It is 1981 in southern England, a rain drenched touring cyclist is not looking forward to spending another night in a wet sleeping bag. At that moment, a transport truck drives by and the cyclist realizes that those goods inside are not getting wet. That cyclist was the German national Hartmut Ortlieb, and that trip in southern England inspired him to set out to create the first 100 % waterproof panniers. The rest is history..

Today, Ortlieb is an innovative specialist that develops a wide array of waterproof bags including front and rear panniers, backpacks, handlebar bags, and saddlebags. Ortlieb products are characterized by tightly sealed closure systems such as roll closures, waterproof zippers, velcro, or sliding seal closures. Built to last, highly functional and made in Germany. Made by a cyclist and proven by cyclists, Ortlieb bags are in a class of their own.