Best Colour for Touring Panniers?

[hwilson019]

Hey Guys,

Can anyone give me some advice about pannier colour?

Would it be best to go for BRIGHT colours to aid visibility on the road, or do you guys think DARK colours so as not to attract attention to them for when I am not on the road for when I am in dodgier countries and places?

I'd be interested in any seasoned tourers' opinions as I am a rookie!

Thanks!

[PH]

I think in daylight you're going to be seen or not regardless of the colour of your panniers, same at night if you've got decent lights. 
One thing you might consider is the colour inside, it's a lot easier to find stuff if they're light inside.

[pdamm]

I am squarely in the bright colours camp.  Most drivers will see you no matter what colour you and your panniers are but there are always a few inattentive drivers out there.  Anything you can do to make myself more visible to them will increase your chances on the road. 

In cases where there isn’t much room and a car or truck will come close to you, being brighter will make it easier for them to judge just how wide you are and miss you.

I see it as a numbers game.  Out there some somewhere sometime is that unlucky combination of inattentive driver, narrow road, poor visibility and maybe even inattentive rider.  Being brightly coloured is just trying to reduce the odds.

That said actually getting bright coloured panniers is not so easy.  Even the yellow Ortleib panniers are mostly black when viewed from behind.  I ended up asking Arkel (www.arkel-od.com) to make me a special order of their GT-54 in their yellow fabric.  I had to wait until they were making another batch to get them but I am happy with the result.  I also have a yellow Ortleib rack pack that goes on top of my panniers, it stands out well.

Peter

[pastafarian]

Not being a seasoned tourer, I would say go with the colour you like, and preferably something that goes well with the bike. I myself love my red and black ortliebs, but in retrospect I probably should've gone with all black panniers because they go well with anything. As pdamm said, they're mostly black from behind anyway but they do have those wonderful reflective stickers so it shouldn't be a problem. If you plan on going remote places where your gear may be worth more than a year's pay, then black would seem like the best option.

[jags]

to be honest i really dont think colour matters ,usually what i do is leave on my flashing tail light ,for night time riding the highviz jacket with two tail lights are proberly best.i have the blue and black ortlieb backer plus brilliant panniers .

[spoon boy]

I have , to match my bike, bought red for the world tour

However having read a few world tour  blogs and web info's I now see sense of black

making your bike not stand out in a very poor country makes sense

nothing will attract a bunch of people wishing to mug you than..oo look at my shiny new and exspensive stuff

[bobs]

I bought black ortliebs to go with my black bike, also it doesn't show up dirt and oil.

[FLV]

A thought on this, does your stored food not get pretty hot in black panniers, in sunny countries? or is there little difference to worry over.

As for shiny gear in poor countries. Although i don't have much touring experience, I would certainly think its best for all your gear to be thouroughly tried and tested before you go?

[Dafydd]

Defiantly bright, I have a full set of Ortlieb panniers, bright yellow, when you are at a junction you can be seen side on.

[Pavel]

 I favor black.  I just feel like a cheap prostitute in all those neon colors, and I feel too much like those spandex weenies when I'm tarted up like that.  Of course I mean no offence to inexpensive ladies of the night ... but I stand by my comments about spandex racer boys! 

[Danneaux]

I got red-and-black Ortlieb Packer Plus panniers 'cos that color was on sale, and a black Size Large Ultimate V Plus handlebar bag 'cos it only came in black. And was also on sale. Made the choices easy. I might well have chosen all-black (to match the bike) if they had been on sale. Ortlieb's panniers are black from front and rear, anyway, except for the ends of the top caps. The colored sides make it a tiny bit easier to find things inside and are bright when seen from the sides and in photos. I think bright clothing makes a bigger difference than bike or pannier color for visibility from front and rear, but the panniers aid visibility from the sides. I use my bright LEDs as well to make me more noticeable in low light or heavy traffic.

Best,

Dan.

[richie thornger]

I used my usual yardstick, which was cheapest. My Red rears on my red raven tour where fine. Then I got a pair of front Ortliebs cheap in black then a bar bag in yellow. I've just bought a Nomad and got some black rears thrown in and they do look good on the black bike.
I originally thought being visible is good. Now I've got a black bike, I want everything black. Pathetic!
As for not standing out in poorer/dodgier countries....ummm. I think you'll stand out like a sore thumb whatever colour your bags are. I still believe if you think somewhere will have problems it probably will. Nothing to do with what country it is.