Just wondering: Is everybody travelling with panniers or sidebags nowadays? Thinking bout going without them (less money, less hassle,...) Thinking bout stuffing all my luggage on the back of my xt (giant loop + kriega combo perhaps). Is this doable or just simply nuts?

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It's certainly doable, but there's times when you wish soft luggage was more secure, especially when riding solo and you want to visit the toilet... You can use cable locks or PacSafe system to make it more secure.

The other advantage of hard luggage is the added leverage that pannier rails give you when you are lifting the bike (assuming you've been stupid enough to drop it). I found it extremely difficult lifting my Tenere XT660z when I only had soft luggage. But the rails give me additional lifting points.

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Not a big deal - less convenient, but I've never traveled with panniers. Though given the choice, I would (and will) take them.

did it many times , make sure that they are waterproof and well straped on bike as many will rub on exhaust or worst, ortlieb are great and super light. I use them on my XR650R for dual sport travel , if you plan to be one up and do a lot off road its a much lighter set up for the bike and will let you ride without hurting the ablity of your bike off road , now the draw back is that in city your stuff is open for grab if you leave the bike alone. ( it also much cheaper to set your bike with soft luggage)

Where are you going ? How long for ?? Do you want to camp ? Do you want to cook ??

Make those decisions first mate ! Then work out the bare essentials for each and try and pack it in a large roll bag. I doubt it will all fit if you want to camp and cook !

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

Finally someone that gets it. You're right on the money. Took me a while to come to terms with this. Got to completely disagree with Tim and I don't think he's using the correct technique for lifting the bike. Forget about security. It's myth. You'll find you rarely leave sight of your bike. They're to easy to steal on their own let alone luggage. If you like to see the town stay overnight so just a matter of a bit of planning.

To me RTW trips are for exploring the bits between the towns. The towns can be left for backpackers. So if you're into towns, rent a car or go backpacking and sit on steel condoms. Travelling without racks means you're lighter and you can explore more out of the way areas.



I've got to much crap here, but it was only a trial for the bike. That big PVC bag is only half full, but PVC doesn't compress well, so I've had a cordura one made. Forget about waterproof exteriors. Couple good slides down gravel roads and the bags aren't waterproof anymore. So use waterproof bags inside for stuff that can't get wet. Clothes etc.

Minimise tools and parts by planning ahead and finding places on the bike to stash things. Tyre levers can be zip tied to the subframe as can levers. Think about reusable oil filters, foam air filters, etc.

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India and se asia I like to strip the bike when I take a room (hard panniers pique the interest of goondahs), chain the bike and next day use the same chain to tie my soft pack.
Towel, blanket,sheets and mosquito net rolled in a light swag strapped for back support.
The real art is taking only what's necessary, I like to blend in, hard panniers IMO scream "I'm a tourist" and attract touts, the very thing a bike frees you from.

Well, I'll be on the road for 6 months, cape to caïro trip. Most of the time I will be camping and I am planning to ride some dirt roads. Good thing is that I am a champ in travelling light. Don't need much. Tent, sleeping mat, sleeping bag, stove and pot, minimum of clothes, and some spare parts. Think it will all fit on the back of my bike. I want the bike as light as possible, even if it means leaving some gadgets at home. The less stuff you have, the less to worry about, no? And I can't imagine that riding a bike that looks and weighs like an icecream truck is really pleasant. Specially if you have to sit and ride on it for half a year. Going to look further into tailbag choice...

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It's certainly doable, just a bit unwieldy - unless you're paranoid about just taking the essentials. Back in the dawn of time it's how we used to go over most of Europe before we could afford panniers -



Doesn't do much for the handling either (although panniers are not much better).

ahhhhhhhhhh those WERE the days!
wet, damp, stuff falling everywhere but so much fun! (except the wet part)
nice piccy

Well done. You keep hitting the nail on the head. I think Giant Loop is for you. It's designed by desert riders in the US that developed the loop idea from a roll bag over the seat. Follow guys like Wachs and Hodakaguy on ADVrider.com. They've got it down pat.

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I have a Highlander Forces 95 Ruck Sack that can hold most of my gear. I just bungee it to the back of the bike and away you go. If I ever leave the bike I unstrap it and carry the bag on my back. For longer journeys I have a lockable top box.

I love the giant loop idea too...

Can anyone confirm the waterproofing though ?? Someone on here (cant remember who) said theirs leaked !!

Something to do with water gathering around the zips or something..

That's something not really a problem to desert riders

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

I think they fixed the leaking issue with a magnetic flap over the zip

I started off with out panniers, all of my stuff was in a bag on the pillion seat and in the top box. The top box was overloaded and the rack broke twice, before i chucked the top box away in istanbul and got a pair of cheap panniers. Panniers made the journey much much much better, the bike handled better as the weight was better distributed. I was carrying a tent and all the gear you expect for a month trip.

Got Ortlieb panniers now, they are perfect- not too big and 100% waterproof