Pacific Outdoor Equipment – Front & Rear Fender Waterproof Bicycle Panniers

For a very long time now, German-made Ortlieb panniers have remained “the product of choice” when it comes to high-quality, waterproof bicycle panniers. But now, there’s a new company jumping into the waterproof pannier market… and they’ve produced a product that could seriously compete with Ortlieb. Pacific Outdoor Equipment is a Montana, USA-based company producing [...]

Katy Trail Packing List

You don’t have to travel around the world or live on the road for months on end to call yourself a bicycle traveler. Conducting short trips by bike in your local area (or even in your home country) is a great way to get out and experience the joys of bicycle travel. Yesterday I flew [...]

Are Lone Peak Bicycle Panniers Waterproof?

The short answer: No. Lone Peak panniers are not 100% waterproof. However, they are water-resistant… and in the video below I test a set of Lone Peak P-500 Mountain Superior panniers to determine just how water-resistant they really are. If you get a set of Lone Peak panniers, I highly recommend purchasing the additional rain [...]

181 Free Articles About Bicycle Touring, World Travel And Lifestyle Design

2009 was one hell of a year! At this time last year I was emerging from my apartment in downtown Luzern, Switzerland and celebrating the first of what would become 254 days of bike travel in 16 different European countries. Since that time, I have covered thousands of miles on my bicycle (and on foot); [...]

How To Pack Bicycle Panniers – 7 Tips

Pannier packing is an art. There are a million different ways to do it and no one was is correct, but there are a few commonly-held practices that, if you are aware of them, will help you out tremendously once you jump in the saddle and hit the streets. I was recently asked write a [...]

Useless Gear: Coming Home With What You Really Need

How you start a trip and how you finish are two completely different things. At the beginning of a long distance bike tour, you have the urge to pack as much on your bike as you possibly can. But as time goes by and the miles/kilometers become more difficult, you quickly realize that some items [...]

Ortlieb Panniers And Handlebar Bags – 20% Off

This is a special one-time only post. The products I have for sale below will go very quickly, so if you are interested, you need to contact me right away. I’m sorry, but the products mentioned in this article are long gone. You can, however, purchase other Ortlieb products on this website. Here’s the deal: [...]

Do You Really Need A Handlebar Bag?

The other night I received an email from Linda Imle. Her message read: Darren, Could you address handlebar bags. I am still not sure if I really need one that is clipped or if something smaller will do.  Just wondering what you think and why. Thanks, Linda From what I can tell, Linda is really [...]

What Would The Ideal Bicycle Pannier Look Like?

After releasing the ultimate list of bicycle panniers, I got around to thinking, “What would the ideal bicycle pannier look like? What would it be made of? What features would it have?” After a little thinking and a lot of experience using bike panniers in the past, I put together the following, which is a [...]

Bicycle Panniers: A Complete List

Are you looking for a good set of panniers for your commute to the office, your return trip from the supermarket, or your bicycle tour around the world? The following is a list of all the companies currently making bicycle panniers. If I’ve missed a company, please leave a comment at the end of this [...]

The Road That Has No End And 4 Other Travel Tidbits

Over the past week I’ve come across some cool travel goodies… and I thought I would take a minute or two to share them with you. 1) Tim & Cindie Travis Discuss The Bicycle Touring Lifestyle Tim and Cindie Travis are the authors of the book, “The Road That Has No End” and this couple [...]

The Right Time To Get Your Gear

When is the best time to purchase the equipment you will need for your bicycle tour? RIGHT NOW!!! If you are planning a bicycle tour for this summer or for any point in the future, NOW is the best time to get your gear. Here’s why: 1) Lack Of Supply Most bicycle tourists travel during [...]