Hi jags,
When I was looking to buy my Ortlieb BikePacker and Sportpacker panniers, I looked high and low for the older style too, 'cos I really liked how the lid-straps wrapped all the way 'round the bags and served as compression straps. They had a nifty handle dead-center in the top, so the bag came on and off the rack directly, instead if canting at an angle and causing the bags to gouge me in the shins like the newer models do. It even had a way to directly tie a dry sack to the top of each bag, crosswise atop the rear rack. These older models even had a thin plastic plate on the backside to guide the straps that wrapped 'round and kept them captive so they wouldn't shift or get lost.
Alas, I wasn't able to find a source, and had to go for the new ones. I like them, but not as much as if I'd been able to find the old ones.
I did get my new-style ones on huge sales, so that removed some of the sting.
I have no idea why Ortlieb changed, since the old ones appeared superior in every way to me. The only reason I can figure is the new design makes for fewer piercings of the bag with retaining screws/nuts, so maybe they though they would hold up better. In exchange, the strap anchors are more highly stressed on the new ones, and there is no separate handle to lift them on and off -- you have to use the hook-release to do that, which makes me wonder if it might prove an eventual trouble point, though it seems fine in practice on mine so far. I have learned to stand to one side so the corner of the fully loaded bag doesn't clout my shins when I lift it off the rack. Ortlieb do make small, periodic changes -- in response to customer demand, they say. My new-style SportPacker Plus bags are red-and black...and the front bags sport a black top section to reduce glare compared to older models, according to Ortlieb. Maybe they retired the old style for some similar reason.
I'll do a quick once-over of the all the sources I checked when I was looking for a set of old ones for myself; maybe something will turn up that will help your friend. Don't forget to check eBay. I did see a nice pair on the German ebay site not too long ago, and they were going for a very reasonable price, even allowing for shipping.
A gentle caution to your friend: A quick look at stockists for Ortlieb and the Ortlieb site itself shows
none of the spare parts unique to the older model 'Packers (the straps and the back plates) are available. That's something to keep in mind in case he needs to make repairs down the line.
Best,
Dan.
