Commute: 5-10 miles 1-way on fairly smooth city streets
Load: 15-35 pounds of college textbooks, change of clothes & stinky-smelly lunch
Bike: Jamis Aurora (touring bike) or Bianchi CDI (mid-range racer)

NO OFF-ROADING at all; this is just for getting me to & from school.

From what I can tell:
Jannd's Commuter's advantage is that it has a little more heal clearance, which is a big plus when doing this on a racer w/ a short wheelbase;
Arkel's Bug's advantage is that it can be used as a backpack.
Ortlieb's Bike Packer Plus's advantage is that it's available in yellow, more visible.

Any other pluses/minuses that I'm missing?

Opinions particularly welcome from people who've actually used these things.

Jannd Commuter:
http://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FCP

Arkel Bug:
http://www.arkel-od.com/panniers/backpack/overview.asp?fl=1&site=

Ortlieb Bike Packer Plus:
http://www.ortliebusa.com/cartgenie/prodInfo.asp?pid=7&cid=2
http://www.ortlieb.com/_pdf_en/bikepackerplus.pdf

I don't have arkel bug panniers, but I do have arkels, and I can say that they are incredibly well made and that their customer service is absolutely top notch.

Their rack mounts are simple to use, easy to get on and off and dead solid once they're on.

I wrecked on some ice and slid on one of my panniers for like 10 feet and it wasn't even scuffed.

The only downside I can think of is that they aren't waterproof, but years of kayaking and canoeing taught me never to trust "waterproof" anyway.

Some Ortlieb's are no foolin' waterproof. You see tons of them in Seattle and Portland. I can't imagine you could go too wrong with them.

I've been using the Ortlieb Bike Packer Classics for a while on my commuter. The material is very tough, and I'd say as close to waterproof as panniers get (they're also a bit cheaper than the Bike Packer Plus bags). I've used them in sun, rain, and snow; everything inside stays nice and dry. The hardware on the Ortliebs is replacable, which is a nice feature.

If you're actually going to be carrying close to 35 pounds, you'll likely want to split up your load between two panniers, rather than loading all the weight on one side. It can be done with one pannier (Arkel Bug?), but two are more stable and help to balance the bike much better.

Also, what kind of rack are you using? I've used my bags on a cheap delta rack that was supposedly rated to 40 pounds, which in the real world means around 20 lbs are acceptable before the whole thing starts wobbling. I invested in a Tubus Logo, and I haven't been disappointed; also, it's given me the heel clearance I need for my sasquatch feet.

Another feature I like on the Ortliebs is the ability to cinch everything down when the pannier is only partially filled. I don't like the pannier's contents shifting around while I ride. Again, not a deal breaker, but the little details matter.

Hope this helps.

I have a 36 mile commute round trip and have been using the Arkel Bug for about 6 months.

The backpack feature is a real plus as it leaves your hands free when off the bike and the shoulder straps and back padding are surprisingly comfortable.

I like the way bag sits on the rack - top of the bug is just below rack top surface allowing you to strap what you need across the rack. I have a Topeak QuickTrack Explorer Rach with spring clip and the Bug does not interfere with the MTX Trunk Bag I sometimes take with me.

The one small negative is that the swiveling clip that locks the pannier to the rack is really not easy to tighten by hand - at least on my rack. What I have found is that the screw that fixes the swivel clip needs to be fairly loose as you place the bag on the rack so you can turn the swivel click vertical once the bag is on the rack. I then use an allen wrench inserted underneath the rack and above the fender to tighten the screw. Like a previous responder mentioned, though, once on and tightened the Bug is not going anywhere - period. I bought some thumb screws at Lowes that I am going to see if I can replace the allen screw with a thumb screw, eliminating the need for the allen wrench.

Finally, the Bug has just enough pockets to help you keep stuff segregated and easy to retrieve. I also considered the Ortlieb but what I could gather from the website is that its pretty much one large compartment.

Two thumbs way up for the Bug:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Thanx for all of the above feedback, it's very helpful.

I've already experienced 1 wreck due to an unstable quick-release rack, and feel like this will help me make an informed decision to prevent that from happening again.

Noone out there has used the Jannd Commuter? Not that I would mind more opinions on the other 2, I just really liked the way the Jannd was shaped to give more heal clearance.