Touring advice needed

So, I'm off touring later this month, and I need to get some panniers. Ortlieb seem to be the alpha-brand, but are they worth it?

I don't want to spend two weeks with wet clothes, so maybe I should splash out on them. Any thoughts?

Also, does anyone have any sage advice on what to take? I was thinking two sets of shorts/base layers, a set of normal clothes, small toolkit, etc, but is there anything that you guys recomend I stuff in my yet-to-be-bought panniers?

put stuff in plastic/ziplock bags in your panniers. Keeps clothes dry, keep the wet ones from getting the dry ones wet, keeps the stinky ones from getting the clean ones stinky.

Just back from France and stuff I took and thought was useful or wish I took.

A sharp knife (Opinel).
A good pump rather than a "get me home to my track pump job". (I didn't have this but wish I did)
Phrase book. (if abroad).
Hat, sun and warm.
Sun lotion.
Spare straps and duck tape for repairs e.t.c.
Cork screw (I didn't have this so had to push cork down forcing red wine to spurt onto my face like ejaculate).
Tea bags, normal and Earl gray for when there is no milk or you fancy a change / blend.
Sudocrem.
Girlfriend (they don't tend to fit into panniers though).

Tommy - does the girlfriend fit in category a (stuff I took and thought was useful) or category b (stuff I wish I'd taken)?

Sudocrem.
Girlfriend

just the way it should be sudocrem on your girlfriend... (shit gag,sorry.)

OK, so I could get cheaper panniers and just use waterproof bags. Nice work.

put some bin bags in the bottom of your panniers aswell. if it gets rally bad you can put everything in them and in the panniers to keep your stuff dry.

Tommy - does the girlfriend fit in category a (stuff I took and thought was useful) or category b (stuff I wish I'd taken)?

She came along too. It was great.

just the way it should be sudocrem on your girlfriend... (shit gag,sorry.)

Ha! Missed that one.

OK, so I could get cheaper panniers and just use waterproof bags. Nice work.

If you don't get waterproof panniers of some description then when it rains, your panniers will end up getting really heavy and can hold the water for a long time, get mouldy etc. I started off with Alturas, went to Vaudes and ended up on Ortliebs and they truly are worth the investment. Not only are they waterproof, they're pretty indestructible.

Also, get a Trangier for cooking. Also indestructible.

OK, so I could get cheaper panniers and just use waterproof bags. Nice work.

false economy. you might as well buy ortleibs - they're not all that expensive, and much tougher

masy i suggest one of these for cooking on

Yeah, get waterproof for sure. Just don't expect it to be perfectly waterproof (unless you drop £££s), and don't forget that you will have wet things (towels, clothes, etc.) which will be going in the bags.

Things that I would say were very useful:

Purell
Zip ties (to go with the zip lock bags)
Extra socks

Maybe useful?

Extra spokes and nipples (you can tape the spokes to the frame of the bike)
An extra map maybe? I wouldn't bring one to be honest, but I lost my map once and it sucked ass.

That's all I can really think of right now.

Bungee cords will be useful, if not essential for attaching luggage to your rack, in which case carry spares. If you're camping, seriously consider investing in a Thermarest or something equivalent. Do not try to sleep on thin rolls of foam, you will suffer.

compass,( small). and a swiss army knife or leatherman, opinal are good, but just one function. could also be a alien multi bike tool instead.......that covers the tool kit !

Carradice make awesomely designed and made, if rather old-skool, panniers - their cotton duck material is to all intents waterproof. Check them out too. Touring classics!

Before you buy panniers, actually fit them to your bike with you on it and clipped into the pedals - make sure you don't suffer heel strike because different panniers put the bag in different positions (subject to the constraints of your rack).

+1 Duck tape - travel essential!

Courant

I went and bought some Ortlieb panniers online after people recommended them, hope I don't get heel strike.

Some racks are extra long so you can set the bags further back.

And you can buy rack extender fittings to push it further back (or probably make your own or get some knocked up by any metalworker). It may mean the top of the rack slopes slightly towards the rear, but no big deal.

I took a waterproof sleeping bag with hood on my ride around Europe and didn't bother with a tent...saved a lot of weight and space.

yey bivvy back. carry one of these on major light weight camping trips (sides of mountains or long distance rides) massive weight saving over any tent.

I went and bought some Ortlieb panniers online after people recommended them, hope I don't get heel strike.

Unless you have a freakishly short rack and amazingly long cranks, you should be fine. You can adjust Ortliebs to rest pretty far back. Now go and invest in a matching set of front rollers.

I think the next investment will be a touring bike! I'm doing this trip on a borrowed Thorn.

What do you guys do about your panniers? Do you just put them on the plane as luggage separately? I thought that I might get charged for having two bags, so might put them both in a duffel bag, then throw that in one pannier when I get there.

I've only done this hole thing once so I am not very experienced so don' take this a s gospel.

I flew Ryan air so ever bag counts. Booked in the bike bag separately (25 GBP each way) and stuck some odd bits in there along with the two bikes and then I just strapped the two panniers together (so then paid for one check in bag), no problems at either end. So one bike bag and one check in bag for two people.

If I was just putting one bike in the bike bag though I thing I would try and fit everything in that big bike, stuffing stuff in the gaps all over the place and chuck the empty panniers into the bike bag . Then when I arrived I would repack every thing into the panniers. Try and do a test pack beforehand though so that you can work all these bits out.

If you go for the duffel bag idea buy one of those laundry bags from a market or ebay for a few quid, cheap, light and pack down small.

Wher are you going?

What do you guys do about your panniers? Do you just put them on the plane as luggage separately? I thought that I might get charged for having two bags, so might put them both in a duffel bag, then throw that in one pannier when I get there.

In the bike bag you should load whatever you can without damaging the bike. I can usually manage tent, thermarest, bike shoes,tool bag, etc. One pannier as check in (usual free allowance) and the other pannier as carry on (also free). If you're taking a coat, load the pockets with other stuff that is also allowable as carry on.