Looking for suggestions on boxes or bags?
Which is best?
Boxes:
1: Alum.
2: Steel
3: Plastic/Fiberglass
or
Bags:
1: Fabric


Thanks;
Blaze

Which is best? How long is a piece of string?

Best for what? I have aluminum, plastic (Pelican) and textile. Each works well for different purposes.

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Pain in the Butte Ranch
Durango, Colorado

I like Aluminium for security and strength [ made them myself they are tough ].
Some aluminium panniers are a joke they are very thin and rivetted and not made to fit on a bike .
Jesse and Happy Trails make good aluminium panniers .

My son likes soft bags for convenience and ease of attchment to the bike .
Most aren't waterproof though .Ortlieb makes good waterproof ones but they are a little small , I have an Ortlieb tank bag and I think it's great .
Dry bags in a special pannier frame would work well IMHO .

I have no experience of Pelicans on a bike , but they are damn good cases and waterproof ,They would be my choice if I was travelling seperately to collect the bike [air travel maybe ] ,and wanted reasonable looking hand luggage that I could also use as panniers on the bike .

A final thought , if it isn't dust and waterproof then it isn't worth putting it on your bike .

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Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light. - Spike Milligan
"When you come to a fork in the road ,take it ! When you come to a spoon in the road ,take that also ."

I think there is soemthing to be said for using soft luggage on sand etc when you are likely or guaranteed to throw yourself off at some point, they seem to cushion the bike as it lands (doesn't help the laptop in your luggage!).

That said they don't provide that useful bit of space between 250 kg of bike and the ground that it is so convenient to put your leg in if you have hard panniers.

That said you are less likely to get your leg snapped paddling the bike through crap with bags.

...but the bags could get stolen...

...but alu panniers look worth nicking, old army surplus bags and bungee cord don't.....

this could go on forever, both have their pros and cons so it will come down to what you want and your budget

I have used both and personally preferred Ali ones, the ones I am using at the moment were fabricated for me in Thailand for around £90. if buying here I would go for TT or metal mule. Ali offer slightly more security but has a friend pointed out that in the event of an 'off' soft is safer.
I am not a great lover of stickers, but for those that are, they don't attach very well to soft baggage!!

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'He who laughs last, was too slow to get the joke'
Never confuse the map with the journey.

It's not just bags...it's bags and racks.
When you crash far from home you will wish for square aluminum boxes. They are the easiest to repair....
Touratech for me.
bill.

The hard/soft debate is one that I looked into a lot before finally deciding on my racks (custom made by Overland Solutions) and soft Ortlieb bags (brilliant!!).
It made sense for me because:
1) They don't weigh much at all (an important factor when I was still new to riding)... and still important because I still seem to overpack! Aarg!
2) I knew I would fall off and thought the chances of damaging myself were higher if I had hard panniers.
3) They were only £100 - a big factor when you are starting off and have already coughed up for a license, a bike, the gear and new camping stuff.

I have done a few fairly big trips with my Ortlieb panniers and love them. Mostly, they have worked really well for me (especially when I had a little exhaustion-induced collision with a new Clio going the wrong way down a one way. Softies bounce and don't scratch).

The only time I have looked longingly at fellow traveller's hard panniers was when they could fit more into theirs than I could (although, I quickly learnt that that meant weighing more, so isn't a good thing for me); when they could use their boxes to prop up the bike to change a wheel/fix punctures (I don't have a center stand so would have to find a rock or lie the bike down) and when something arose which meant having to leave the bike unattended, I couldn't go as easily. Soft panniers don't lock.
Travelling solo I found ways to get around this, because I was on the bike most of the day and just made sure that I parked it near me at night. It was surprisingly more of a problem when travelling in a group with others who had hard, lockable panniers, because they never had to worry as much about where to park (in view when stopping for coffee/lunch) or leaving the bikes. So they probably thought I was high maintenance

All of that said... I might have to spring for some hard ones for my next big trip. Having the flexibility of deciding on which luggage to take for a specific trip would be great. But give me a few more minutes and I will change my mind again...
LOL

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I've got Metal Mules on my XT600E Motorcycle Luggage Pannier Systems - Metal Mule
They are anodised aluminium (no need for inner bags).
They have a brilliant attachment system Attachment Systems - Motorcycle Auto Luggage Systems so you don't need to take anything out of them to take them off/put them on the bike.
They have a secure locking system.
They are water and dust proof - I regularly pressure wash mine.
They are strong - I've fallen off my bike 3 times with them on (twice fully loaded up travelling through Europe and once full of groceries) and have hardly got a scratch on either of them. My husband had a rear shunt from a car with his - hardly marked his panniers but smashed the car bumper.
I also have Acerbis Rally Pro handguards which means when I do fall over, between the handguards and the panniers my bike is protected, and so are my legs.
I haven't found a downside to them yet, other than them being a bit pricey, but they are worth every penny.
And the staff are really helpful, answer emails quickly and deliver when they say they will (which is more than can be said for TT UK).

No idea what bike you have, nor where you are going, but if you have listed Aluminium and steel, I'm guessing Trailie, big or otherwise.

In that case, can I recommend these babies!!

::::.ProjectVND.com.::::

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Adventure: it's an experience, not a style!
(so ride what you like, but ride it somewhere new!)

There are pros and cons for each type, but I think it really depends where you are riding, and for how long.

For example plastic is fine for on-road, but not for off-road. If you're going on a one-week rally on sand you'd probably go for soft luggage as it's light. If you're going RTW IMHO you probably want hard luggage for ease of packing and security.

I chose ali for the following reasons:
- security
- easy to repair
- no need for a center-stand, just tip onto the pannier
- easy to pack (often forgotten I think, don't underestimate the importance of luggage being easy to live with)

B

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Barry
XT600Z 3AJ Tenere (rebuild in progress)
SRX600

I have both GIVI soft bags, and Happy Trails panniers and top box. For short weekend trips, we use the GIVI and might even run them on the tour of the western states this summer. For the long hauls where we expect rain, muck, dirt, etc., we use the alum panniers. easier to clean and waterproof. just depends on where you are going and what your are carrying.

Hepco and Becker Gobi Enduro for going to the Gobi. This is flagrant false advertising!
When I bought my last bike it came with H&B Gobi Enduro panniers and frame. They were ok when I left the UK but way before I had a chance to reach the Gobi the panniers were being held together by ratchet straps and the rack by chemical metal, jubillee clips (much stronger than cable ties for frame repairs) and cable ties (ran out of jubilee clips...)

I am planning on soft luggage for my next trip (Sahara) but am trying to develop a thin hawser net that will be bolted to the bike at the top and have three bolt-on bars to fix the hawser net over the bags so that they cannot be cut off or easily cut open, or I might make a tublar steel 'rack' for some soft bags that has wire netting over the bags themselves - has anybody come across something like this before?? One of us will have a top box for sat phone and video/camera etc, plus an 'Adventure Can' or two for spare cash etc

Hi Henry,

Did you replace the Elephant then? What did you get to replace her?

Matt

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http://adventure-writing.blogspot.com

http://scotlandnepal.blogspot.com/

*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!

On the subject of panniers. I've just invested in MM for the rear. BUT.
I'd like a set of tank panniers, unlike Ted I don't want to wait till I get to South America to get a pair made. Can anyone suggest something.
Oh yes I'm on a WeeStrom.
PS to Henry. I use PacSafe S/Steel webbing around my bags on the bike.

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The Gypsy
Second star on the right.
Then straight on till morning.

Is this the type of thing that you are using, or are you adapting one of their other products?
Pacsafe


Thanks

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Dave