ORTLIEB Bike Bags, Backpacks & Panniers – 100% Waterproof & Made in Germany

It all began in the spring of 1981 when Hartmut Ortlieb went on a tour of southern England with a fully packed bicycle. Expecting a great adventure, his euphoria was curbed by continuous rain and he had to endure another night with damp clothes and a soaked sleeping bag. When a truck drove by and pouring rain pelted his tarp, but the load remained dry, he had the idea for waterproof ORTLIEB bike bags. The long-saved vacation could have been more pleasant, but the consequences of this predicament were to shape Hartmut Ortlieb's life and the tours of many cyclists!

Back home in Nuremberg, he tinkered with a weatherproof luggage container and sewed the first bicycle bag on his mother's sewing machine, using waterproof truck tarpaulin, a webbing strap to fix the lid and a hook to attach it to the luggage rack. As friends and acquaintances as well as bicycle dealers showed more and more interest in the functional bicycle bags, the first marketable series of bags developed in the form of ORTLIEB rear panniers and the sewing machine moved into a backyard garage. The first ORTLIEB handlebar bag and the first ORTLIEB pannier soon followed, but due to high demand Hartmut Ortlieb could no longer serve the clientele on his own. So family members and friends helped him when, in 1982, the logical next step was to found ORTLIEB Sportartikel GmbH.

With the help of product brochures, a first trade show appearance and a lot of word of mouth, ORTLIEB became more and more known and in demand. Thanks to a high-frequency welding technique, ORTLIEB was able to call its bags 100% waterproof. The next milestone, the roll closure, made the popular ORTLIEB Back-Roller luggage carrier bags a timeless classic. Simple and even float-proof.

Groundbreaking for a fastening system of the bags was the development of the self-locking Quick-Lock system, which has proven itself to this day.

Due to the steadily growing demand, ORTLIEB launches the ergonomic, waterproof backpack Packman in the mid-90s. This blew up all capacities and the now 60-strong company had to move to Heilsbronn in 1997. This was followed by the development of front panniers, saddle bags, frame bags and messenger bags. ORTLIEB has become synonymous with reliably waterproof and robust bicycle and outdoor bags.

Always with the goal of ensuring independence from the weather in mind, ORTLIEB developed with many innovations and over 230 employees to become the world's leading manufacturer of waterproof bicycle and outdoor bags. For example, the buoyant roll closure is now supplemented by the waterproof zipper, Velcro and the sealing lip.

All processes, from development and design, through mechanical engineering and production, to marketing and sales, still take place in-house today - including high-frequency welding for the absolute waterproofness of all products with a water column of up to 100,000 mm. Thus, ORTLIEB guarantees the best quality - Made in Germany.

For the ORTLIEB bike bags for front and rear wheel, the ORTLIEB bikepacking handlebar, frame and saddle bags as well as the Gravel-Packs, panniers, courier bags and Office-Bags, there are extensive accessories and spare parts.

As a company with strong ties to nature, ORTLIEB takes care to keep its own carbon footprint as small as possible and to optimize its eco-balance. The manufacture of the products, including their long service life and disposal, is carried out in the most resource and environmentally friendly way possible. The electricity required is sourced 100% from renewable energies, e.g. through the photovoltaic system on the company's roof. The ORTLIEB Code of Conduct defines requirements regarding sustainability and responsibility for suppliers. Furthermore, ORTLIEB supports various campaigns, associations and organizations such as the EOCA, which promote bicycle mobility and are committed to climate and nature protection.