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Equipping the Bike - what's the best gear? Anything to do with the bikes equipment, saddlebags, etc. Questions on repairs and maintenance of the bike itself belong in the Brand Specific Tech Forums.
Photo by Andy Miller, UK, Taking a rest, Jokulsarlon, Iceland

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Andy Miller, UK,
Taking a rest,
Jokulsarlon, Iceland



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  #1  
Old 22 Jul 2002
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Location: Durban, KZN, South Africa
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Pelican as Panniers
Anybody ever used large pelican cases as panniers? I know they're not top loaders but they are strong, light and waterproof (and expensive)

[This message has been edited by Bevan (edited 23 July 2002).]
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Old 23 Jul 2002
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Location: Cairo, Egypt
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I’m a big Pelican fan and have a number of them. I use them all the time if I’m traveling in my Jeep and to keep my photo equipment safe. However since they don’t open from the top, you’ll have to make some sort of frame to slide them into or something if you want to use them as side pannier. You’ll also have to take them out of the frame and put them on the floor to open them. Not very convenient. The Pelican weight + the frame weight might be much heavier than a standard aluminum pannier and mounting frame. If you really have to use them to protect something valuable, then use one as a top pannier but will you fix it? Drill holes in its bottom to fix it to a frame? You’ll ruin an expensive waterproof case. I guess you’ll just have to strap it down which means that you’ll have to deal with straps everytime you want to access the case. Again not very convenient. I would stick to aluminum pannier.

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Old 23 Jul 2002
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Location: Boulder, CO USA
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My friends have mounted Pelicans on their KLR and KTM. They used a standard aluminum bag style rack - that is steel loops mounted to the bike in 3 places per side and tied together with a steel strap in the back. For the Pelicans themselves, they used Touratech-style pucks that bolt onto the back of the bag, then slip into the corners of the mouting rack and lock into place. You have to drill holes in the Pelicans for the pucks, but it's easy and they don't appear to leak. If you're concerned about leaking you can seal the holes with silicon.

The Pelicans are very strong - probably stronger than my aluminum bags. It was demonstrated how strong they are by standing on them and jumping. Try that with some of the aluminum bags!

However, the fact that the Pelicans are side-loading eliminates them for me. It's just too inconvenient to get into them, and when you do everything has a tendency to fall onto the ground. Also, the Pelicans are just too damn ugly!

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