. The pictures of the orange ones look pretty horrible but they also come in black.

alfablue

If you are after paying as little as possible the DHB's you link to are probably unbeatable at the price. As andymillar says, using rubble sacks inside will provide the waterproofing you need (I used panniers with rubble sacks for years toll I got my Ortliebs). Rain covers don't usually work well enough as damp usually gets in on the inside face of the pannier, nearest the wheel, where the rain cover doesn't go.

The DHB's that andymillar links to would be better (and I quite like the orange, nothing like a bit of extra visiblility). I have the DHB bar bag which is made from this fabric which seems very strong and is completely waterproof. It is certainly nicer not having to use rubble sacks. The fittings (hooks) are not as good as on pricier panniers as it requires the catches to be released individually, but this is not a great drawback.

For the ultimate in durability, waterproofness and ease of use, there are the Ortlieb Back Roller Classic, but they are £70 - they would last you many years, however.

clynmor

cheers for the replies

planning on a 1000 mile round journey in scandinavia,
would definately be travelling light as have i wont have front panniers,

the other panniers that you've linked to look great,
its just the extra £20 -£40 i'm just not sure about

i've calculated that they are probably about 40-45 litres in size
and hope that this will be adequate

will it??

andymiller

clynmor wrote:

cheers for the replies

planning on a 1000 mile round journey in scandinavia,
would definately be travelling light as have i wont have front panniers,

the other panniers that you've linked to look great,
its just the extra £20 -£40 i'm just not sure about

It's worth paying more - buy cheap buy twice as they say. There's nothing worse than cycling in heavy rain and then finding your panniers aren't as waterproof as you thought (in my case I was left thinking 'why the heck didn't I just buy Ortliebs?'). Good panniers should last a long long time.

clynmor wrote:

i've calculated that they are probably about 40-45 litres in size
and hope that this will be adequate

will it?

It's a bit of a 'how long is a piece of string?' question. I've travelled for a month with a pair of 2x20 litre panniers. (with the tent on top of the rack and a backpack). But I wasn't carrying food and only a Jetboil, you may want to carry more.

You can get 56 litre panniers but, fully loaded they are very heavy. I would get 2x20 litres and then if that isn't enough, reduce how much you are carrying or get front panniers.