[Closed] Are there any cheapish panniers close to Ortlieb quality ??

I've got a Sahoo one, came from eBay IIRC, but I think they are on Amazon too. Never owned an Ortlieb one to directly compare, but I'm impressed with this one. The only thing that feels a bit flimsy are the clips that hold the roll top down. Not hard to replace with better ones if they break.

I use a pair of Rhinowalk 25L waterproof bags that were £25 each from Aliexpress. The bags themselves seem very good quality, but I have broken the plastic mounting clips so wouldn't recommend them. Not sure if aftermarket mounts are available, I made my own.

I have Altura Night Vision and some Axiom for tourer and town bike, neither have ever let me down. Not done silly river crossing or the like mind. Both sets at least a decade old, so you likely won't get exact models now.

Have some Tioga ones Google tells me now branded Azur? Bomb proof well used and look same as day bought and water proof only downside is you have to positively flip 2 x clips on each bag to clip in rack not just pull the handle

I used some £10-15 ones for years on my commute they never let me down I just kept my stuff in a bin bag inside the pannier.

I did want some ortlieb ones but couldn’t afford it

Vaude are a bit cheaper but not familiar with their line. Have a couple of their stuff and it's good.

Someone one here just bought the ortlieb fixings for a pannier and used them on some cheap dry bags. Fixings are very reasonable. It's the welded waterproof bags that are expensive.

If you put everything in a dry bag before you put your stuff in a pannier you don't really need a waterproof pannier.

Having said that, my ortlieb panniers are 20 years old and still going strong and I'd only ever replace them with ortlieb panniers.

Vaude is excellent - I've always said I'd buy their stuff if I ever wear out my Carradice panniers (only 25 years old so still breaking them in).

Ortleibs are very good. Bought them in 2003. Used for shopping, a bit of commuting and a few tours. Unfortunately one has a small leak (a couple of pin sized hole in the bottom -probably put a heavily loaded pannier down on some rough or prickly surface).

It's probably fixable just not worked out the best method yet.

I had another brand - Agu- that seemed to fall apart fairly catastrophically mid tour. I would avoid them!

The Thule ones seem to be pretty good, not sure they go as big as you want though.

My financee got a cheap Raleigh set with a commuter bike and they've worn through at the bottom after a couple of years. The clips are also both awkward to use and not very secure. It confirmed my belief I'll only ever buy Ortlieb in the future (and sadly I do need to replace mine as it got nicked 🙁 ).

I've got a cheap pair from Decathlon. They're pretty basic, but they are waterproof and have lasted well. I'd buy them again in a heartbeat.

I had some Altura that just went moudly at some point after a few years use, most odd. The Ortlieb I have used since has been fallen on dropped and generally abused. It could be improved with more/larger internal pockets and a more comfortable shoulder strap, but it has never let water in and does it's job very well.

depends what your doing with em.

riding to work - what ever is convenient to clip on + off and put the insides in a bin bag.

touring ... less so .

Nothing ruins a long distance trip like a burst pannier.

Most of what i've seen that i would trust on a trip is spendy - i ended up with 2 sets of altura orkney 56s for Dryline Trade price - that was 12 years ago when i cycled round NZ over 3 months

they have since been to work and back for a few years over Canada , highlands and islands - Id buy again - but would i pay RRP against ortliebs.... unlikely.

Facebook marketplace - Ortileb and similar come up regularlly.

I am sporting a pair of Thule ones, bought 'used once' but still with tags on 🤷🏽‍♂️ for £40 the pair, posted to me.

Having said that, my ortlieb panniers are 20 years old and still going strong and I’d only ever replace them with ortlieb panniers.

Yup. I know they're expensive, but they really do last. In 18 years of daily cycle commuting, I've worn out one.

I actually bought some back rollers off somebody on here about 10 years ago . He said they were rather worn but was only asking £20 posted. I took a punt and well ..10 years on and 3 times weekly usage , often full, and they're as good as the day I got them . All that was needed was a couple of patches and I bought some new hooks but have never needed to change them . Love them tbh!

Bill, i have been using these for about 10 years.
i had ortlieb prior, which broke.
these are far cheaper and a load better.

https://www.cyclesense.co.uk/m60b0s734p13926/CROSSO-Dry-60L-(Pair)-Rear

I have some Agu ones from PlanetX, been excellent so far but only limited use (were only £20 about 5 years ago).

Ortlieb panniers are good, but their robustness comes at the cost of weight. I use lighter roll tops such as Altura Arc to save weight. They are also cheaper. Ortlieb are for a round the world cycle without the bother of having to replace the panniers half way. I bet lighter cheaper panniers are more right for most people.....if they chose their pannier by logic and not marketing.

Spa Cycles have the Carradice Carradry welded ones on offer for £69 a pair.
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m5b5s74p762/CARRADICE-CarraDry-Rear-Panniers

I noticed Decathlon do two levels of the waterproof pannier - the cheaper one is only rated for occasional use rather than touring.

I bet lighter cheaper panniers are more right for most people…..if they chose their pannier by logic and not marketing.

By the time I've loaded my panniers up with a laptop, waterproofs, lunch, etc, then loaded them on to my sturdy commuter bike, it would be fair to say that the weight of the panniers themselves is completely trivial.