My Cagiva Elefant came with plastic cases (H&B Gobi enduro). They were massively over-filled with ducati spares but stayed intact despite many many trips into the sand/mud/tarmac. the racks on the other hand disentegrated completely.

Also they don't look like they cost an arm and a leg which has got to be an advantage.

Although we had hard boxes for our UK to Cape Town trip we also had other stuff strapped onto the rack but kept all the valuables/essentials in the tank bag that always came with us whenever we left the bike even for 5 minutes.

Before we left I rigged up a simple alarm comprising a coil of wire with a croc clip on one end (stored under the seat). This was connected to a relay and a small activation switch under the tank. We used to wrap the wire all around the luggage then earth the croc clip. If the circuit was broken it sets the horn off. Most locals who studied it were convinced they would get an electric shock if they touched the bike. We used this alarm all the time even leaving the bike fully loaded outside a hotel in central Cairo. We also left the bike for several days in Arusha and Dar es Salaam with just this alarm and the steering lock on. We also left it parked in downtown Jerusalem all wired up and when we came back we found the street was closed and the bomb squad were considering blowing it up!

Times move on and maybe the Africans wouldn't be deterred by such a simple device these days but it worked well for us.

Look at it this way, are you going for a ride or a back packing trip?? Security is a myth. The most important items are your travel documents, cash and your bike, not you jocks. What else it so important it's worth risking getting stuck under it in the middle of nowhere?

You don't take a samsonite hard case when you travel because of security issues? Those hard cased are super simple to get into. Weigh a ton and cost a large part of you trip expenses. Plus they ruin an awesome dirt ride. Get a Giant Loop Coyote, strap it on and plan to stay overnight at an hotel wherever you want to have a looky around. Cities in Africa are nothing to look at anyway for an afternoon, and it's a bad idea to leave your bike parked for hours out of sight away from a hotel. Other than that you're probably always within eyesight cause it sucks getting in and out of your riding gear all the time.

Enjoy the ride.

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

thnaks for the valuable info folks, helps alot! Impulsive as I am, I just came up with the idea of not taking any panniers/sidebags at all. Just sticking all my stuff on the back of my xt. Maybe a giantloop with some kind of tailbag or case... Has anybody done this?

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http://tufferpuffer.wordpress.com/

I'd love to ride like this.....

The giant loops look a pain to pack/unpack for longer trips and i'm sure people say they leak quite a bit ???

Just one 40L Ortlieb rack pack on the back would be great. But, it's not big enough if you want to take camping gear. A large tankbag would be good to spread the weight too.

Maybe two roll bags stacked up ??


What's worth considering about the panniers is that they keep the weight lower which keep handling as it should be.

I don't know what all the debate and stress is about anyway. Just buy some cheap ones like I did.. £20 quid !!




Pack LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT... Take half what you think you'l need then send the rest home

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Did some trips.
Rode some bikes.
Fix them for a living.
Can't say anymore.

Agree there. Light is key. Packing more crap at home might make you feel like you're up for a good comfortable time, but most of the time is spent on the bike with the gear just coming along for the ride. And then you have to pack and unpack all that crap multiple times for days on end. And it gets pretty old pretty quick. If breaking down camp take more than 20min I get the shits with it pretty quick. It's usually when the sun is baking down on you. And you haven't even put on all the riding gear yet. 1 of a few types of clothes, 2 tshirts few pieces of underwear and just wash frequently. I usually bring enough clothes to allow for me to have something to wear while the main set is drying from a wash. Keep camping gear to the absolute min and workout how to minimise the tools and parts and you're on to a winner.

Do this and you should be able to keep the lot to only needing 35-40l for the main stuff. Sleeping bag and mat can go in a rolls bag on the back of the seat. Wet weather gear can got in a kriega style bag or one of those headlight wolfman bags. Done.

I like the giantloops because they come off easy. Throw it over your shoulder and walk into the hotel room for some laundry in the shower. No racks keeps the weight down and the heavy parts are behind you legs nice a forward. More forward than soft panniers. They are a little more fiddly to get into, but you shouldn't need to get into your gear that frequent or at all. That's what a small tank bag is for (camera etc). Or camelbak. Basically there are enough systems out there than don't need any racks what so ever. This keeps bike prep to a minimum.

Never mind that PVC bag over the seat. It's only half fully, but bulky. Waterproof fabrics and electrics from the inside. Don't rely on any exterior bags for this.

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

Nice setup! Exactly what I was thinking about! Travelling ultra light is a main issue for me. I travelled before and I know that weight can make or brake my trip. Although the giant loop is pretty expensive, it will still be cheaper than buying a rack and panniers. A kriega bag is pricy too, but I am a big fan, they're really indestructable.

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http://tufferpuffer.wordpress.com/

Not once you see them in the flesh. You can actually see where the money goes. It's a pretty elaborate construction. Not a simple pattern to sew. Excellent service and product backing. These guys are the real deal that really use the product and pretty much try to destroy it. They do cool ride reports on ADVrider. Not like Touratech. Often I wonder what these guys are thinking with some of their stuff.

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

TMotten.......I also have the Giantloop and have recently purchased an Ortlieb duffelbag to carry the tent, matress, possibly food and other bits and pieces.

How do you go about attaching extra fuel and water ? - low down or just strap it to the seat ?

Also, your bike appears extremely lightly packed - is that all you would take on a 5 month trip ?

Cheers

Yep, that's the idea. I'm toying with the idea of developing a fuel 'tube' with the bloke from Liquid Containment. Something I can throw over the seat. Otherwise I've got a liquid containment bladder anyway. Water in the picture is a 6l MSR bladder partly filled in one of the bottoms. I carry a 3l Camelbag. I'm planning for a tank bag for the electronic and documents etc. And maybe replace the kriega with a wolfman bag infront of the headlight. Just to move some weight to the front. Dunno yet. Still developing, but it's taking a back step due to my bike build. But I know I should be able to make this work. Be a bit harder for colder climates but I reckon with a bit of planning it's still doable. I'm still taking a softshell jacket in this setup.

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com

zjwannie,
like you I've been deliberating about what luggage to go for, on our trip to West Africa and back later this year.

My bike came with 35l Zega panniers, which were fine but I always had the tendancy to fill them whether I needed to or not.

Dave Lomax's talk at Ripley last year really got me thinking (about tavelling light). Since then I have looked at everyones opinions on forums, and trawled the internet looking at what's out there including Kriega, Giant Loop etc.

I have certainly decided to go with soft luggage....as far as security goes if someone is determined to steal your kit they will regardless. So the Zega panniers have been sold (I kept the racks mind).

I've decided for me, the Wolfman Expedition range suits my needs but that is just personal preference. But with their new Rolie bags out this year, they certainly seem to have a comprehensive range of soft luggage to suit just about everyone.

I hope this helps

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Kev

Hi

custom sewed tank side bags, made out of truck tarp ... reliable as hell and still in use with the new bike

the new bike .... fully loaded in Tunisia, even a chair

Or just take 2 backpacks .... german army

Nice work. Interesting rack as well. Looks about as lightweight as you can get. Easy to bend back as well.

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Tacos Tyring Travels.com