I have like others i'm sure, a collection of original pannier bags,with a couple painted one blue and gray one green, ( oilbased paint) And having talked to a couple of war time riders over the years they both told me it was normal to paint their bags to keep their kit dry, blanco ( green and white )was also used,, have others noticed war time photos with painted bags and your thoughts andrew

email (option): warbikes@gmail.com

It's always hard to determine the colour of pannier bags definitively from photos...

However, I've bought wartime bags on many occasions in the past from an 'old time' WD surplus shop in my area and they frequently had examples that had been painted a grey/black colour..

Years ago I did the ones I had fitted to my B33 with tyre paint to achieve a similar result...

Frankly though, due to the lid/flap of the bags not being of 'box' construction the use of plastic bin bags is the only sure way to keep the water out in my experience!... ...Ian

email (option): ian@wright52.plus.com