Collection: Ortlieb

The Way Ortlieb Began

South England spring 1981. A continuous rain falls onto the lush green hills. Quite usual for this area. And right in this downpour there stands a young biker with fuzzy hair and a fully loaded bicycle. The weather seems to get on his nerves. Water is dripping down his clothes, his bags, his curls and nose. The young adventurer had saved up for this trip and was looking forward to hit the road. Here and now he is not very keen on again spending the coming night in a soaking wet sleeping bag with damp clothing. The young guy watches a truck passing by. The South England rain drums down on the truck tarp. The goods remain dry and clean. One thing is for sure: this event took place before the idea of the first waterproof ORTLIEB pannier was born. And you can also assume that this situation stands in direct context with the first ORTLIEB pannier. The guy with fuzzy hair is called Hartmut ORTLIEB. He is about to channel his frustration and convert it into creativity. He makes something up in his head which will rescue the next hard-earned trip! Right after returning back home he starts making a pack container out of red truck tarp on his mother’s sewing machine. He fixes the lid with a piece of webbing strap from a saddler. At the hardware store he gets hooks to fix the self-willed pack to the rack. And since biking keeps body and mind in motion, the active teenager produces from now on new ideas every day, and improves and refines his invention. Looking at the packhorse principle, he finally ends up with two packs. It was in the times when the outdoor industry still consisted of a few freaks who distributed the latest product innovations via photo copied flyers. Young Hartmut is just about to finish school and still bikes through town carrying his sewn rear panniers along. More and more friends and acquaintances show their interest in these unconventional bags that stand out more with their function than their design. Quite often Hartmut is asked “Hey, can I get a pair of those, I could sell them in my shop!” The first distribution strategies and pannier line are set up. The sewing machine is moved into a back yard garage.