Reddit mentions of M-Wave Bicycle Cycling Pannier Bag, Black/Grey

Huge reply inbound!
Kit:
These MWave panniers are fine. I put a large dry bag inside it and it worked great. Frustratingly these only come in left (there is slight shape to help add heel clearance), but you could absolutely have them on both sides without a problem. MWave also makes a double pannier but it doesn't fasten very securely and this is a large problem. I am sure you could probably figure something out, though. Just make sure it isn't too hard to remove them.

I had the cheap Nashbar front panniers which are okay and I would recommend for a not multi-continent trip. The thing though is that they really were unnecessary. Even if you take a fair bit more stuff than you need you should still be able to fit it all in your rear panniers and your cargo rack. If you really insist on taking a ridiculous amount of equipment then take front panniers, but don't take a ridiculous amount of equipment to begin with.

If (like me) you have a cheap sleeping bag and roll mat, these things will be very, very bulky. You will be envious of the people with the $200 roll mats and $700 down sleeping bags. Those things really are nice. They probably store both of those things in a third of a pannier. If you were to store your bulky equivalents in a pannier it would take up the whole thing, so don't do that. I got a large dry bag (get a heavy duty one, like for kayaking) that my sleeping bag and roll mat would fit in. Also get a dry bag for your tent and store that also on your cargo rack. I kept my rain kit in a small dry bag also with these two on my cargo rack, and everything else was in my panniers. Fastening these three dry bags sideways (perpendicular) to my cargo rack with bungees worked very well. I started out without the dry bag for my sleeping bag or tent and brought along a tarp to put over them in case it rained as you can see here which was a terrible idea. Definitely just take dry bags.

Also, a huge plus side of your ridiculously big dry bag with your sleeping bag and roll mat inside-that garners significant sneering from all the equipment snobs-is that it makes for a fantastic camp seat. So neener.
I will highly advise that you spend some money on a couple merino wool shirts and ideally socks as well. And ideally a light hoodie or jacket or something. Basically, you can never have enough merino. The Clymb has amazing deals very often. Merino is a luxury, but it'll make a very large difference. And then you'll find yourself wearing it all the time when you get home, too, and wondering why you own any clothes that aren't merino. (I'm trying to answer this question myself.)

My tent is actually a 6x4 children's tent. I fit all my six foot three of me in it diagonally. It weighs about three pounds, which is rather spectacularly light for a cheap tent- I'd have to spent quite a bit more to get a 'real' tent that weighed so little. In the US, Academy Sports seems to have exceptionally cheap tents that are adequate quality. Just make sure it either has a rain fly or you have a tarp or some means of keeping dry.

Fear of getting lost:
When I started my trip I was terrified of this, and was enormously glad to be going along with a well toured friend. My fear was completely unfounded. Like /u/DannyPinn said, just go, and you'll quickly get very comfortable with it.

If you're in a not remote place than you have lots of people and tools to be able to figure it out. If you are in a remote place than there's probably only one route to go anyway, and the people will be way more willing to help you and give you their time. Also, if you're using Warm Showers (why wouldn't you??) then you'll be getting the best advice possible for free from your kind hosts. Well, I would bring them a bottle of wine or something, but for nearly free anyway.

And the thing that should make you the most comfortable is that people love touring cyclists. We are the opposite of hitch hikers in that regard- people want to spend time with us, have us stay the night at theirs just so they can figure out why the hell we're doing this, and generally are enormously enamored with the idea and think we're crazy. People will help you if you let them. A lot. I could not and still cannot comprehend the amount of generosity I received. This incomprehensible never ending string of intense kindness from strangers that I experienced last Summer was one of the most perspective and life changing experiences I have had in my life. People will take care of you. Don't worry, be happy. =)


Edit:
Forgot to mention some things.
Rain gear: If you anticipate that you will be in rain you absolutely need overshoes. Everyone I have met has disliked their overshoes and found them not very functional. I have these ones and they are absolutely fantastic. They don't let any water in at all.

I bought super cheap rain pants and a jacket. The advantage of the ones that don't even try to be breathable is that they truly are water proof, but cycling in them is hell. If you try to compromise and get cheap, breathable waterproofs you will find that they are neither very breathable or very waterproof. If you are doing a Summer tour in a dry place these are probably fine. If you anticipate downpours than you need to decide if you want to be miserably moist and hot inside impermeable waterproofs or if you want to fork out the hundreds of dollars for Gore Tex. Whatever you choose, never buy a waterproof that also is a jacket. Always buy liners. If you need extra warmth wear an extra jacket. Jackets that are both waterproof liners and thermal insulation are silly and destroy the layering principle. I see these in outdoors stores a lot, but I never see outdoors people wearing them. I guess urban guppies buy them or something, because I've never seen anyone actually using one.

Pedals/shoes:
I started out my tour completely sold on clipless pedals. I had been using them for several years, and I still love them for road cycling. I will not be taking them on another tour, however. At the pace that you will be cycling most of the time they will not give you any benefit, and the disadvantage of needing another pair of shoes is actually a very high cost for touring cyclists. Shoes are bulky.

In my opinion water resistant approach shoes with large flat pedals is the best choice. However, if I were doing a summertime tour through Baja California or something like that I would probably just take some Chucks(read: whatever shoes you're comfortable walking around all day in).

Shaving 20 minutes off that time should be no problem, you only need to average 4 more miles and hour. Stick with it. I started commuting to work 6 miles each way about 3 weeks ago and it's awesome. Here's some stuff that'll make your ride more pleasant, if your bike doesn't already have these:

• $28 for a rack.
  
• $25 for panniers to go on the rack.
  
• Fenders to keep you drier
  
  Also, I'll vouch that cycling is possible in any weather, if you dress for it. I've gone mountain biking in December in Denver, and not just once.
  
  
  Also also - don't think of it as taking 20 more minutes, think of it as an hour workout that only takes you 20 minutes :)

Not to hijack the thread or anything, but I was curious (since you sound like a seasoned veteran) - what waterproof panniers do you recommend, how much are they, and where did you get them?

I bought these, but they say nothing of being waterproof, and I'm assuming with our weather they won't hold up come Fall...

I commuted on a 1994 Stumpjumper for the past few years at school. I used cheaper Kenda 1.95 road tires that are still good after I bought them summer 2011. I also put a rear rack that carried either m-wave panniers for grocery shopping, or a trunk for small stuff.

Lights are a big thing. You can get them cheaply, I've been using a planet bike set for a while. The tail light is either solid or flashing and is very bright, but the headlight leaves something to be desired.

Good luck!

They are on amazon and I think their website is http://m-wave-bike.com/ not sure if you can buy through them there.
Here is an amazon link to their double pannier


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