Last weekend I went on my first overnight trip, and it was the first chance I got to use these bags. I like them. They are bigger than the liners from Kawasaki so they can be used to fill up the whole pannier, not just the volume under the internal straps. These are very well thought out, with external zippers on both sides, and each side has internal mesh compartments with zippers for storing things like toiletries, small electronics, maps, and chargers. I used this feature of having two mesh compartments accessible from either side frequently and it was nice to not have to empty out my clothes and other contents in order to get to an item at the bottom of the bag; just flip it around and unzip the other side. At first the bags seem weird as they are not stiff, and do not hold their shape. But this is a good thing, as it allows more stuff to be put in the bag, and odd ball stuff to be put outside of the bags (like shoes) and not eat up valuable Pannier volume with empty air or overly thick fabric/materials. These are very well made, thought out and functional.
The Panniers by themself are a little awkward getting things in and out on the side of the road. If you have small items you could use multiple small bags stuffed inside, but these liners does the job nicely. Just put everything in the bag, on the side of the road when you need something open the pannier, pull out the bag ,stand up, look through it with the bag on your seat, not bent over or squatted down rummaging with things spilling out on the road.
I am sure a large manufactured could come along and make something better looking (SW-Motech for example) by changing the external material (leather, fake leather, and or waxed cotton, water proof etc), that looks better in the photos and putting some branding on there that we say we do not care about but for some reason we do. But these are Pannier liners, that would probably just make the bags less flexible, and less functional in the end. I think the design of these bags really has been refined to the point of being most optimal for its use, and in the end, I think that is what we should want from pannier liners. The bag's material does pick up lint, dry leaves, and other little random bits of dirt and dust probably more so then the material backpacks are commonly made from. But a it keeps the contents clean, and a few hits of the hand knocks of most debris.
I had trouble contacting smooth initially via his private e-mail address. I suspect my mail was marked as spam or junk. But Smooth responded quickly to the private message/conversations feature of this forum, gave good payment instructions, and promptly shipped the bags, and I received them in just a few days.
In summary these are well made, very well thought out, and make life easier on the road. They do not have the Kawasaki branding that draws us to the competition for knowing we are going to get a nice looking quality product, but these are more functional, people from this community gives good reviews, and in the end, that is what should matter the most. I almost bought the Kawasaki liners as the prices between the two are close, and I felt more reassured to buy from Kawasaki. I am glad I bought these over the Kawi version as these are more functional, more useful, support the community, and it is well made. Well done Smooth
