Recumbent Trike Tail Lights on the Daylight Road: Be Safe, Be Seen! 

I have long been a user of Arkel pannier systems, and they have always served me very well. They are about as good as panniers come! I only had the set of Ortlieb Back Roller Pro Classic for a very short time when I got my 2021 HP Velotechnik trike. Pannier choice is very personal, and we all have our preferences. I prefer bags with multiple compartments rather than one huge cavernous area that everything goes inside, as the Ortlieb bags are. Yes, Ortlieb bags are waterproof, but so are my Arkel and Lone Peak bags with their light weight rain covers. Also, Arkel has an inner liner that is completely waterproof. In addition, the 1000 denier material Arkel and Lone Peak uses is highly water resistant for a long time, and will handle rains that are short-lived quite well. If it looks like the rain will continue on for a long time, I simply slide the rain covers on over the bags. I did not like the rubbery material of the Ortlieb bags, and the fact that I needed to unclick two buckles and then unroll the bag top just to access my gear inside, and then repeat the procedure in reverse to close the bag again. For me, it was simply too cumbersome and time consuming. With Arkel or Lone Peak bags, I can immediately access items with a quick unzipping a zipper, which is usually the case when accessing smaller items while on the road. Only once at camp do I need to access the large main compartment, which means unclicking one buckle. Most riding is not during rain storms based on my own personal experience, so I do not need 100% water protection 24/7, not to mention that Ortlieb bags do not breathe because the rubbery material does not allow air to leave or enter the bag. Also, over time, because the Ortlieb bags must be continually rolled and unrolled, the rubbery material does tend to break down. I simply am not a fan. Yes, Arkel just introduced what they are advertising as a waterproof bag, like in the GT-54 bags that I have used for years, and they are lighter weight, but these Lone Peak bags I now use have multiple advantages over Arkel in my opinion, something I could only learn by actually trying the bags myself. The Lone Peak bags use the same 1000 denier water resistant material as Arkel, and the Lone Peaks are half the weight and half the price of the Arkel bags. Arkel uses a considerable amount of Velcro on their Tailrider trunk and GT-54 bags, whereas the Lone Peak bags have none, using click buckles instead, which I definitely prefer. Arkel uses a heavy attachment system for the GT-54 panniers, whereas Lone Peak utilizes a simple, yet effective, hook system. I discuss these differences in some of my talks also. steve