How do you organize your Panniers?

[Bushyar15]

Never had Panniers on a bike before. So totally new to carrying things like a motopump, tools, tire repair, etc. So How do you have the insides of your Panniers organized?

I ask as my stuff is just sitting in there like a junk drawer. Well not quite but its not organized. I have to dig though stuff to find what I'm looking for. What do you keep "stuff" in, in your Panniers?

 

[pnelson]

These are cheap and they work well. You can have one for clothes, one for food, one for tools, really as many as you want. Then you can take out what you need. Find them at any grocery store for about a buck each. I try to put clothes on one side and food stuff & camping stuff on the other. Think in reverse when you're breaking camp and what you'll want to pack last. Then when you get to camp in the dark, the tent and sleeping bag will be there, easy to find.

If you need more room or just like to be organized, the B-Alaska bag is great. I use this bag to store all my riding gear. It's usually cold and rainy in Oregon and warm and sunny in the places I'm riding to. If the right gear I need is handy and not piled under a bunch of other stuff, I'm more likely to stop and change (which is usually a good idea.) This bag is also great for riders who don't have or want to spend money on a top case. http://amzn.to/W457kK

I've also been known to freeze some beverages before a short trip, line the pannier with reflective insulation and make a mini-cooler. It works amazingly well for up to 36 hours in 80+ weather.

 

[saltcreep]

Good stuff, I usually keep a couple of those folded up in the bottom. Is that Big Chase Harper bag water resistant? I didn't see any info on that on Amazon.

 

[toompine]

I am cheap, like to use what I have. For camping everything camping goes in individual compression stuff sacks on the right; tent, sleeping bag, cot, pillow, mattress pad. Left is clothes and I use old helmet bags with the draw string to store them. They will pack to any shape, I have lots of them in different colors and they will throw over your shoulder. I have two small bags that strap on the lids. Again the cheap route. rather than buy your expensive Tourtech like stuff, I searched for bicycle bags. The ones in the pictures are rear rack bags. I think I paid $15 each. One side is my bike cover and a few light things, the other side is the compressor, air gauge. Tools are now down low under the panniers in the tool tubes (no pictures). Cooking stuff; food, stove, grills, pans all go in a small top case. I also did a bit of cutting in the plastic under the passenger seat. I found a nice big hole under the plastic and that stores my repair kit in a plastic case (shown with my compressor bag that I used to store there); wire, tape, glue, clamps, zip ties and spare levers. My tire plug kits fits under the main seat along with a tow rope.

By the way those lid bags also drop nicely into the panniers when I am traveling light and do not want them on the top

The whole thing is tight, tidy and low cg

 

[pnelson]

Good stuff, I usually keep a couple of those folded up in the bottom. Is that Big Chase Harper bag water resistant? I didn't see any info on that on Amazon.

It is water resistant and I've ridden through rain for 8+ hours on several occasions without any leaking. It has a rubbery coating on the inside and the bottom has a rubbery coating on both sides. The top comes down over the sides for a couple of inches covering the zippered top which helps. This is one piece of gear that stays with me as the bikes come and go. It's very useful.

The best part of the bag is the story behind how it was developed. Bruce Armstrong was a motorcycle journalist who needed a bag when riding his Honda XL-500 from Seattle to AK, two-up with his wife. He needed more space for gear and Chase Harper made the bag just for him and it has continued to be popular for years. I met Bruce because we had both built the same kind of wooden boat. Unfortunately he died from prostate cancer a few years ago. The last time I saw him, he was fighting the cancer but still on his way to AK one more time, with his B-Alaska bag strapped to the back of a Honda XL-650. When I use the bag, in some ways it's like having him along on the ride with me. Lots of warm feelings and good memories.

More info: Material is 1000 denier Cordura Plus ™ urethane coated nylon and it looks like it now comes in Camo!
http://chaseharper.com/product/4100-camo-alaska/

;-)

 

[OldRider]

Toompine, can you post a picture of that hole under the seat without the red bag in it so we can see how much room is there?

 

[Mellow]

I put everything in water proof bags. Walmart sells them in three-pack containers in the camping sections - the bags with roll-top snaps. Then, I use 1 gallon or larger freezer bags for clothe items, food, whatever. Easy to see whats in the bag and they are fairly watertight. I typically camp so I don't have to pull everything out of my bags at night, only what I need.

 

[Kola]

A combination of dry bags, 40l in the one pannier for clothing and so on, 20l in other pannier for stove, pots, food etc., 5l for electronics i.e. chargers etc., and so on...

 

[Bushyar15]

This has been way more informative and educational for me than I thought it would. I'm stuck thinking "inside" the box. Like the stuff should be motorcycle specific, but obviously it doesn't!

 

[HoebSTer]

This has been way more informative and educational for me than I thought it would. I'm stuck thinking "inside" the box. Like the stuff should be motorcycle specific, but obviously it doesn't!

I try to balance wright as much as possible. Heavy items low. The smallest camping stuff you can buy afford, the easier it is to carry and pack. I have a gas lantern which fits into my mess kit for small packing. My tire compressor fits under my seat. I too use old helmet bags for bike travel. Micro fiber clothing packs the smallest above jeans which are heavy and un comfy for riding.

Jeff

 

[Southern7]

You can get compression bags and a set of small drawstring nylon bags in the camping section at WalMart. I used the compression bags for my cold weather gear and another for my rain gear and they fit in the lids of my Jessee 9 in Safaris. I also bought a tool roll bag at Harbor Freight tools and assembled my own set of tools. You can also get giant Zip Loc bags for water proof liners. I carry a small 12V air pump and tire plugs, some microfiber towels and a small spray bottle of water for cleaning bugs off my face shield.

 

[toompine]

Toompine, can you post a picture of that hole under the seat without the red bag in it so we can see how much room is there?

Will do. It is about 2" deep and I will get a picture of it this afternoon

 

[toompine]

Compression bags. I got so detailed on those that I found bags that were square in section and they pack tighter than the typical round stuff sack

Just added a picture of the right side pannier with the square stuff sacks. This a tent and tent poles, sleeping bag, cot, mattress pad, camp light, pillow and a small accessory bag. I swear the square stuff sack pack tighter

 

[FrontRangeRider]

I use the cheap/ free shopping bags described above and I also use net bags to separate or group items inside the shopping bags. Lots of my adventure and motorcycle gear is black so the net bags make it easier to find long johns, spare gloves, underwear, socks, etc. without having to unpack everything. Otherwise, you'll find what you are looking for in the bottom of the bag. LOL

Heavy stuff and stuff not likely to be accessed quickly on the bottom. Lighter and frequent access stuff on the top.

I try to keep the "dirty" stuff away from clothing. I use ziplock or zipper bags to keep similar items (medications, camera and phone charger, etc.) together.

 

[toompine]

Toompine, can you post a picture of that hole under the seat without the red bag in it so we can see how much room is there?

Here you go. It is 2 1/2 " deep and i have it cut out to 5 1/2" x 8 1/4". That allows for the rubber bumpers to stay in place with a lot of surface around them. You can tuck things under the cut out edges. It is about 10' X 7" clear under there with the sides running even further back. As I said I put spare levers; clutch, brake and shift under the lip on the edges and drop in the plastic container in the middle. That container is right on 5 1/4" x 8" and 2 1/2" deep.

 

[toompine]

And as another thought for the original question, what do we use to pack with; I really like these small containers. They are waterproof, come in different sizes and depths and stack nicely. I use them in my camping kit and in my panniers. From Walmart and pretty inexpensive