Ortlieb "Dry Bag" Saddlebags
Reviewed by pbx
Initial Impression
I bought these through Aerostich but you can also see them on the Ortlieb site.
Good stuff: Cheap for waterproof bags; black; adjustable; retroreflective patches; easy to carry with built-in handles; internally reinforced; totally waterproof and dustproof.
Less good stuff: Slow to open and close; need better system for securing loose strap ends; could be bigger.
They secure to the bike with one strap around each passenger peg mount and an optional one around the grab rail.
This weekend I rode about 300 miles with these in on-and-off rain with no problems and not a wisp of moisture inside. I’m fairly sure you could use them as pontoons if you had to. For the appearance conscious: I think they look good from the back, but kind of puny from the side.
They hold their shape thanks to internal stiffener panels on the front, back, bottom, and inside. They were rock-solid at high highway speeds.
Bonus: they work as as bicycle panniers too!
On the Road
On a recent two-week blast [September 2002] through eastern Canada these bags saw a lot of rain miles. I can’t overstate the value of having storage on the bike that you know is going to remain absolutely dry. No amount of Hy-Dro-Pel-Tek-Por is going to keep your stuff dry in a 10-hour rain. As a famous man once said, “If you wouldn’t make a raft out of it, it’s not waterproof.”
I left the bags on the bike during several overnight rainstorms, no leaks. The only time water got in was when I let it in myself. (That can be a bit of a hassle, as the non-breathability means moisture stays in there until you get it out.)
Now that I’ve used them for a while the buckle system seems less unweildy. There’s a way to attach the stray strap ends so that they are out of harm’s way and never have to be fussed with. Three Fastex clicks and the bags can be lifted off the bike. When mounted they stay in place well.
I did find myself wishing for a small exterior pocket or an interior sleeve. Using liners or other bags inside is good to help keep stuff organized.
Durability looks good so far. Stuffing the bags really full does deform the foam & plastic backing panels a bit at the corners, but I think it would take a few years for this to go critical. The nice retro-reflective patches wore out a bit where they rubbed against my turn signals; not surprising.
If you were taking your shmancy sportbike into a dirty environment (for example, following me down a road that I said “looks cool on the map” ) with these bags attached, you might want something softer between them and your tail panels. Sand and dirt do get caught up there and the foam panels are firm enough to produce an unwanted scrubbing effect.
Overall, defnitely recommended. I don’t think there’s a more cost-effective way to get totally waterproof bags on your bike.
Longevity
Four years later, these bags are holding up well. They’ve spent a lot of time in the sun and a little fade is visble in some places. The only real problem to crop up is that one of the cross-seat straps has started to separate from its velcro. I think this is UV-related too. The forward mounting straps show signs of a few encounters with the wheel and exhaust.
Most of my riding is commuting right now, and my 15” laptop fits nicely on the diagonal. I like not having to worry about whether it’s going to get wet if I get caught in rain.
Ultimately I’d still like hard bags but I can’t complain about the value I’ve gotten out of these.
