Waterproof or Not?

GT-54 with rain cover

Dolphin 32, fully waterproof

Who cares about water?

T-28 with secure
protective rain cover

Waterproof or not?

Nearly all panniers on the market, with the exception of a few like our Dolphin's, are not really waterproof. It is not necessarily a question of the fabric, as we - at Arkel - are using a totally watertight fabric. But stitching means holes in the fabric, and in any case the zippers will leak.

For most usage, this is not a real problem. Our panniers will easily resist a regular rain for an hour or two before experiencing any sort of seeping, which is more than enough for most cyclists to get at their destination. If the riding dictates more time spent under the rain, then options like rain covers or dry bags inside the panniers will take care of the problem.

But why not have totally watertight panniers to begin with, never needing to think about bags or covers? As always, there are so many angles on the question!

watertightness, an essay

If a bike can be ridden under the rain, why settle for anything else than fully waterproof panniers? For a great many years the option wasn't even available, which took care of that. Nowadays not only are they available, but the idea is more appealing than ever. Playing at Yellow Submarine with a watertight pannier is a joy in the reassurance that our belongings are safely protected against the elements.

They are the ultimate in quickness; throw in anything after work, hop on your bike and ride home without even looking at the sky. I must admit, for most of the time it sounds like a nirvana we finally reached.

But sometimes it isn't so obvious. Don't get us wrong, we like watertight panniers. Heck, we use the Arkel Dolphins from time to time. We love there waterproofness. But for more extensive riding we prefer a regular pannier. Are we nuts?Experienced users of watertight panniers will tell you that they are using plastic bags inside the panniers. For one it makes the searching inside easier as these panniers are always of the top-loading type, but also it is a safe precaution against a possible water spill in which case the panniers are a not-so virtual pool.

So we wondered, if we are usung dry bags anyway, why risk a pool? Why not use a more user-friendly pannier? We know that our regular panniers can't hold water in, so we don't worry about it getting in to start with.

Sometimes we fall. Not often--rarely in fact--but it can and does happen. Even at a stand-still, a fall on a bad surface can rip a pannier, any pannier. In one instant a watertight pannier becomes a useless pierced plastic bag. Bringing the dreaded pool effect again. We've seen people voluntarily piercing draining holes inside their not-watertight-anymore-ripped panniers to fend off any accumulation of water at the bottom. It made us ponder. How often does this happen . . . not often we'll admit. But it doesn't take that much to make us ponder even more.

Here's a puzzling thought: when canoeing we're using watertight bags, but when hiking we're using regular bags... why? Aside the obvious watery nature of canoeing, we also know that the bags aren't subjected to be ripped in the same fashion inside a canoe than on a bike. Plus, the river is flat. A mountain, when hiking, is not. There is a not-so-obvious link here.

Barometric pressure causes rain, and rain is condensation in a form. Any hiker knows that at one moment he can be comfortable and dry in his gore-tex jacket then the next moment he can suddenly find himself drenched in inner condensation caused by a changed in barometric pressure, either due to a change in altitude or a front coming in. The same principle affects any watertight bags. Here, air itself is the enemy.

If, after the noon lunch when you close the watertight bag, you are in a warm and humid high pressure system but during the afternoon you ride in a cold, low pressure front, the humidity inside the panniers will condensate as surely as death and taxes.

We use the Dolphin 48's or 32's when travelling in extreme wet weather and they are great, but we still prefer our regular bags for touring long term on the road.

For us it is hard to beat the convenience and safety of a front loading pannier with our gear in individual bags; the whole protected against road grit with a rain cover. We are not saying that this is the solution, nor necessarily yours by any stretch of imagination. What we are saying is that watertight panniers, like anything in real life, have downsides--they are not a magical solution to every problem.