Best pannier bags for commuting and exploring

Bike panniers are a great way to secure your kit onto the bike when a minimalist bikepacking bag set-up just does not offer enough capacity or simply isn’t practical for the needs of your trip or commute.

Secured into the back of the bike or front forks via a sturdy pannier rack, these bags offer an invaluable solution to bike touring or bikepacking, where you need enough capacity for all your camping kit, clothes and utensils.

They can also be an invaluable asset if you do a lot of commuting, saving your back from heavy rucksacks, as many of them will easily swallow a change of clothes and a laptop.

Not all are made equal, though. The best pannier bags have a high waterproof rating paired with a dry-bag-style inner compartment. They should also come with durable, sturdy rack attachment clips and fastening systems. Feeling a bit lost? Don’t worry, here’s our pick of the best pannier bags out there…

Best bike pannier bags

Altura Ultralite Vortex Waterproof Cycling Pannier

• £50 (per bag)

Altura tout the Vortex as possibly being ‘the lightest pannier in the world’ that’s also fully waterproof, which is quite a claim for a £50 pannier bag! So, what do we think?

Yes, the bag is extremely light (Altura’s scales come out at 260g), while the material remains durable and waterproof.

Rather than the two side clips often seen on panniers, this 15L bag has a roll-top closure system with one adjustable front hook to secure it down. This is not hugely effective, however, the top often unrolling to a more ‘loose’ roll even after being fastened. As such, we’d be wary about the prospect of water ingress in windy, heavy downpours.

Unlike the quick clip-on systems of others tested, the Altura’s attached to a rack via a bottom Velcro strap and two adjustable plastic hooks at the top. It’s functional, if a bit fiddlier.

Inside is a coated polyester lining, while the outer surface has some small reflective detailing within the Altura logo. The main drawback, though, is the lack of back board to reinforce the structure of the bag and make attachment points more secure. But we guess these omissions were necessary to keep down weight to a minimum.

Verdict: Very light-weight bag that’s more budget-friendly but lacks some structural elements.

Score: 75%

Ortlieb Sport-Roller City Panniers

• £85 (set of 2)

We’ve been using the same pair of Ortlieb City pannier bags for years and they still look good as new. The waterproof ability is impressive, the bags’ contents surviving hours of heavy downpours without any water ingress or degradation to the material.

The roll top closure is reinforced with a wedge of plastic along the hem, which makes rolling down the bag a simple task, with two plastic side buckles with hooks to secure it down.

Currently available in black, white and red, we chose the black set which is designed with reflective sections on both sides for visibility. The medium-sized bags offer 12L of space in each and for £85 you get a set of two bags, which is amazing value.

We haven’t mentioned the best bit yet, though – the quick-lock attachment system. Pulling up on the bag’s handle opens up two clips along the top of the bag which clip onto the rails of a pannier rack.

Only from pulling up on the handle can this be unclipped, making for very quick detachment while being extremely secure when on the bike. A third hook along the bottom can be adjusted to the right angle to hook onto the bottom of the pannier rack for extra stability.

As you can tell, we don’t have a bad word to say about this pannier set from Ortlieb. It’s durable, sturdy, extremely practical and one of the cheapest we’ve seen.

Verdict: Phenomenal pair of panniers that are both affordable and high quality.

Score: 95%

Brooks Scape Pannier

• £124.99 (per bag)

The Scape Pannier from Brooks is made with welded seams for a ‘100% waterproof’ construction. This is aided by a classic roll-top closure that’s reinforced with a Velcro strap.

Once rolled down, the side straps are secured with a light-weight hook, the straps of which are adjustable to account for different capacities. Also along the side sits some discreet reflective detailing in-keeping with the classic styling.

This bag screams quality, from the khaki colourway, silver detailing and strong aluminium metal hooks and back bar to additional daisy-chain attachment points that enable to user to attach additional bags or add lights.

Like the Alpkit bag below, the attachment hooks are a KlickFix design, clipping quickly and easily onto a pannier rack. Unlike others we’ve come across, we there’s a practical front pocket for quick access to key items, while the zip pull is easy to use and pocket capacity is plenty for valuables and snacks.

Verdict: High-quality with lots of practical features, if on the pricier side.

Score: 87%

Alpkit Caledonian 25L

• £119.99 (per bag)

This stylish and large-capacity bike bag from Alpkit is made from waxed cotton, giving a vintage and quality feel to it. Attention to detail is clear in the reflective piping along some seams, plus the back board with durable plastic attachments.

We like the bag’s ease of attachment to the pannier rack via KlickFix twist clips and the handy top loop for carrying by hand. Like many in this selection, an additional bottom hook adds security when on the go.

A roll-top closure with two side clips that can be tightened with side straps is effective in securing the bag shut, as long as the top is rolled several times to close all contents in.

One gripe, however, is that the side straps are longer than necessary when filled to full capacity, which could be a hazard if not tied up properly out of the way of the wheel. This is easily remedied, though.

Alpkit claims that the bag is highly water resistant, but we’d suggest shower-proof to be more accurate, as it’s not fully waterproof for long periods. Given this, you may want to consider wrapping contents in an additional dry bag inside.

Verdict: A stylish bag with large capacity and some quality features.

Score: 85%

Also consider…

Rhinowalk Waterproof Pannier Bag

• £51.99

Another more budget-friendly option is the Rhinowalk pannier, which is available in black, yellow and red options. This bag has a hefty 27L capacity (unfolded) and 25L once rolled down, and the brand says it’s fully waterproof.

The bag’s designed with a roll-top closure and two side clips to keep contents secure, with an additional front clip for extra security. On the front is a discreet smaller sip-up compartment for quick-access to small items on the move.

Moving onto the inside, the bag is made with inner net compartments and a zip laptop pocket (aimed at commuters) alongside the main inner section.

Rhinowalk provides an additional shoulder strap for ease of use when carrying the bag to and from the bike.

Lomo Bike Pannier Tail Bag

• £42.99

For a bit of a different option, consider this bike pannier tail bag from Lomo, which is made to sit along the top of a pannier rack.

The bag’s made with a roll down closure system and aims to be completely waterproof, with a main compartment inside and an outer zip pocket for smaller items.

It’s designed to attach to the top of a pannier rack with the use of buckles and Velcro to secure it down. It comes with a padded shoulder strap that’s said to be easy to clip onto either side of the bag.

Aside from the bright yellow colour, Lomo aims to increase visibility with some reflective detailing.

Top image credit: Marica van der Meer/Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images