Waterproof pannier: Ghetto solution

not convinced with the ducati dry bag that came with the panniers. it's heavy and takes up a lot of precious space inside. i would rather stuff my things in a garbage bag or plastic grocery bag if i needed waterproofing. but there must be a cooler way to do it... don't know if it's been done before. so after examining the design of the panniers, i decided that the shell itself is made of nylon and is inherently waterproof. the only way water can get to the contents is through the zippers. so if i can find a way to seal the zipper area, i won't need the dry bag anymore. the best way i could think of is to have a strip of rubber to wrap around the whole zipper.

i measured the circumference of the pannier along the zipper line before finally deciding i needed size 14"x1.75 bicycle tire inner tube. purchased it at a local bicycle shop for around $1.20.


and so began the delicate task of surgery. first, i removed the valve stem to get it out of the way.


before i get preoccupied with other interesting stuff and forgetting this process, i got the valve tool and removed the valve core from the stem. i then tucked it away in my riding tool kit. you'll never know when you're going to need that spare core


from the hole left by the dismembered valve stem, i scissored my way around the tube.


and voila!!


then it's just a matter of wrapping it around the zipper area. one can hardly notice that it's ghetto unless you stare at it long enough. to acess the zippers, simply slide the rubber to one side. no more difficult than unrolling the oem dry bag to get your stuff.


the advantage of this ghetto set up is that it is much much more compact and lighter than the oem dry bag. it is tight and wide enough gripping both halves of the shell that it doubles as some sort of reinforcement and protection, relieving stress on the zippers.



now to test it tomorrow with a garden hose to see if it really works.

thanks for the kind comments. sorry guys. got off late from work... it's almost 9pm now. will see again if i can squeeze in some time to test tomorrow. if anybody else is doing this, probably momfer, perhaps he will beat me to it

zippy49 said:

Brilliant idea, monstard. A really straight and even cut helps the appearance, yours is very good. A bit of water might creep in at the handle, and of course the outer cloth will wick a bit, but this and a couple of plastic bags (which could also hold the tube when not needed) should do quite well.

Click to expand...

thanks, zippy. an extra set of hands from a buddy stretching the tube helps get that cut clean.

i agree with you. i suspect capillary action from the porous outer cloth would let water in somehow. best way to find out is to really test it

jerdog53 said:

Run it thru the dishwasher....

Click to expand...

can't see from the owner's manual if the box is dishwasher safe

R6chase's idea is brilliant as well. will shop for that roll top bag for added security. i've already seen one in one of the shops here

can't wait 'til daylight to test so i did it last night. used a roll of toilet paper as guinea pig putting it inside the box


since i wasn't inclined to do the experiment outside in the dark, i did the next best thing... i let the box sit in the shower for 5 minutes to simulate rain

and then, DISASTER! opened the box and found an inch of water inside, maybe more as some water drained when the box was opened.


perhaps water seeped in thru the handle as it was not completely covered by the rubber, just as zippy suspected. actually the entire zipper area can leak in water, not just around the handle. once the outer cloth absorbs water, it migrates to the edge of the shell. since there is no drainage system at the bottom, water seeps in faster than it will drain, hence the flooding.

my science project failed so the idea wasn't so bright after all

now there are 2 issues to address, the leaking and the flooding. if i insist on this rubber strip method, my next steps would be:

- get a wider inner tube. one that can cover the whole handle;
- spray the outer cloth with clear acrylic in order to make it water resistant (if not waterproof) and mitigate the leak;and,
- punch a hole at the bottom of the shell to drain whatever water finds itself inside

or i may just have to buy that after market roll top bag and save myself the trouble

will post the results of the mods soon as i get myself to work on it

that is one roll of tissue paper that won't see my ass anymore