The 5 Best Bike Panniers of 2025
What makes a great bag is really personal, even when you’re talking about bags meant to go on bikes. I often find that no matter how many bags I have, I need (okay, want) them all, and I believe it’s because each one does a slightly different task perfectly. As much as I wish I had one bag that could do everything, when a bag excels at being unobtrusive as you move through your day, it’s because it’s performing a monotask and performing it well.
As such, bag testing is a lot about figuring out exactly what any given bag does best and who would want that bag. We do that in every Wirecutter guide — spelling out who the product is for — but with bags, recommending a good one is all about cracking that code.
So to find the best panniers, we rode with 26 bags for nine months on city streets and asked these questions:
What can the pannier carry, and how? We laid out 28 different items that a bike commuter might carry and filled each bag with as many as we could. We found that a 20-liter pannier will accommodate most everyday commuting items, and two (roughly) 20-liter bags will ride more balanced than going much bigger than 20 liters on a single pannier.
Everyday-carry items:
- keys
- phone
- wallet
- transit card
- tube of lip balm
- pen and pencil
- notebook
- water bottle
Portable office items:
- laptop and case
- laptop charger
- earbuds
- phone cable
- USB wall charger
- external mouse and case
- laptop stand
Bike accessories:
- patch kit
- front and rear bike lights
- bike lock
- windbreaker
- warm hat
Extras:
- change of clothing
- extra pair of shoes
- small lunch
- reusable silverware
Should you get a top-loading pannier, or a backpack style? Top-loading panniers are the most common style. They usually open and close like a roll-top dry bag, or use a flap and hook system—especially the waterproof options. While some have some interior organization for a laptop or a notebook, you may need to use packing cubes or smaller sacks to keep track of your stuff, especially in bigger panniers. The Ortlieb Back-Roller Classic is a top-loading pannier with a stiff collar that stays open to make rummaging around for your stuff easier.
Bike-commuting expert Tom Babin prefers a backpack style with a clamshell opening so that he can unzip the whole backpack and see everything at a- lance instead of digging for items from the top. Backpacks are also a good option if you want to remove your pannier at your destination and walk around a lot—as you would while on a campus.
Will it stay on the bike? Rescuing a laptop from the middle of the street is not how anyone wants to start their day, so a durable mounting system is important. Also, pannier hooks that are mounted against a crossbar are easier to mount. In addition, a stiff back on the pannier and a bottom hook add additional security and make the weight easier to handle when it’s on the bike.
Will it come off the bike easily? This is the paradox of pannier mounting systems — it must stay firmly barnacled to your bike rack, except of course when you want to take it off. Then, it must release with hardly any effort. Unlike a touring cyclist, who might leave their panniers on for days or weeks at a time, a commuter removes them every time they park.
Will it hit your heel when you pedal? The best panniers are shaped to avoid heel strike and made to keep the load low on the bike. In general, bags that do this well are slightly tapered at the bottom and tend to be taller than they are wide.
Does the company stand behind it? Panniers take a lot of abuse, and though our picks are durable, we looked for reassuring warranties.
We did not look at bags designed specifically for bicycle touring. We also dismissed saddlebag-style panniers (the kind that are attached in the middle with fabric); they’re meant to be left on the bike and are difficult to carry once you take them off.
