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Bike Bags

Materials

The choice of materials is the most important thing about our bike bags. We make absolutely sure that we use the right material in the right place to ensure optimum functionality – with guaranteed environmentally friendly manufacturing.

MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS

The use of panniers places different demands on the products and the materials used. The primary focus for biking is on weather protection and durability as well as easy care and maintenance.

Testing Procedures

Durability is the most important feature of a product for maximum enjoyment of outdoor adventures in nature. A pannier faces long-term exposure to heavy loads. It is indispensable, for example, to subject the materials used to a large number of durability tests in advance in order to guarantee the reliability of the product.

Materials and products are extensively tested at our own in-house test laboratory. The Martindale test measures abrasion. A piece of fabric is subjected to intensive friction for several hours in order to simulate the signs of wear of several years in a short time period. We can then see whether the material will function without problems even after years of intensive use.

Sustainable Manufacturing

Environmental protection and sustainability are vitally important issues for us. At VAUDE, for example, we are increasing our use of renewable raw materials for our products and are using more and more biobased synthetic materials. Our production is subject to strict external controls. Further information on bioplastics can be found in our sustainability report.

WATERPROOFNESS

When you’re out biking, you cover a lot of different types of terrain and encounter a lot of different types of weather. You’re bound to get wet and dirty at some point. Panniers have to offer reliable protection, even under unfavorable conditions. After all, nobody wants to find their change of clothes, food, wallet or phone soaked or damaged.

Workmanship

All VAUDE panniers are made of waterproof materials. Depending on their intended use, the surfaces are siliconized or made from PVC-free tarpaulin. Water and moisture can penetrate the seams of sewn products. However, our products with welded seams guarantee perfect watertightness. These include 100 % of all bags and backpacks that we manufacture here in Germany at our company location in Obereisenbach.

If you would like to learn more about PVC, check out our page on PVC-free materials in our Sustainability Report .

PVC Free

We have completely eliminated the use of hazardous PVC in all VAUDE products because we love nature. This robust, durable and high quality product is made with eco-friendly alternatives featuring absolutely comparable properties.

  • without harmful PVC
  • material is robust and durable
  • environmentally-friendly manufacturing

Rain Covers

Tip: To protect sewn bags and their contents, such as a wallet or phone from moisture, you can easily add a rain cover. A suitable rain cover is automatically supplied with all VAUDE panniers that are not 100 % waterproof.

Eco Finish

This water and stain resistant finish is applied to the outer fabric of your product so that water pearls up and runs right off – without the use of environmentally harmful fluorocarbons (PFCs). This protects you from the rain and keeps the planet clean. Regular reapplication is necessary for permanent waterproofing and stain resistance.

  • environmentally friendly water repellency and stain resistance
  • optimal protection from rain and moisture
  • no use of environmentally harmful fluorocarbons (PFC)

Further information on impregnation, waterproofing and the use of water-repellent materials without the use of fluorocarbons (PFC) can be found in our Sustainability Report

RECYCLING

We have made it our business to constantly reduce our own ecological footprint – to minimize resource consumption and to recycle existing materials. We are therefore increasingly using recycled materials in our panniers in order to conserve resources and avoid waste.

Innovative, climate-friendly and extremely stable – this is our new, sustainable material made from recycled household packaging, which we are using for the first time for the back panels of our VAUDE bike bags. New, so-called secondary raw material is produced from the collected, sorted plastic packaging of German households in an innovative recycling process. For one back plate, for example, about 3 kilos of packaging waste are reprocessed – saving CO2 emissions in material production. This recycling method protects the climate and helps to make sensible use of mountains of waste and conserve fossil resources.

Further information on recycling can be found in our Sustainability Report.