It’s not how many bags, how many outfits and matching shoes, oh nooo, I have reached the completely opposite spectrum in this world. It is now how little can I pack. There are no porters where I am going… well I guess I am my own porter. Or as my significant other says, The Sherpa!
Sue me; I have a small fascination with bags; big bags, little bags. Ones that I can stick other bags in and how many I can fit into my purse (which some consider to be worse than Hermione’s purse in "The Deadly Hollows") Hell I am even fascinated with having plastic Ziploc’s in my bags in case I need another bag inside of my bag to segregate out my things. You know how some people don’t like their food to touch on their plate? Yeah well that’s not my problem it all gets mixed in my stomach. No, my problem is that I don’t like my stuff to touch. Clean clothes shouldn’t touch dirty clothes, shoes should never touch clothes and jewelry belongs in its own separate compartment. Makeup has to be segregated into little bags so that eye makeup doesn’t touch cheek makeup. You probably all get the picture by now so I’ll stop.
A couple of upcoming problems for me… first off, I don’t really mind having less clothes, or shoes. Yes I can go without changing my outfit. I am not that persnickety about that. I don’t even need matching shoes…well sort of, I am at least working on that problem. I mean how do you wear brown shoes with a black belt, or vice versa. The answer to that is to not wear a belt. Not a problem in bike clothes as most lycra shorts do not support belt loops The question is how do I separate all my things so that at the end of a long day of pedaling, or the beginning of a long day of pedaling I don’t have a complete OCD attack.
I LIKE to know where all my things are, not like as in the way you feel about the Muppets No, LIKE as in my whole world is off kilter if I don’t know where something is.
So what to do?
I have been examining the touring bike pannier systems as best as I can. I want to be sure because panniers are not cheap, no matter which brand you buy and each one has different things to offer.
Ortlieb’s are waterproof and they are extremely easy to get on and off your racks, but only have one or two compartments depending on the bag.
Read: a big empty hole to be sure. If you have read everything I have written preceding this statement you can feel my hyperventilating panic reverberating in the air around you.
One bag? With no dividers? Breath, breath, zen, zen, zen…
Okay, calmer now.
Jandd seems to have the same top-load big bag theory with optional pockets to attach to the sides and optional shoulder straps plus optional waterproof covers. They seem to have figured it out as far as attaching the bags to themselves and making it easy for you to carry them, either over the shoulder or by their handles. This would make moving them on and off your bike for plane, train or bus travel easier. Except, I feel that quick breathing sneaking back in. I personally have a hard time with the lost in space theory (My purse is organized lost in space chaos, that means I know where everything is and when something is missing)
I know that means that I probably am going to be buying Arkel bags. First of all they have as many compartments as my last luggage set. And they don’t actually top load, which means I could be kneeling in the dirtiest campsite in the history of oh-gods-how-gross campsites and still pretend I am at the Ritz (It’s called projecting your own reality)
I like that there are tons of zippers, so I could segregate almost to my hearts delight. They do require an optional waterproofing system, and I hear that they are not as easy to get on and off bike racks, but with practice all becomes easy…so they say. The travel from bike to train, plane, or yak options are not as apparent to me but I do have a couple of good resources that seem to have perfected that technique so I will phone a friend when necessary.
© 2012 Nichole Warren
