Vern's Panniers again

Finally found the time to go and visit Vern at the pannier factory.
As everyone on here has said before, once you've seen them, you want a set... they're fantastic! Real handmade quality, and attention to detail... can't wait till mine come off the production line! There's just no comparison between these, and the mass market things, like the BMW adventure ones, which just aren't up to the job.

I'd looked at a few of the others, and let me tell you.... if you're in the market for alloy panniers then you'll not get better than Vern's.

Sounds like I'm on commission doesn't it? Well I'm not... but the bloke deserves success for such a high quality product!

Two of the members of the just-returned Morocco party were using Vern's panniers (but not me). They may post their own reports, but here's my thoughts:

• Enormous capacity
• No wider than standard GS panniers
• Chamfered bottom edges to avoid grounding
• Needs a better finish, but I gather that Vern has this in hand
• Someone needs to make inner bags for them (perhaps a JV with Vern)
• Would benefit from a quicker release mechanism
• Can't comment on vfm, cos I don't know how much they are.

Greg

And when they dropped the GS in the desert, you could pick the bike up by them.......................literally

Bulletproof - official.

Test complete

Greg, cheers for the observations, it all helps you know, so keep them coming. The finish is just plain aluminium on the panniers that went south with you, this is because it was touch and go whether I could finish them in time or not, and the boys agreed to take them as soon as they were finished.
I'm working on inner bags at the moment as well.
I'm still not convinced about the QD fixings, but if it's what people want, then it shall be done.
I've still got loads to do tonight, drawing and stuff, and then up at 5am to go to the BMF, so I'm going to hit the beer now and I'll see some of you tomorrow.

Verns Panniers

I was using the BMW cases in Morocco - they were crap. No volume, fell off on the rough stuff and the road - had to be jury rigged to get them home.

Verns panniers looked the dogs and performed.

I was the one clever/brave/dumb enough to ride through the desert with a pair of Vern's panniers still attached.

Dropped the bike twice; the panniers made it much easier to pick up ensuring that the bike never laid at too shallow an angle. Also helped protect it some.

So after our various off road stints and some vary nasty abuse over the last ten days you'd be expecting some kind of damage either to the frame or the panniers themselves, right?

Nope: not a scratch on them - literally. The mounting frame is absolutely rock solid. I took it all off yesterday morning (30 mins) and there wasnt one problem with any of it.

No water or sand found its way into them either.

Well done Vern; these are the panniers for serious adventuring.

Michael

Good Piccie that

I thank you for testing them so extensively, I was going to throw myself down the road to see what happened, but unfortunatley I have an allergic reaction to crashing, it always brings me out in cuts and bruises. I think I'll have to put that picture on the web site when someone gets round to it, if you don't mind that is.
I'm glad no one had any problems with them, I must be doing something right. All I've got to do now is get the indicator to melt and I'll know I've got a real quality product to sell