As I have been considering my options regarding panniers, I was thinking about the light weight, strength, and mallability of thin titanium. I was considering if it would be an ideal or poor material to buy some sheeting of, and fabricate some boxes. It would be cool to customize them for my Dr650. Anyone with knowledge of metals care to offer input on this?

Also, I haven't searched to see if anybody has mentioned this, but it seems like it would be a good idea to hide a geotracking device or beacon on your bike or with your gear so you can hunt it down if it goes missing in the night somehow whilst you are in a far-away land.
cheers!

It will make a grate box! Bit more than most want to spend and fixing it may be tad hard.

As far as a geotracking device on the bike. You must have a locator on you and get cop to help you track it down. Doing it your self is not a good idea.

You can drive your self nuts spend $100,000 and add 100s of pounds of junk to your gear thinking of all the stuff you may need.

Thanks for the response DL,

If you were smart about the design and carefully mapped out the best use of your materials, I think it would be very possible to fabricate a couple boxes and a frame for still quite a bit less than a new set of TTs or MMs. I was thinking that, being titanium, you would really only need the thinnest sheeting. As far as repairs in the field, my thinking is that since titanium is strong, yet somewhat mallable that it would be a bit more forgiving in the event of an accident, whilst still retaining the bulk of their form. I think you would not need very thick sheeting because of its tensile strength. This would lend to easier repairs maybe in the field. I'd like to make a box that is solid sheeting around all 4 sides, without numerous rivets and points of weakness where the seams could split. Dunno-- I'm considering it for the first time so haven't thought it through. I do think you could fab 2x 36-38L boxes and frame for under 1000 USD if you were smart about it. It would be nice to have the strength yet such light weight.

You bring up a good point about having the authorities aid in tracking with the device. haha-- but what do you do when it leads you to them? I got this idea because I remember seein at REI last year a pair of homing beacon gps type things. REI's idea is to leave one at your homebase, and take one with you on a hike so you can always find your way back and nor get lost. This just seemed like a different but just as valid use for it. 100 USD I believe.

Anyway, I wonder what the limiting or detrimental factors, if any, that titanium might have for this purpose.

ciao