Ortlieb Sport-Packer Plus front/rear panniers

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The Sport-Packer Plus is a deluxe pannier set that combines Ortlieb’s newest attachment system with their typical, super durable and waterproof construction. Each pannier has a single main compartment plus a low-profile outside mesh pocket. The main compartments measure 15.7” x 5.5” x 9.8” each, for a total volume for the pair of 1831 cubic inches. The mesh outer pockets are 7” tall and 9” wide. The panniers open from the top, with a drawstring sleeve closure covered by a spacious lid. The lid is held down by straps that double as compression straps, and the lid and sleeve are sized to keep everything onboard and dry even if you have “overstuffed” the panniers a bit.

The Sport-Packer Plus panniers are designed to be used on front racks, paired with the Back-Packer Plus rear panniers. But they also work just fine on the rear. Some people combine two pairs of Sport-Packers on their bike when they plan to carry medium-sized loads.

The “QL2” mounting system used on the Sport-Packer Plus is Ortlieb’s newest design, and is very versatile, durable and easy to use. The system requires no tools to adjust, and will work with narrow diameter rod racks such as the original (discontinued) Blackburn LowRider, as well as large diameter hollow tube racks such as Tubus and Old Man Mountain. The QL2 system allows the panniers to come off the rack very quickly by just lifting up on the carrying strap, but is very secure so the bags won’t pop off accidentally while riding.

The Sport-Packer Plus pannier uses Ortlieb’s normal bag construction. The main body fabric is single coated Cordura, the toughest fabric Ortlieb uses. It is very rugged, puncture and abrasion resistant, and highly waterproof. All the main seams in the bag are welded, not sewn. Welded seams are expensive to construct, but they are stronger than sewn seams, and no needle holes means no need for extra waterproofing and no leaks. The result is a durable, waterproof bag, backed by a 5 year warranty against defects.