Based in Heilsbronn, Germany, the people behind Ortlieb have been making backpacks for almost 40 years.

The first ORTLIEB bike panniers were created in pure personal need for waterproof equipment – it wasn’t widely available at the time! The first products were hand-made on the founder’s mother’s sewing machine: dry bags and bicycle panniers made of truck tarps. What started very simple has soon developed into a story of success.