Soft Saddlebags - Continued

My earlier post covered some of the big bags that are available, now I will try to touch on some of the more compact options. It has been said that the bigger bags you have, the more crap you will end up taking. There is a lot of truth to that, but then again you also need something versatile enough to adjust to your load, because you don't really want to look like the Beverly Hillbillies going down the trail. There have been several times while loading my bike where I have come to a point where one of my bags may be full, yet I really don't need a top bag, yet if I add that top bag, I could almost go without the saddlebags. Having a versatile system allows you adjust to the amount of gear you need to take.

For soft luggage most of my experience is with the Ortlieb Dry Saddlebags, the Dirtbagz Ranger Saddlebags and the Wolfman Expedition Saddlebags.

Ortlieb Dry Saddlebags
http://www.aerostich.com/ortlieb-dry-bag-saddlebags.html

These bags come in at about 39 Liters per pair and are available in Black and yellow and cost $197.

Here are my high mileage Ortliebs on my DR650. These bags really need a rack underneath them to keep them from flopping around on Dual Sport bikes, and once mounted, they are very secure. I am running the Happy Trails SU Side Racks on this bike and they work very well with these bags.
http://www.happy-trail.com/Departments/Motorcycle-Luggage/Happy-Trail-Luggage-Systems/SU-Side-Racks.aspx

These bags are 100% waterproof and work very well, but they do have some issues. First thing is that the straps that go over the seat on my bags are a little short, making them impossible to use on bigger bikes like my KTM 950 Adventure or the V-Strom 650 that I used to own. The next issue that I think could be improved is that the straps mount between the bag and the foam backing they have, in if you crash with these, there is a chance that the strap will rip out and it will be very difficult to strap these down again. I really think they need a removable strap and buckle, so there is a another point that can fail without damaging the actual bag.

Here is what I am talking about, after a lowside in Baja Mexico, the strap was torn out and I had to use whatever was available to secure the bag.

Dirtbagz Ranger bags
http://www.dbzproducts.com/

I have ridden with a lot of people that had the Dirtbagz, and I have always though that they were tough, cheap and well designed bags. When I bought a WR250R, I knew I wanted a lighter setup, co I chose the larger Ranger bags from Dirtbagz.

These bags were big enough for a light camping setup and with a top bag, they are plenty for Dual Sport camping trips. These bags are not waterproof, but they will hold out some water, so packing your gear in liner bags is a good idea. The Rangers are 15 liters each and only cost $260 with the racks! The only real drawbacks with these bags are the lack of waterproofness and the racks are not super heavy duty and not really good for anything other than these bags.


Wolfman Expedition Saddlebags

http://www.dualsportwarehouse.com/Wolfman-Luggage-Expedition-Dry-Saddle-Bag-EX505.htm
The Wolfman Expedition bags are a very versatile bag that can adapt to either factory racks, aftermarket rack or Wolfman's own Sideracks. http://www.wolfmanluggage.com/Racks/index_Side_Racks.html

I really like these bags, they are 100% Waterproof and easy to mount and load, plus they have attachment points to attach other items like water and fuel containers, or other small bags.

Here is Roger Springborn's DR650 on the left with the Wolfman bags.

Roger is running home made racks here, but later switched to the Wolfman racks and then added the Rotopax fuel container mount like this:

The Expedition bags hold 19 liters each or 38 per pair and you can actually squeeze out a couple more liters with the tall opening. Wolfman's Teton bags are the same design in a non waterproof ballistic nylon design.

In my opinion, the Wolfman Expedition bags are the best setup for small to medium dual sport and adventure bikes. Larger bikes with factory racks could probably benefit from these or a larger set of bags.

These bags run $219 per pair and the racks run $215 to $305 depending on the application.


Giant Loop Great Basin Saddlebag
http://www.giantloopmoto.com/collections/giant-loop-gear-collection/products/great-basin-saddlebag-1

Coming in at $399, The Great Basin bag is a unique piece in that it doesn't require racks, and keeps the load low and close to the rider, this makes it a great option for those rides that can get technical. The capacity on these is 60 liters, but it takes up space on your seat, so you can't carry quite as much as you could with actual saddlebags and a top back, but your bike will probably handle quite a bit better. Giant Loop also offers the Coyote, which is very similar to the Great Basin, just smaller.

Nomad Rider Venture Saddlebag
http://www.nomadrider.com/venturebaglarge.aspx

This bag is a Giant Loop knockoff, and while they may have taken some liberties in the design department, they also managed to change a few things as well. These bags are 55 liters and also do not require racks to support them. From what I hear, the design on these is of a lower quality then the Giant Loop bag and they also have less material covering the main zipper, which could allow in more dust.

There are plenty of straps to mount this bag to the bike and also attachment points to strap on other bags like a tent bag, dry bag or a camp chair. They also have small zippered pockets which is a nice bonus.

Overall this is a very interesting bag, as its considerably cheaper than the GL bag, coming in at $239

Well that's it for this installment, I'd love to hear your questions or comments on the bags! Safe riding!!
Once again, many of these items are available from Dual Sport Warehouse!
http://www.dualsportwarehouse.com/main.sc

The Soft Saddlebag Revolution!

My introduction into Adventure riding started with a 1200 mile Dual Sport ride in the U.P. of Michigan back in 2005. I didn't have much of a luggage setup, so I improvised and just strapped everything on the back.

There were several issues with this setup, mainly due to the fact that it wasn't strapped down properly and that the weight was kept very high. I realized that I needed to run saddlebags in the future to help keep the weight low. I ended up trying a few different styles of sport bike style bags and while they worked, they really weren't up to the demands of adventure travel.

For my 2007 trip to Baja, I had to come up with a better solution for carrying enough gear, supplies and tools for a 2 week trip into the unknown. At the time, one of the only options for waterproof and dustproof saddlebags was the Ortlieb Dry Saddlebags from Aerostich. Back then, I thought $180 saddlebags were a bit expensive!     http://www.aerostich.com/ortlieb-dry-bag-saddlebags.html

My DR650 with Ortlieb Dry Saddlebags in northern Baja.

I have put on probably 20,000 miles on these bags since I have owned them. In Baja, I had a lowside which ripped the front strap out of the bag, which required a makeshift repair. One thing you need to think about before a big trip is how to secure your luggage if an item gets torn off the bike or damaged, and that goes for soft luggage or hard bags.

My experience with luggage has lead me to these requirements for soft luggage.
Waterproof
Dustproof
Expandable
Options to attach other items (like water or fuel containers)
Convenience
Secure mounting
Affordability & Value

Since 2007 when I purchased my Ortlieb bags, the Dual Sport and Adventure bike markets have taken off, and now there are many more options out there, and that $180 I spent then is a drop in the bucket, because now some of the bags out there are double and triple that price. I intend to review more of these bags this season and try to determine if they are really worth the price.

The BIG Bags:

Giant Loop Siskiyou Panniers
http://www.giantloopmoto.com/products/siskiyou-panniers

These babies are huge, and 70 Liters (35 per side) and are one of the most expensive options out there at $650! These bags do not require racks, but work with racks as well. I usually run pannier racks on my bikes, and I prefer that over having bags lay on the bodywork and exhaust. The Siskiyou Panniers include waterproof liner bags as well to make sure your gear gets there dry.

Kriega Overlander System

http://www.cobraheat.com/Kriega-Overlander-60-Pannier-Set_p_283.html

The Kriega Overlander 60 is more of a Luggage System versus a set of soft saddlebags, but its an option that I want to touch on. This is a really unique modular setup that allows to have up to 60 Liters of 100% water and dust proof capacity with 4-15 Liter bags, or you can add in Rotopax Fuel and water containers to increase your range.

The one thing that might cause this setup some issues is the price is sitting at $795 for the Overlander60 setup.

Andy Strapz Expedition Pannierz

http://www.andystrapz.com/products-details.php?productId=35&productCategoryId=22&Level=1

Made in Australia, the Andy Strapz Expedition bags are tough, simple bags that just get the job done!
They are 15-25 liters per side, so a little smaller than some of the big boys, but enough room to carry most of your gear. These will need the optional liners to be completely water and dust proof. The 4 pocket versions of these, run about $399 U.S. Dollars.

Wolfman Rocky Mountain Saddlebags

http://www.dualsportwarehouse.com/Wolfman-Luggage-Rocky-Mountain-Saddlebags-M1015.htm

The new Wolfman Rocky Mountain Saddlebags are the biggest, newest option from Colorado's Wolfman Luggage. At $379.99 they offer a bit of a value in this group. They are alos quite large at 32-35 liters each and plenty of attachment points for other bags and items. Like the Giant Loop and Andy's bags, they require a waterproof liner to keep the water and dust at bay.

Adventure Spec Magadan Panniers

http://www.adventure-spec.com/default/adventure-spec-magadan-panniers.html

Designed by famous adventure traveler Walter Colebatchm the Adventure Spec Magadan panniers offer a serious feature list that I think prompted the creation of most of the bags on this page. These things are built for the long haul and feature durable construction with slash proof cable in the bags to help prevent theft, and waterproof liners to keep everything out of the bags. The Magadan bags run about $543 at current exchange rates.

So there is my brief summary of some of the options out there for soft luggage for your Dual Sport or Adventure bike. There are a couple more options out there that I will post about later. So which ones are best? Well that depends on the type of traveling you do, your bike and your budget. I hope to get more first hand experience with some of these this summer, so stay tuned!

Check out Giant Loop and Wolfman products at Dual Sport Warehouse!
http://www.dualsportwarehouse.com/main.sc