Ortlieb 30th anniversary pannier collection + travel writing competition

Waterproof kit specialists Ortlieb are currently celebrating 30 years of making top-notch luggage, and they've come up with a special edition of their classic Back Roller pannier to mark the anniversary.

The Back Roller Classic is exactly that, a classic. You'll encounter them in all guises from the daily commute to a year-long expedition, and its durability and ease of use mean that it's a perennial favourite. And until the end of August you can get your hands on one (or more) of 18 special editions of the pannier.

There are 6 continental versions, all with a white map print on a coloured pannier. Choose from Europe (blue), Africa (black), Asia (yellow), Australia (green) and North or South America (both red). The Back Roller special edition is available as a single bag so you can match up any two continents of your choice. They're £45 each.

On top of that there's 12 country panniers, all in white with a grey print. You can have Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Spain & Portugal, Netherlands, Austria, Swededn, Switzerland and the USA. And dear old Blighty, of course.

Each Anniversary pannier comes in its own special edition box, making it "a canididate to become collectable!" according to the press release, although we reckon pannier collectors are a pretty rare breed. They look good though, and of course that's backed up by the same excellent performance that you'd get from a plain one. So everyone wins.

On top of that, Ortlieb are running a travel writing competition with a €30,000 prize fund that includes bikes (including a €5k custom Riese und Müller tourer), boats, tents, lights, GPS systems and, of course, panniers. You'll need to include stuff about your personal Ortlieb product and the stories may be "thrilling, strange, moving or romantic", or some combination of all four.

For more info on the custom bags and the comp, head over to Ortlieb's 30th anniversary microsite at www.ortlieb.com/30jahre