How to Pack a Bicycle Pannier

Last Updated: August 10, 2021

Panniers are "saddle bag" type carriers that can be attached to a bicycle. They are most commonly used for grocery shopping trips and unsupported touring. For sake of brevity, this article focuses on packing panniers for bicycle touring.

Steps

1
Organize the gear to be packed. You'll need a large, open space such as a big table or large floor area. Place similar items together. Make piles for food, for clothing, for bike repair gear, for camping gear, for cooking, etc.
2
Weigh each category of items to get a good idea of which items are heaviest. The heaviest items will need to be packed closest to the tires and furthest forward on the bike to improve the stability of bike handling.
3
Obtain some sturdy, plastic bags to pack with. The gallon-sized "freezer bag" zip type bags are excellent for this. Use the zip-style bags to organize and pack the smaller, or water sensitive items. This prevents them getting lost in the bottom of the pack, and keeps the contents dry.
- Clothing can be rolled into small rolls before being put into the bags. This keeps the clothing dry and keeps smell transfer to a minimum.
4
Start with the bulkiest and heaviest items first. The heavier items (frying pan, tent, bike tools, etc) need to act as the backbone for each bag. Place them low, forward, and nearest a tire.
- Take care to balance each side of the bike by making sure that the front panniers are approximately the same weight as each other, and the rear panniers are the same weight as each other. Save the lighter, bulkier items (sleeping bag, clothing, etc) for the rear panniers and the rear rack.
5
Test out your setup. Once you've got the basics packed, do a "shakedown" ride of 15 miles or so to get used to how the bike handles under a load. This will help you adjust the pannier weight distribution as needed and will help you fine tune your packing strategies.