Vaude Discover Pro Back

Product Reviews

I bought these bags for my commute. I was previously using the Topeak MTX bags, but they started to tear, as I guess I was lugging around too much stuff. My primary requirements for panniers was ease of loading and unloading, since I commute 5 days /week, and water resistance, as the typical Atlanta summer thunderstorms can come out of nowhere and produce a heavy downpour. So I decided to give german engineering a try with these bags. After about a month of use, I have to say that I am happy with the selection. The quick release clips are convenient and fit snugly on my Topeak rack. And the bags have protected its belongings in the few rain showers I have ridden through so far. The bags are very roomy, but do accommodate for storage of small items in the few small external and single large internal pocket. I do have two complaints though, 1) on one bag, the drawstring under the top has slightly frayed on a rough edge on the plastic drawstring clip. If I do not press the clip all the way down when either loosening or tightening the top, the existing frays will catch the rough edge and further fray the string. And as the drawstring is looped into the lid, a replacement would be difficult to route through the fabric. 2) On the other bag, the supplied hex screw for the rear stabilizing hook stripped in its metal backing plate when I was originally fastening the hook into the desired position. While I was lucky that the screw stripped at a point where the hook is fairly tight and still slightly adjustable, it is still disappointing as the plate is in the adjustable track, where it is not easily replaceable. For now, it works, but I am worried that if the hook were to come loose after use, I may be forced to permanently affix the position with glue. Then again, these bags do come with a 3 year warranty, so I may look into that. Overall, I am satisfied with the selection and the ordering process. The folks were very quick to respond to my emailed questions, and were pleasant in working out a price matching deal, as I found a site offering the bags for a lower price. But that site did not primarily deal in cycling equipment, and I wanted to order from one that did. If/when I order more bags, it will surely be from these guys.