You are right!just do it, stop messing around
sounds like you want the ortlieb and you won't be happy with anything else
Fair point. I was thinking of full to bursting 20 litre panniers. There will be a half way house using smaller panniers on the back.I don't fully agree that panniers will catch on things, certainly the smaller ones will be within the outline of my body, and I see all the time people "bikepacking" with small panniers low on the front of their bikes which surely is worse for catching things than having them higher up on the back behind the riders legs
you wont go far wrong with ortlieb stuff whatever you decide
I was going to say that Ortlieb would be easy to sell on if you changed your mind, then wondered whether you've looked at buying second hand in the first place. Ortlieb gear is built to last and you can get spare parts so that could be a good bet.
@Lauris I'm far from a bikepacker but there's one bit of advice up the thread that is really important - get out and try some things, figure out what works for you.
i typically carry 4 panniers and a rackbag, sometimes a trailer and I haven't found a place I can't go yet. (I could be faster, sure, but I'm generally not interested in speed).
I'm in awe of people who can do trips of a week or more on a bikepacking setup - I need my comforts.
One thing about panniers is that they hold more with less faffing. Simply, that means that you can use them to do more - shopping for example. Commuting too. The more time on the bike, the better.
Finally, I think it's far better to spend money on experiences rather than things. Your £260 for the Ortlieb bikepacking setup would cover me for a summer of weekend trips.
Buy cheap, second hand, get out and try it and with experience buy what you need.
Good luck!
I did my first solo tour with a £20something tent from Argos wrapped in a bag for life and strapped to my rear rack. A friend of mine commuted for years with a rucksack bungied to his rack. Get creative with what you already have and go for an overnight. There's fun to be had from gear shopping (I love browsing tents!) but much more fun to be had from a trip.