Soft Luggage for a little RTW trip

Hey guys, just thought I would ask the educated masses what they thought would be a good soft luggage for such a long charity trip, you can check it out here www.chasinghorizons.co.uk! I have Giant loop, wolfman, kreiga and a few others on the list. Having read a few threads regarding these various options none seem to address the longer trips and if they would be suitable. On my last Long trip I had zegas on my KTM 990 adv S and vowed that I would never take hard luggage again. This time my self and my girlfriend 'Pheebs', who has posted on random threads here, will be taking KTM 690 enduro R's and in an aid to stay light we have decided to go without the racks if possible.

What are your guys opinons?

Thanks
Sam :)

Check out the Enduristan Monsoons. There waterproof, and hold between 15-30 liters each - compare that against the Wolfman panniers which are 19-21 liters.

http://www.enduristan.com/en/products/monsoon.html

The bigger Giant loops can carry tons of stuff,once you get the hang of packing them they are very handy items.

Hey these are a great find, has anyone had any experience with these or with the enduristan range? The Giant Loop was our original favourite, but in terms of cost it has slipped down our list. If money was no object then.... :)

Giant Loop does not advertise their stuff as water proof and they certainly know why ...

I have used Wolfman and hated them because they are a pain to get on and off the bike with their gazillion straps, but they are certainly well made, water proof and solidly attached. Smallish though.

My luggage choice right now are an Ortlieb RackPack (49L) and an Ortlieb Packroll (~30L). Both are about 15 years old, still rock solid and absolutely water proof. Not as fancy schmancy as the Wolfmans but much cheaper, easier to pack and attach to the bike. So far, works for me.

What about hard luggage did you dislike and what are the advantages of soft bags?

My main concern is with the plastic luggage, I've not considered soft bags before so I'm curious.

Softbags normally crash better on non-paved terrain, it doesn't break your leg as easy when you drop the bike on it, it doesn't hurt you as bad when your foot gets could while maneuvering tough terrain, hard cases with racks often weigh around 30 pounds by itself before adding any luggage ...

There are many many reasons why off-road riders prefer soft luggage.

The problem I had with the Zega's was that they were rather obtrusive, so being stuck in traffic for hours as I couldn't filter through was a pain, now this may seem insignificant, but it being 40 degs and you have been riding for 5 hrs and you are sitting in the fumes just wanting it all to stop! Another is that unlike soft luggage not being able to pick it up and take it with you is a concern, I know that you are able to lock them but some of the places I went kids could jimmy them open in no time and be off with your stuff. Also weight is a major factor, once you add the rack as well as panniers it all starts to mount up. I know metal panniers can take a beating but I had one small off on some ice, and that side was bent beyond recognition, the lid didn't fit so couldn't be locked and of course everything got wet (so all benefits of metal luggage went out the window!).

So thats my reasons why I wouldn't take them again, and with soft luggage I have less space than panniers, but all that means is I have to take less crap with me :)

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

Andy Strapz makes a great set of panniers. Not waterPROOF but tough as nails. I have crashed on these all over Baja.

Good call I totally forgot about these guys, how did you get around the lack of waterproof-ness issue? Also how do these guys sit when on a bike like a 690, especially on the side of the exhaust? cheers

Cool. I've been thinking about luggage for an extended trip and it never even crossed my mind to use soft bags. I have the stock plastic bags on my Strom but previous owner had a get off and it damaged the side case pretty bad so I've been thinking about replacing it.

Any way to lock the soft stuff to the bike? Just thinking if you're away from the bike on a day trip lets say. I guess not really since someone can come along and cut the straps.

Also wondering about what you guys do with any breakable type stuff in your luggage, I'm thinking laptop, camera, things like that.

I use wolfman Expedition Dry Saddle Bags
38 liters per pair 19 liters each

plus, on the rear rack I use The North Face Base Camp Duffel size small.
42 liters

enough room for everything i need for a long trip.

I've bought various items of OverBoard's bags: their backpacks, roll-top duffles, and dry tubes, they don't do MC-dedicated stuff. I find that to be an advantage: the backpack can be used as a - backpack.. if off the bike. 30l in each side, a 60l roll-top duffle, and dry tubes to complete the set-up. Their kayak bags at 20l a piece are also thrown in the mix for tank panniers if need be.

Now, mind you, I'm still waiting for delivery of the bike on which all this crap will be used, so I don't know how well it'll all function, but with simple straps tying them down to e.g. a wolfman rack i don't see how it'll be a problem. I'm currently using the backpacks on my bicycle commute to work as side panniers, very convenient.

For locking the stuff, I intend to use the large model of pacasfe net.

They're cheap too, and cheap to ship as well. Well, to my location at least..

I like the Ortlieb bags, specifically the Rack Pack.
I have two of them, one medium and one XL.
Never leaked and survives abuse well.
Secure them with RokStraps for easy on - off.
Good luck and have a safe trip.

a good link to colebatch's newly designed luggage, the whole 106 pages is chock full of good stuff, but his is a good breakdown on a veteran's rtw design for soft luggage...

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=524638&highlight=xchallenge&page=108

Kreiga has great, well designed stuff, worth the money

There is another Australian company to consider, although it looks like they are temporarily out of stock on some items.

http://www.steelpony.com.au/

here's a recent review. looks nice.
http://adventuremotorcyclinghandbook.wordpress.com/2012/04/11/enduristan-monsoon-review/

i'm leaning towards wolfman e12 with an ortleib drybag for my weekend trips.

These bags claim to be waterproof and cost approx $90.00 US for the set. Link below

http://shop.twistyride.com/motorbike-panniers-cameron-barker/

Paul

They are water resistant, as in the water rolls off pretty darn well but they are not water proof. I don't see much rain so I have not worried about it. I bought some small racks that "stand off" the bags away from the pipes on my 950. An inmate sold them to me but I can't remember who.

If you look real close you can see them in my avatar. Ha Ha

I'd do Wolfman drybags and their rack system with crossbrace for panniers. These bags strap in tight and secure, not hanging from the stitching to their straps like most saddlebags do. The straps actually go around the Wolfman bags and compress them to the racks. You could drag the bike by the bags with this setup, and the mild-steel racks are easily welded if damaged. Secure the bags with PacSafe mesh and some braided cables when parked.

Use a hard topcase. I'd go with a Givi 55L Maxia or something of similar size, wearing an additional padlock when parked. The Givi cases generally aren't very heavy, and a tire or two can be strapped on top. Do NOT mount a Givi with a small-parts kit. I can separate a topcase from this with my bare hands. Use a mount like the Givi M3 plate.

I'd also look into a front fenderpack and a fender brace. I have the Moose DS pack. It's HUGE. It will carry 2 powdered tubes and some tools. Zip-tie it to the fender and cable-lock the zippers to the bike, but don't leave anything valuable in it.

I also use tank panniers and a tankbag, to distribute some of the load to the front, and to keep things accessible. You can use PacSafe mesh over these when parked too. Cable-lock these to the bike, or use as a backpack when walking around.

I use a PacSafe 80L sack to lock my gear to the bike when walking around. When empty, it packs down to about the size of a small, rolled-up newspaper.

Turbo City has number-plate racks that are handy for carrying long items like tents and sleeping rolls.

A locking tooltube comes in handy. You can also secure things like tire levers and spare brake/clutch/shift levers to the bike itself. I strap levers to my bike's frame, using ties/velcro wraps/hose-clamps, under my side plastics.

Put a loud paging alarm on the bike. Use it. I also like to use a 15'-30' security cable and an alarmed disc-lock to secure the bike to something solid when parked.

All these locks and alarms won't guarantee that nobody will steal/vandalize your stuff, but it WILL cut down on the opportunists. The locks I use are combo locks, settable to my combo of choice. I have fewer keys and numbers to keep track of then.