Final winter we had been invited to take a uncommon look contained in the Ortlieb manufacturing facility, the place the corporate synonymous with ‘waterproof’ manufactures their basic touring, commuter, and bikepacking baggage. Nestled within the rolling rural countryside of northern Bavaria, Ortlieb makes its signature waterproof biking baggage in Germany. For over 40 years they’ve constructed a repute for high quality, sturdiness, and reliability. And whereas they’ve expanded their choices far past their unique waterproof touring baggage and people unique designs, Ortlieb even continues to refine and evolve these basic baggage which might be nonetheless a few of their finest sellers…
Inside Ortlieb, behind the scenes the place waterproof is made
Throughout a much less busy, however appropriately wet a part of the 12 months, we had an opportunity to enterprise throughout Germany to the headquarters of Ortlieb in Heilsbronn within the Franconia area. Fairly centrally situated in Germany – and technically on the geographical middle of the EU – it’s a straightforward locale to miss. But it surely’s a pleasant, quiet a part of the German countryside. And sufficiently moist for his or her model of substances, not less than based mostly on my winter go to.
He began the corporate again in 1982 in Nuremberg, however Hartmut Ortlieb introduced it half an hour down the highway to this new location in 1997 to arrange a extra environment friendly, extra sustainable means of producing their iconic waterproof gear. That’s the place greater than 300 worldwide staff design and make your baggage, and create all of their rising vary of substances – past touring & bikepacking baggage to incorporate a number of racks, thru-axles & extra…
All the waterproof baggage are created in-house in Heilsbronn. Their specialised waterproof zippers are made by a companion firm Tizip, actually created on the identical avenue simply to make zips to Ortlieb’s excessive waterproof requirements the 12 months after they moved to Heilsbronn. All of the injection molded plastic elements in your Ortlieb gear are additionally made on the identical tiny dead-end avenue. Ortlieb constructed up the trade on the sting of this small, to the purpose that their companions actually can pull a forklift out of 1 manufacturing facility and drop it off subsequent door, for essentially the most easy-to-mange provide chain logistics you’ll discover wherever.
The place Ortlieb waterproof began, and the place they’ve gone
Ortlieb received its legendary begin in 1982 when founder Harmut Ortlieb wasn’t happy with the dearth of safety from the weather with touring baggage of the time. On a cycle tour of the UK, he realized that the tarps protecting truckers’ hauls would make higher baggage than the axed cotton or uncoated nylons of the day. So he returned house and began experimenting with tarpaulin material and his mom’s stitching machine.
He began with taped seams, that had been almost “leakproof”. However that wasn’t adequate. Inside about 2 years, Harmut settled on high-frequency welding tech to bodily bond two items of coated material collectively – creating actually waterproof gear. That’s nonetheless the core know-how that units Ortlieb aside at present – though it has change into way more refined and refined.
It began with Ortlieb’s first tarp-based and seam-taped Bike-Packer pannier baggage. 40 years later, the overall pannier bag profile is analogous, even right down to the 2-strap closure, and the long-lasting purple. However the supplies of the fashionable Bike-Packer Plus are way more refined. And the high-frequency welded seams are unmatched for his or her constant waterproofness and sturdiness.
Behind-the-scenes in waterproof biking bag manufacturing
To make all their high-performance baggage, Ortlieb has to begin with high-quality supplies. Their materials are all offered by long-term trusted suppliers. And Ortlieb retains loads of rolls in inventory, in all of their favourite colours, to take care of dependable workflow.
It’s not solely the basic coated nylon & polyester materials, extra complicated development contains varied foams, foils, and different plastics that give Ortlieb’s merchandise a variety of purposes. And all of them have to be sorted, prepped, and saved to be prepared for Ortlieb’s versatile manufacturing.
In-house materials testing
However trusted suppliers or not, Ortlieb doesn’t go away something to probability. It’s their waterproof repute on the road, in any case.
So each batch of material coming within the door will get examined in-house. Tear resistance, final tensile power, capability to be welded collectively, abrasion resistance, waterproofness. Very similar to of their manufacturing corridor, Ortlieb makes lots of their very own testing instruments to find out the efficiency of their uncooked supplies.
And if the material doesn’t cross any of Ortlieb’s in-house checks, it doesn’t make it into any manufacturing baggage.
Materials slicing & prep
Over 40 years, many steps of the manufacturing of Ortlieb’s iconic baggage have developed and change into extra environment friendly. That’s an enormous cause that they’ll proceed to fabricate in Germany. Whereas their merchandise are under no circumstances the most affordable in the marketplace, prospects proceed to respect the added worth of high-quality, sturdy gear that Ortlieb stands behind.
Water jet slicing lets Ortlieb precisely minimize many layers of fabric at a time, rushing up the prep course of for his or her larger quantity baggage.
However their basic stamping dies nonetheless see common use too. For decrease quantity or thicker foam supplies, typically instances the basic die-cutting course of continues to be the perfect answer. And Ortlieb has a veritable library of dies to stamp out all shapes & sizes of their broad catalog of cycling-specific baggage and extra basic utility packs.
One of many video games that the Ortlieb group likes to play with the uninitiated is “Guess what bag that is?”
Many are fairly simple to determine if you’re acquainted with their core biking baggage. However can anybody guess which bag these yellow items belong to? Tell us within the feedback!
What’s within the Bike Bag field?
Now, let’s dive into the start of a single bag (or not less than a single household of luggage).
The Ortlieb guessing recreation continues. What ‘Bike Bag’ in within the field?
At varied levels within the manufacturing course of, Ortlieb water jet cuts (or die cuts) the person panels that make up a bag. Then, they print or heat-transfer the graphics onto the person panels – hi-viz reflective right here. Then, they could weld on {hardware} like these facet buckles.
Earlier than…
The following thriller step.
Herein lies the secrets and techniques…
Ortlieb was cautious to not actually present us how they use their distinctive & patented high-frequency welding tech to bond the person panels of their baggage collectively. It’s actually the key sauce that units them other than the competitors.
I did get to see some interesting-looking, custom-made welding machines that had been dormant throughout my time within the manufacturing facility. Every was created for a particular product, such as you may see with a carbon wheel or body mildew. And the overall concept appears to be that these machines had been developed to pay attention the high-frequency power solely on the particular bag’s seams, so these are melted collectively, however nothing else is affected.
Attention-grabbing to notice with out know extra about how the method works, there have been warning indicators all over the place so that somebody with a pacemaker didn’t by chance stray into the trail of an Ortlieb waterproof bag welding machine in-process.
Contemplate your self warned.
Again to traditional bag meeting…
As soon as Ortlieb mysteriously makes use of a magic microwave to bond your bag’s panels collectively in a water-proof development, there’s nonetheless loads extra guide work to be completed.
Expert staff sew on ending tape, and the particular skinny piece of stiffening plastic that makes their roll-top closure work so effectively.
Keep in mind, Ortlieb really is the inventor of the waterproof roll-top closure. And you should fold it a full 3 instances for Ortlieb to make sure that it’s actually waterproof. At the very least shielded from 1m submersion in water for a full half-hour. In actuality, most Ortlieb waterproof baggage ship considerably extra safety than that.
After welding and that final stitching step, these baggage lastly resemble one thing that we are able to simply determine.
At that time, groups of two work collectively to complete the Ortlieb baggage. They bolt on specialist {hardware} – just like the QL2.1 quick-release rack attachment system right here. And so they add any remaining straps, hooks, and buckles earlier than the entire baggage get boxed as much as ship to the warehouse for distribution.
Did you guess which baggage we had been seeing be made?
The unfinished facet panels had been from this (doubtlessly purple) Ortlieb Again-Curler Core pannier bag. And the marginally nearer to being completed petrol blue baggage had been these basic and barely extra complicated Again-Curler panniers.
Manufacturing unit seconds discover a 2nd life
One casualty of Ortlieb’s insistence on absolute waterproofness and exacting high quality management is that not each bag they begin engaged on finally ends up passing all their inside checks.
However turning lemons into lemonade, Ortlieb places their manufacturing facility seconds apart, after which provides them a second life – right here as high-quality, however not waterproof reusable purchasing baggage. Their sellers can place orders for as many as they need, however no selection on colour, since they’re solely made with no matter doesn’t cross inside qc.
Repair It, Don’t Substitute It!
That was the tagline of an Ortlieb Restore Week marketing campaign final 12 months as a response to trade Black Friday offers. But it surely’s greater than only a slogan. Ortlieb presents a 5-year guarantee on each product they make. However additionally they encourage consumers to make use of their gear gone that.
An enormous a part of maintaining their current gear in service is an reasonably priced restore program, and availability of spare elements. Ortlieb trains an enormous portion of their sellers & distributors in additional fundamental and the commonest repairs, and even units up numerous them for extra complicated repairs.
And when you can’t get somebody native to repair your gear, Ortlieb sends it again to Heilsbronn the place it was made. Off in a single nook is the manufacturing facility, we discovered a well-equipped restore technician. And he picked out what he was engaged on that day, the whole lot from changing broken {hardware} to exhibiting us how he makes use of a particular warmth gun & curler to weld patches over broken packs to make them totally waterproof once more.
Then stack it up, and ship it out
Ortlieb makes all of their waterproof touring, commuting, bikepacking, and off-bike baggage in-house in Germany.
However even these newer objects like tubular aluminum racks and modular thru-axles that aren’t manufactured in Heilsbronn, all of them nonetheless find yourself right here within the Ortlieb warehouse to get shipped out to international distributors and your native seller bike retailers.
A living proof Overview: Why Ortlieb biking baggage are waterproof!
One very last thing…
Whereas visiting Ortlieb in Heilsbronn, it appeared like it might be a disgrace to not load up some bikes to get moist & muddy. You understand, to see what waterproof biking packs had been all about.
For a fast 2-day bikepacking overnighter, I loaded up the 3T Extrema Italia check bike with my set of restricted version purple, petrol & orange Ortlieb bikepacking baggage full of loads of gear to remain heat and dry this previous winter. And naturally, heavy rain was forecast, and the gravel route was extra filth farm tracks and singletrack, so I broke out the Maxxis Extreme 29er XC mud tires for as a lot grip as I might muster up.
My Ass Savers Win Wing was no match for the sloppy moist German mud, though I believe it did really maintain my legs a bit cleaner and drier.
So did the whole lot keep dry?
In fact it stayed dry.
Effectively, not less than the whole lot within my Ortlieb waterproof bikepacking baggage.
The primary trick with using gravel bikes in rain and dirt is discovering a spot out of the rain when it’s time to load and unload your baggage. The second is making an attempt to maintain the luggage clear of mud earlier than it’s important to open, or shut them once more.
The Seat Pack saddlebag is the toughest to take care of maintaining clear, so I attempt to restrict how typically I must get into that one – normally saving that for the tip of the experience at camp. The Handlebar Pack doesn’t get as mucked up at its openings, however the finish openings are typically difficult to open, then shut once more tightly whereas nonetheless on the bike. In order that they’re not solely for camp, too.
The roll-closure Body-Pack High Tube RC is my go-to for additional layers, instruments, and greater snacks that come out mid-ride. It’s simple to get into with a gaping huge opening, and doesn’t get soiled mid-ride.
Then lastly, this magnet snap-closure toptube Gasoline Pack is great for smaller snacks, and to maintain your cellphone and powerbank dry in a deluge. One-handed quick access, and it nonetheless retains rain out. Simply don’t dunk it in a lake, because it’s not immersion-proof like the remainder of the Ortlieb baggage are.
Ortlieb waterproof will maintain dry what you like
Sure, I’m totally onboard with the “Maintain Dry What You Love” mantra. Plus, I like that Ortlieb builds these baggage to final. And Ortlieb backs them with restore service to maintain them in use for so long as you wish to maintain the using your bike on new adventures.
Now fact be informed, I’ve already spent many a whole lot of kilometers with my gear shielded from the weather inside Ortlieb waterproof bikepacking baggage. And I even rode to the prepare station within the rain this morning with my weekend’s price of substances safely tucked away within Vario convertible pannier/backpack connected to a Fast-Rack Gentle.
So, I already knew these colourful bikepacking baggage would maintain my goodies dry.
However you possibly can’t blame me for taking a chance to go play within the mud & rain with Ortlieb’s head of communications.
It was nice to see inside Ortlieb how they manufacture these baggage in Germany. However the journey was even higher by taking my well-used baggage again to their birthplace. After which, inundating the luggage with actually the identical rain and dirt that Ortlieb created them to guard your gear from within the first place, for the previous 42 years.
