1

Until you work it out...plastic bags inside.

2

Trouble with water proof panniers when they leak is that they still don't really let the water out so you end up with a pretty damp, nasty environment. Plastic bags don't really do much to keep things dry in a wet pannier, I've found.

3

Depends what country you are in but try and get some heavy duty plastic either the orange gar bag type or maybe some black plastic they use on builders sites, roll of gaffo tape and try that system of covering them from the outside. I guess putting a drainage hole in the bottom of the painers is a bit extreme.

Covering from the outside will take some richarding around but might do the trick, I would also try the gar bag plastic inside but as you said the water is not draining.

I guess paniers are like any raincoat there is only so much water they can take before they leak!

4

Do you have the more expensive "Plus" series (lightweight)? I had an old one in the front, there the plastic was breaking inside. The "Classic" series is still dry (after using them for about 2 years touring and in daily life as well)...

If you have the "Classic" version: There's PVC glue in every houshold shop (pipe bonding). If you can get another layer you could glue another PVC layer on them. My plus-series I fixed with duck-tape inside, it was better but still not so good. With a bit more budget and outdoorshops you could get a small raincover for a backpack and put it over the bag. As already mentioned heavy duty plastic would do this job, too. Just wrap it around and fix it (eg. with elastic rope).

Do you close the bags propperly? Twist them 3 times!

To see where it leaks, fill it totally with water. Look where the water comes out...

I guess if the bags are not too old, Ortlieb might replace them. It's as far is I know the best paneer available (I know and used different ones) and they are keen to keep this reputaion alive. NEVER buy the Plus series if you're into paying shitloads for a little less weight and intend to use them long time. The CLASSIC series is just better.

By the way, it might change soon. It seems like the quality is getting worse - never models of Ortlieb seem to be not as good as the models 3-4 years ago... But still the best available!

5

Curiously I have the opposite experience. My 15-yr-old lightweight panniers are still OK, but my classics, bought at the same time, got thrown away years ago because the plastic in the fabric eventually degraded and fell apart.

6

That's strange - the plastic in the classic series is one piec, isn't it? Maybe the older ones are not that good. I think the humid hot weather didn't go well with my old Plus ones. For me the inner plastic was disintegrating totally.

But after all, I think both series are great - if you need dry long living saddle bags ;-)

I've met people who complained but always when someone on a long tour had another saddle bag they wanted to have the Ortlieb. My GF buyed cheap ones in Bangkok. They did the job - and she did a job to... After almost year using them, some sewing and always using ropes to attach them on the rack because the plastic broke she throw them away...

7

I think they are the Classic series.

I'm not a huge Ortleib enthusiast. I had (somewhere still have, I hope, but they couldn't be found recently in any of the various places that I store things) a set of old Carimoor panniers that came with my first touring bike that I bought from a vicar in Aberyswyth on eBay and I felt much better about them. They had water-proof liners (that the vicar had made himself, I believe) and I never had a moments problems with them. (No nasty damp musty interiors.)

The Ortleib's were sponsorship freebies (it's a long story) but I've never liked them that much. The attachments suck and while they are fine when they are water-proof they are more or less useless when they are not.

If I were to buy a new set of panniers I'm not sure what I'd choose. Vaude? I met some German's recently who had nice fully sponsered sets of Vaude and the attachments looked better. Arkel? I kind of like the non-water proof philosophy - it worked well with the old Carrimoors.

It's the long term that counts with all gear and in my experience Ortleib doesn't really stand up to the long term. (But plenty of people swear by them.)

8

Emergency solution: drill few holes at the bottom of the panniers to let the water out. Then wrap your stuff in several layes of some kind of waterproof plastic (bubble wrap is good) and put the whole bundle in a plastic bag.

9

If they are things I really need to keep dry I always double-bag them - ie in two layers of plastic bags - even inside waterproof panniers. And avoid having them at the bottom of the pannier where a puddle may form. Because I find the Ortliebs do let a bit of water in from time to time.

But if the fabric is failing you need to replace them. The plastic has perished and you can't fix it. It is probably also weakened in this state and at risk of tearing. It is when I tore a hole in one and saw how easily it ripped that I realised the fabric had failed and it was completely toast.

10

Out of curiousity, how long had you had yours, ivie?