Touring Tuesday - Bike with Panniers

Arkel bags are great for touring

I found this photo out on Pinterest, and thought I would comment on it since it looks pretty similar to my touring arrangement. The panniers are all from Arkel. These are top of the line panniers. They aren't cheap, but they are made in North America of top quality materials and have a lifetime guarantee. The front panniers are the GT-18 model. There is also a GT-18BP, which looks the same, but can convert to a backpack. The mesh pockets on the outside are places where you can put items that need to dry out while you are riding. When doing an overnight ride, I put a change of clothes, shampoo and other items I need when taking a shower in the front right pannier. Then when I get into the campground, I just take the one pannier with me to the showers.

The rear panniers are Arkel GT-54 models. The first thing you notice about them is the left and right panniers are not identical. The right pannier has a long tube at the rear. This is for long items like tent poles or Thermarest pads. It's detachable, so you can remove it if you don't need it. There are plenty of pockets on these. I always used the lower outer pocket on the left rear pannier for my lock, keys and wallet. That way I can quickly lock the bike and get my wallet whenever I stopped somewhere.

If you have bulky items that don't fit into the panniers, you can use bungee cords to secure them to the top if the rear rack.