Pannier Makeover

UPDATE: The adhesive failed and the EVA rubber turned brittle on my ride to Death Valley. Back to the drawing board.

Thirty-six thousand miles were taking their toll on the Explorer’s panniers, GIVI’s 48-liter side cases, the Trekker Outback. The finish on the lids was marred by an attached MSR dromedary bag on the left side, and a GIVI bag on top of the other that holds my tent.

And since I load the lids with gear as well, the stock plastic lid straps failed at the loops, making it impossible to keep the pannier open in a resting position, especially with the dromedary bag and tent bag strapped on to each lid top.

For the lid tops I found a shelf liner made out of EVA rubber that is UV protected and durable.

I measured and cut the liner material to fit the tops, prepped the surface with isopropyl alcohol and used an automotive spray adhesive from LocTite to attach the liners. Since that product requires both surfaces to be treated, I masked the lids so only the surface area that bonds to the liner would be treated. Here is the result:

Adhesion is a bit of a trick when it’s below freezing outside, especially since the product requires a temp window between 65 and 95degrees Fahrenheit. I warmed all surfaces with a barn heater and made the application. We’ll see how they hold up.

I replaced the lid straps before the Pearls on the Strand Tour with picture hanging wire and some ferrules, providing the strength needed to take the weight of the loaded lids while allowing the lid to be opened. After hundreds of openings and closings, the wire was fraying out from the ferrules and made for more of a pokey experience than I wanted.

My fix for this was to wrap each wire strap with heat-shrink tubing and then reattach the straps to the lids.

These fold into the pannier without the fuss of having to tuck them in each time I close it, making accessing the panniers much easier and more efficient.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, an American Architect, has been quoted as saying, “God is in the details.” I’m more like, um, usability is in the details.