Last winter we were invited to take a rare look inside the Ortlieb factory where the company synonymous with ‘waterproof’ manufactures their classic touring Nestled in the rolling rural countryside of northern Bavaria Ortlieb makes its signature waterproof cycling bags in Germany For over 40 years they’ve built a reputation for quality And while they’ve expanded their offerings far beyond their original waterproof touring luggage and those original designs Ortlieb even continues to refine and evolve those classic bags that are still some of their best sellers… we had a chance to venture across Germany to the headquarters of Ortlieb in Heilsbronn in the Franconia region Quite centrally located in Germany – and technically at the geographical center of the EU – it’s an easy locale to overlook And sufficiently wet for their style of gear All of the waterproof bags are created in-house in Heilsbronn. Their specialized waterproof zippers are made by a partner company Tizip literally created on the same street just to make zips to Ortlieb’s high waterproof standards the year after they moved to Heilsbronn All the injection molded plastic parts in your Ortlieb gear are also made on the same tiny dead-end street Ortlieb built up the industry on the edge of this small to the point that their partners literally can pull a forklift out of one factory and drop it off next door for the most easy-to-mange supply chain logistics you’ll find anywhere Ortlieb got its mythical start in 1982 when founder Harmut Ortlieb wasn’t satisfied with the lack of protection from the elements with touring bags of the time he realized that the tarps covering truckers’ hauls would make better bags than the axed cotton or uncoated nylons of the day So he returned home and started experimenting with tarpaulin fabric and his mother’s sewing machine Harmut settled on high-frequency welding tech to physically bond two pieces of coated fabric together – creating truly waterproof gear That’s still the core technology that sets Ortlieb apart today – although it has become much more sophisticated and refined It all started with Ortlieb’s first tarp-based and seam-taped Bike-Packer pannier bags. 40 years later, the general pannier bag profile is similar, even down to the 2-strap closure, and the iconic red. But the materials of the modern Bike-Packer Plus are much more refined And the high-frequency welded seams are unmatched for their consistent waterproofness and durability Ortlieb has to start with high-quality materials Their fabrics are all provided by long-term trusted suppliers And Ortlieb keeps plenty of rolls in stock It’s not only the classic coated nylon & polyester fabrics more complex construction includes various foams and other plastics that give Ortlieb’s products a wide range of applications and stored to be ready for Ortlieb’s flexible manufacturing Ortlieb doesn’t leave anything to chance It’s their waterproof reputation on the line So every batch of fabric coming in the door gets tested in-house Ortlieb makes many of their own testing tools to determine the performance of their raw materials And if the fabric doesn’t pass any of Ortlieb’s in-house tests it doesn’t make it into any production bags many steps of the manufacturing of Ortlieb’s iconic bags have evolved and become more efficient That’s a big reason that they can continue to manufacture in Germany While their products are by no means the cheapest on the market customers continue to respect the added value of high-quality Water jet cutting lets Ortlieb accurately cut many layers of material at a time speeding up the prep process for their higher volume bags But their classic stamping dies still see regular use too For lower volume or thicker foam materials often times the classic die-cutting process is still the best solution And Ortlieb has a veritable library of dies to stamp out all shapes & sizes of their broad catalog of cycling-specific bags and more general application packs One of the games that the Ortlieb team likes to play with the uninitiated is “Guess what bag this is?” Many are pretty easy to figure out if you are familiar with their core cycling bags But can anyone guess which bag these yellow pieces belong to let’s dive into the birth of a single bag (or at least a single family of bags) At various stages in the manufacturing process Ortlieb water jet cuts (or die cuts) the individual panels that make up a bag they print or heat-transfer the graphics onto the individual panels – hi-viz reflective here they may weld on hardware like these side buckles Ortlieb was careful not to really show us how they use their unique & patented high-frequency welding tech to bond the individual panels of their bags together It’s literally the secret sauce that sets them apart from the competition custom-made welding machines that were dormant during my time in the factory like you might see with a carbon wheel or frame mold And the general idea seems to be that these machines were developed to concentrate the high-frequency energy exclusively at the specific bag’s seams Interesting to note without know more about how the process works there were warning signs everywhere so that someone with a pacemaker didn’t accidentally stray into the path of an Ortlieb waterproof bag welding machine in-process Once Ortlieb mysteriously uses a magic microwave to bond your bag’s panels together in a waterproof construction there’s still plenty more manual work to be done and the special thin piece of stiffening plastic that makes their roll-top closure work so well Ortlieb actually is the inventor of the waterproof roll-top closure And you must fold it a full 3 times for Ortlieb to be sure that it is truly waterproof At least protected from 1m submersion in water for a full 30 minutes most Ortlieb waterproof bags deliver significantly more protection than that these bags finally resemble something that we can easily identify teams of two work together to finish the Ortlieb bags They bolt on specialist hardware – like the QL2.1 quick-release rack attachment system here and buckles before the complete bags get boxed up to send to the warehouse for distribution Did you guess which bags we were seeing be made The unfinished side panels were from this (potentially red) Ortlieb Back-Roller Core pannier bag. And the slightly closer to being finished petrol blue bags were these classic and slightly more complex Back-Roller panniers One casualty of Ortlieb’s insistence on absolute waterproofness and exacting quality control is that not every bag they start working on ends up passing all their internal checks and then gives them a second life – here as high-quality Their dealers can place orders for as many as they want since they are only made with whatever doesn’t pass internal quality controls That was the tagline of an Ortlieb Repair Week campaign last year as a response to industry Black Friday deals Ortlieb offers a 5-year warranty on every product they make But they also encourage buyers to use their gear long past that A big part of keeping their existing gear in service is an affordable repair program Ortlieb trains a huge portion of their dealers & distributors in more basic and the most common repairs and even sets up a number of them for more complex repairs And if you can’t get someone local to fix your gear Ortlieb sends it back to Heilsbronn where it was made we found a well-equipped repair technician And he picked out what he was working on that day everything from replacing damaged hardware to showing us how he uses a special heat gun & roller to weld patches over damaged packs to make them fully waterproof again Ortlieb makes all of their waterproof touring But even those newer items like tubular aluminum racks and modular thru-axles that are not manufactured in Heilsbronn they all still end up here in the Ortlieb warehouse to get shipped out to global distributors and your local dealer bike shops it seemed like it would be a shame to not load up some bikes to get wet & muddy to see what waterproof cycling packs were all about My Ass Savers Win Wing was no match for the sloppy wet German mud although I think it did actually keep my legs a bit cleaner and drier Well, at least everything inside of my Ortlieb waterproof bikepacking bags The first trick with riding gravel bikes in rain and mud is finding a place out of the rain when it’s time to load and unload your bags The second is trying to keep the bags clean of mud before you have to open The Seat Pack saddlebag is the hardest to deal with keeping clean so I try to limit how often I need to get into that one – usually saving that for the end of the ride at camp The Handlebar Pack doesn’t get as mucked up at its openings but the end openings are generally tricky to open then close again tightly while still on the bike The roll-closure Frame-Pack Top Tube RC is my go-to for extra layers It’s easy to get into with a gaping wide opening this magnet snap-closure toptube Fuel Pack is excellent for smaller snacks and to keep your phone and powerbank dry in a deluge as it’s not immersion-proof like the rest of the Ortlieb bags are I’m fully onboard with the “Keep Dry What You Love” mantra I love that Ortlieb builds these bags to last And Ortlieb backs them with repair service to keep them in use for as long as you want to keep the riding your bike on new adventures I have already spent many hundreds of kilometers with my gear protected from the elements inside Ortlieb waterproof bikepacking bags And I even rode to the train station in the rain this morning with my weekend’s worth of gear safely tucked away inside of Vario convertible pannier/backpack attached to a Quick-Rack Light I already knew these colorful bikepacking bags would keep my goodies dry But you can’t blame me for taking an opportunity to go play in the mud & rain with Ortlieb’s head of communications It was great to see inside Ortlieb how they manufacture these bags in Germany But the trip was even better by taking my well-used bags back to their birthplace inundating the bags with truly the same rain and mud that Ortlieb created them to protect your gear from in the first place Ortlieb.com Cory Benson is the EU Tech Editor of Bikerumor.com Cory has been writing about mountain bikes gravel bikes & bikepacking for over 25 years even before the industry created some of these names Cory was a practicing Architect specializing in environmental sustainability has designed bike shops & bike components Cory travels extensively across Europe riding bikes meeting with key European product developers industry experts & tastemakers for an in-depth review of what’s new Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Funny thing that so many people prefer the rollertop bags which are a pain to use, instead of the bags with a lid. Both types are raintight, which is what you want. Only in very special cases do you need watertightnes(down to 1 meter). Bags with lids also have more straps and pockets on the outside. Ortlieb doesn’t actually make anything in Germany, that’s just samples and material testing. All their stuff is made in Asia, mostly Vietnam. Check the spelling of “lifetime”. Oof @Mark, thanks for that. It’s always a wonder how spellcheck & editors can miss the most obvious. Great article! Seems like an incredibly well thought out process. I just wish they’d abandon that weird cable handlebar mounting system. It feels so clunky and tedious – the opposite of everything else about them. Thanks Cory, very interesting… and inspiring. I have a couple of Ortlieb bags. They are the best. Though my Tailfin gear (Ortlieb inspired) is exceptional too. …Great to see you on a 3T, possibly the most underrated bike in the gravel / bike packing peloton. I ride an Ultra, love it. I bought a red 17L velocity backpack of them for commuting. I just regret that its not visible enough: that “red” colour is too brownish and reflective areas way too small. Other than that the bag is great and durable. I just can’t ditch it for a yellow one. Interested in waxing your chain, but don’t want to deal with solvents, slow cookers, and tedious applications? Simpyfast claims their Lube Cube is the easiest way. Peak Performance expands on their MTB specific clothing with new pants, shorts, and short or long sleeved jerseys. Forget renting out a wind tunnel. Just build your own. Apparently that’s an option when you’re designing products for the GOAT, Tadej Pogacar. It goes to 13! We spotted Cofidis racing an all-new prototype wireless 13-speed Campagnolo Super Record 13 WRL SC road groupset! In a move that could shake up the U.S. bike-buying experience, Canyon Bicycles is now selling select models directly through Amazon.com. Yes, Amazon—the same one… Want wireless shifting but don’t want to have to buy a whole new drivetrain? The new NXS system is worth a look! Be protected from the sun with the new UV Hooded Trail Shirt… OrNot The new Van Nicholas Astraeus is a beautiful titanium road bike that’s limited to just 50 frames. Germany and began decorating and renovating (lots of DIY!) their new home Her son’s bedroom was livable but had no life but warm paint job and the addition of nautical-inspired accessories later and her son has a room that reflects his interests and personality My son is absolutely obsessed with all things Titanic so for his room it was a no brain-er the walls were originally a dingy white so I decided to add a warm khaki color to brighten things up a bit When I added the bed and bedding everything else pulled together I always buy new bedding before a move and in this cae the quilt and shams are from TJMaxx the sheets are Tommy Hilfiger I found on sale at Macy’s I found this cute metal bed at an antique shop for $80 It had about 50 coats of paint on it so I used a grinder to get all the paint off and had a welder add a few inches to the legs to make it high enough to fit a trundle under With a fresh coat of red and a vinyl “W” for “Will” this bed works perfectly with the nautical theme and a rambunctious little boy Thanks Maggie! Readers, visit Maggie’s blog Maggie Overby Studios and this link to see more of her new-to-her home Read the commentsFiled in:Baby RoomsBefore & After The home you love starts here The home you love starts here Apartment TherapyThe wordmark for the Apartment Therapy brand.More From Us By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Germany (BRAIN) — Ortlieb Sportartikel GmbH has hired Jürgen Siegwarth as the company's new CEO and has added senior staff members Jeff Scully and Martin Esslinger to its managing board Scully has served as president of Ortlieb USA since 1998 while Esslinger joined the company as its sales director in 2016 "We're pleased to have two leaders like Martin and Jeff joining the company's management board," said company founder Hartmut Ortlieb "With these changes we will advance the company's international focus." experience into Ortlieb's global brand strategy is exciting I'm thrilled to play a part in bringing this tremendous family-owned brand to a larger audience."  Celebrating its 20th year in business this year distributor of Ortlieb Outdoor Gear and Ultralight Bike Mirrors It also is a supplier of Tubus Carrier Systems products Download the 2019 Industry Directory Read the 2021 Sales Training Guide A student at Stony Point High School in Round Rock was arrested after he stabbed a fellow student Tuesday morning Principal Anthony Watson said the two students had agreed to meet to fight before classes began Tuesday Right after the first period of the day began administrators were informed about loud noises coming from the school blacktop One of the students pulled out a knife during the fight and stabbed the other The victim was transported to receive medical treatment for his injuries Round Rock police arrested the other student is a violation of the school’s student code of conduct and both students will face disciplinary action “Please use this opportunity to remind your child to immediately contact a teacher or counselor if they hear any rumors or conversations regarding possible actions that could harm others,” Watson said “Students must also be aware of the significant consequences they face if involved in any such activity The safety and security of our students and staff are our top priorities and we will remain vigilant in protecting them Ortlieb continues to expand its range of backpacks with new materials and sizes durability and fashion complement each other which has been in the portfolio for more than 18 years will also be there – and like all Ortlieb Waterproof products it is manufactured at the company’s Heilsbronn site in Germany Because good things can always be made better the popular Velocity backpack now has a padded laptop compartment practical details – a little brother (17 litres) a big sister (29 litres) in addition to the familiar 23-litre model The backpack in courier bag style has been one of the most popular Ortlieb products for years and is available in five colours (all black as well as yellow Also brand new is the Velocity PS backpack made of equally waterproof but PVC-free PS33 nylon fabric in four attractive colours (Black Mustard) in the two sizes 17 litres and 23 litres The Atrack CR (Core) Urban presents itself as a daypack and travel bag in one It has a large zipper opening – the heart of the Atrack series – for clear packing and quick access like a travel bag The PVC-free Cordura fabric in fabric look is not only puristic but it also makes the Atrack CR Urban a timeless and sustainable fashion statement It has a capacity of 25 litres and is available in dark grey (Pepper) and blue (Ink) The Commuter-Daypacks City and Urban are finally available in one size bigger the large main compartment offers plenty of storage space Notebook or tablet find their place in the padded extra compartment Commuter-Daypack Urban and Commuter-Daypack City are sustainably manufactured in Germany The Commuter Daypack Urban made of Cordura fabric is available in dark grey (Pepper) blue (Ink) and green (Pine) in sizes of 21 and 27 litres The Commuter Daypack City made of nylon fabric is available in the same sizes in four colours (Black All further information about the new products can be found directly on the Ortlieb website This article contains partner links to webshops If a sale is made through one of these links There are no disadvantages or additional costs for the buyer Paid cooperation with selected partners may be possible Such articles are then marked as Sponsored Post You need to load content from reCAPTCHA to submit the form Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers You are currently viewing a placeholder content from Facebook Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.