Hi,
I have used hard and soft luggage on many tours around Europe and into Morocco, on various bikes.
Benefits of hard Luggage:
Lockable, good waterproofing, lots of room, very useful if you drop the bike (protect panels etc), stay on when travelling at 100mph on Autobahns.
Not so good points of hard Luggage:
Expensive, may only work for a specific bike or the mountings may only support one bike, may restrict your filtering abilities.
Benefits of soft luggage:
Lightweight and many can be converted into rucksacks, cheap, can be fitted onto any bike, can be stretched (ideal for a those extra purchases on your trip).
Downside of soft luggage:
Not particularly strong, if you crash they tend to tear easily (in my experience), I have yet to find any soft luggage that is fully waterproof, can simply be cut off the bike and stolen, need bungees etc all over to hold them on properly at high speeds.
I think for a long trip like yours, I would tend to go towards the hard luggage with maybe a soft rear pack and tank bag to allow for day trips etc.
You can also sell your hard luggage on eBay at the end of your trip which will help you claim back some of the expense.
hth,
Simon
|