Review of Sunlite Traveler 2 Bicycle Pannier Bags

Sunlite Traveler 2 Bicycle Pannier Bags
By: SunLite
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They get the job done

On: 2008-06-10

I bought these panniers on a whim and toured 7,000 miles with them. They worked well for me. These things are probably the cheapest panniers you can buy, so you shouldnt expect them to work wonders.

That being said, they are not waterproof. Also, the bottom attachment is a hook on an elastic wire thing. Its true, the hook will constantly slide off the rack, causing your panniers to jump off and consequently cause you to wreck if you dont do something about it. This is not an issue if you use a little ingenuity.

To solve this issue, just take two thick cable ties (aka: zip ties) and tie them onto the bottom of your rack near where the pannier hook attaches. With two cable ties adjacent to where the hook attaches to your rack, the hook cannot slide off. The hook will try to slide off to the left and right but will instead bump into the cable ties and go nowhere. Problem solved.

Additionally, and as another reviewer has mentioned, the elastic wire line with the hook on the end is too long. You have to feed it through a couple plastic loops on the back of the pannier to make it shorter.

After I made both these changes, the panniers were great. Ive hit every cavernous train track in America and my bags have always stayed attached. When I biked through very heavy rain, about half of the contents in my bags got wet. I didnt really care. I like these bags.

They fell off three times today.

On: 2008-05-12

These panniers fall off easily if they are not weighed down with at least five pounds of stuff. The hooks (they are not clips) that connect them to the top of the rack are small and at least one comes off nearly every time I ride. Sometimes when that happens, the pannier wears against my spokes. After less than a year of use, small holes are appearing due to that wear. The bungee cords that hook onto the lower part of the rack are not sufficiently taut to keep the bags in place, so I looped them around one of the plastic loops that it travels through before hooking them onto the lower part of the rack.

All told, youre better off buying a nicer and more expensive pair of panniers that have a decent and reliable way of hooking the panniers onto the bike. These are worth even less than what you pay for them. I will probably buy some new panniers after using these for less than one year.

Pretty good carrier bags! Love them.

On: 2008-05-11

I purchased these bags with the intent to carry my laptop, headset, a book or two, and plenty of other smaller items to work and back. It has plenty of space for what I take to work (and I take carry about 30lbs to work every day).
They attach pretty easily to the bike rack and are fairly quick to remove.
The one thing that made me give a 4 star was that I had to throw on an extra bungee chord to help hold it down on the rack. The chords that came attached to the bags are a little weak and thought maybe if I were to hit a large bump they would come loose.
Other than that, they work perfectly and have not had any problems with them to date. Hope this helps.

Love it

On: 2007-12-03

I havent used it in rain yet, but as of yet I do not regret the purchase at all. We use it for shopping, to carry our rock climbing stuff and when riding to the beach. The reflectors are a great addition when driving by night.

be carfeful

On: 2007-10-31

just received this item and I got ONE pannier bag. OF course I notified them and in their defense, it COULD have been a mistake HOWEVER, if they tell me that the NAME is just "Sunlite Traveler 2" then to me this is false advertising. Even the picture shows TWO. If they hassle me about that, its going BACK cause Im not paying 42.00 for ONE bag.Sunlite Traveler 2 Bicycle Pannier Bags Im only giving the product 1 star due to the ambiguity of the ad not on the product itself and cause I could not publish the ad without some rating being added.

Sunlite Traveler 2--not as big as I expected

On: 2007-10-23

After reading other reviews, I had the impression that these bags were HUGE. As these are my first set of bags, Im not sure what HUGE means, but I didnt find these as large as reviewed. I commute to school, so can fit a couple of textbooks or notebooks in each bag, but not much else. I wouldnt find them useful for a medium to large grocery trip, either. Otherwise, bags are very handy, strap on easily, and have some nice reflective pieces. The smaller zippered compartments are also great. I plan to return these and keep looking for something larger.

Almost perfect

On: 2007-10-09

Ive been using a pannier I bought at REI years ago. Its still working fine, but I wanted a double-pack, so I ordered this. As other reviewers wrote, its excellent in every way except for one little design issue. Theres nothing to keep it from jumping off the rack when you ride over a bump. The REI one Ive been using has a mechanism that holds it from the underside of the rack, along with two clips on the top. It basically pinches the pannier on the rack sidebar. This one has no such mechanism. I just used a bunch of nylon wire-ties to hold it in place. I used two per clip, crossing over in X shape (8 total for the two panniers). Just for good measure, I put some more on the sides, too. I dont ever plan on taking them off, but if you need to take them on and off, youll need to be a bit more clever. Otherwise, its an excellent pannier pair with insane amount of room and great construction. 3M reflective bands are nice touches, too.

Almost perfect

On: 2007-10-08

Ive been using a pannier I bought at REI years ago. Its still working fine, but I wanted a double-pack, so I ordered this. As other reviewers wrote, its excellent in every way except for one little design issue. Theres nothing to keep it from jumping off the rack when you ride over a bump. The REI one Ive been using has a mechanism that holds it from the underside of the rack, along with two clips on the top. It basically pinches the pannier on the rack sidebar. This one has no such mechanism. I just used a bunch of nylon wire-ties to hold it in place. I used two per clip, crossing over in X shape (8 total for the two panniers). Just for good measure, I put some more on the sides, too. I dont ever plan on taking them off, but if you need to take them on and off, youll need to be a bit more clever. Otherwise, its an excellent pannier pair with insane amount of room and great construction. 3M reflective bands are nice touches, too.

Very poor mounting system

On: 2007-07-26

The bags are decent enough and a good size but the mounting system is shoddy. It just has hooks and a bungie cord. It should have come with velcro securing straps which would have been easy enough to design in. I would have paid the small increase in price to have these there. I find this could have been a great product if it had a better way to secure it to the bike.

Perfect commuter pannier

On: 2007-07-23

I started making the final leg of my commute into Cambridge MA a bicycle commute on the Minuteman Trail. I have a trustly old Miyata six-fifteen touring bike. I have some cycling clothes. What I didnt have was a vessel to carry all of the things I usually take to and from work. At first I used a backpack. That got old in a hurry. Then I bought these Sunlite Traveler 2 Panniers. They fit all of the things I was attempting to fit into my backpack and much more (such as clothes, shoes, work papers, food, etc). These panniers are inexpensive as well. Just as important, they are very easy to put on and remove from the bike rack.

SO Excited!

On: 2007-07-05

I have heard so many wonderful things about these bags. They are durable, very spacious, and seem to fit all my needs. As soon as I got them I ripped open the box, put them on my bike, and started stuffing them with everything I could fit in them. I could actually fit a whole gallon of milk inside with plenty of room to spare! I used to dread getting fresh fruits and vegetables because Id have to carry them on my handlebars so they wouldnt bruise, and just tie everything else down on my bike rack on the back. For a while there I was even wearing a backpack!!! Needless to say, balance, space and comfort were major issues. I am so happy to know that now, I can get the food that I need to maintain my healthy lifestyle, instead of opting for the more convenient foods just because theyll survive the bike ride home. I also own a lot of pets, so the monthly trips to the pet store proved to be exceedingly difficult. Now, I can fit a bag of cat food and a bag of dog food in one bag, and still have room to fit more, not to mention a whole other empty bag! I love the little drawstring on the bag and the stretchy top. The pockets are so spacious I cant even begin to think of what Ill put in them. I guess the ultimate test will be my monthly trip to the grocery store. Dum-dum-duuummmmmm. Im sure the non-slip grip hooks, the reinforced back, and the stabilizing cords will be more than enough to withstand the 20 minute trip back. I am so excited about getting to use these bags! I thank you, my back thanks you, and my pets thank you for making these available. I cant wait for my boyfriend to see them! :)

Durable

On: 2007-06-09

Okay, so the only suggestion I have is make sure these bags are fastened securely and if not dont attempt to re-seat the bag without stopping should it come loose during travel (just use common sense and youll be fine). That being said, my brand new right pannier just went through my rear wheel at about 20mph and came out with no tears, rips or really any problems. There are a couple of small black scuff marks on the reflector but thats it.
I on the other hand have a bruised back, concussion and countless sore points on my body but this review is on the panniers.
The fact that these are 2 seperate bags make the value virtually unbeatable. My first impression of the material was, "Wow, I didnt expect it to be this heavy-duty." When the bag went through my wheel, I really couldnt believe how well it held up. Did I mention that the bag was full, no contents inside were damaged or really even disturbed but my rim is bent beyond belief and must be replaced.
I highly recommend these bags due to the quality and value!

Durable

On: 2007-06-08

Okay, so the only suggestion I have is make sure these bags are fastened securely and if not dont attempt to re-seat the bag without stopping should it come loose during travel (just use common sense and youll be fine). That being said, my brand new right pannier just went through my rear wheel at about 20mph and came out with no tears, rips or really any problems. There are a couple of small black scuff marks on the reflector but thats it.
I on the other hand have a bruised back, concussion and countless sore points on my body but this review is on the panniers.
The fact that these are 2 seperate bags make the value virtually unbeatable. My first impression of the material was, "Wow, I didnt expect it to be this heavy-duty." When the bag went through my wheel, I really couldnt believe how well it held up. Did I mention that the bag was full, no contents inside were damaged or really even disturbed but my rim is bent beyond belief and must be replaced.
I highly recommend these bags due to the quality and value!

Sunlite Traveler 2 bicycle pannier bags

On: 2007-05-17

I LOVE these bags! The quality is good, the price was right, and they hold an amazing amount of stuff! I have yet to be able to fill both of them up! I especially like the ease with which they are attached & removed from my bikes mountain rack, and also the fact that even with both bags mounted on the rack, the entire rack is still usable for things such as coolers, extra packs, etc. A friend who already has a pannier for her bike saw mine & liked them better, and wants to get the same kind - (we both like the fold-over top covers that keep things dry). The fact that the bags are separate & not attached to each other is great, too - that way I can lend one bag to a friend when were riding together. The bags arrived within a few days - so I was able to use them that very weekend. My ONLY regret is that I didnt buy these bags many years ago! Ive been needing panniers for a long time, and these are EXACTLY what I needed. I definitely give them TWO THUMBS UP!