I have the "large" Ortlieb Rack Pack. Nice and strong and coped well with some very wet days.

The material is easily patched; it's the same as used for curtain-side lorries so you'd be able to get a repair done at any transport workshop. It welds pretty good using an eating knife warmed on a camping stove; just hold the knife under the patch to melt the vinyl and press together.

I've had the Louis sponsor bag, all though its not been rtw it has survived the last 10 years. I think I got my 5€ worth.
I think regardless of how much a bag costs I would still have everything that needs to stay dry in dry bags. Belt and braces

sent from my thingy, using whatchamacallit

As mentioned already the thick vinyl bags are easier to repair and less likely to need a repair in the first place. Gaffa tape will stick to them for a short/medium term fix. Don't worry about flapping handles as you be strapping these bags down and the handles can always be tucked away. You will be thankful for a handle if you ever need to carry it along with helmet etc...

Thanks for all the advices, I have managed to find a buyer for my top-case and hopefully I will be able to sell it in the next week or two.

Meanwhile I have been researching rack designs as the KLE's rack is kinda small. Still have to find a design I like and than have it laser cut out of 4-6mm aluminium.

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->Honda XL125V Varadero '08 sold
->Kawasaki KLE 500 '05 riding it, like I stole it

For your respectful consideration: Giant Loop's double-ended dry bags. Access gear from either end without removing bag from bike. Full disclosure: This is my company, and I'd like to encourage you all who participate in this forum to support the companies that make motorcycle-specific products for motorcyclists. It benefits motorcycle riders by stimulating innovation in our industry.

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Giant Loop Moto

What Ted said. Ortlieb 49l. Been all over with it, handles an' all and its still waterproof despite having a hole in the bottom.

Thanks for all the suggestions
I guess it will come down to Ortlieb or Enduristan. Though 49L is a bit to much for me.

Can you suggest how big my luggage plate should be? At the moment the design is 400mmx300mmx6mm, with a lot of strap points and holes for rotopax 1 galon fule pack.

Here is a picture of the design, the red-ish line represents a rotopax pack

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->Honda XL125V Varadero '08 sold
->Kawasaki KLE 500 '05 riding it, like I stole it

Short summary of my view on the matter. Last week I received my Ortlieb 85L! duffle bag, pretty sturdy with daisy chain and all. It is a big bag, probably too big but I though it would be easier to push access air out of the too large bag rather than push access baggage into a too small bag! I can stash all luggage in 3 bags now. In case of unpacking the bike to a hotel room, put the Ortlieb on my back (it has back pack straps) and a pannier lining bags in each hand. The bag is big enough to also stash my day pack and stash food and groceries for longer stays in the field. All in one bag, seemed convenient to me.

For carrying the bag I made a small rack, 16mm tubular steel, rack size 55cm x 25cm with cross bars, bolted on the original rear fender rack. The bag is expensive but the rack, home made, was not even 10 Euro!

Cheers,
Noel

I have a large ortlieb duffle too. Used it all over south america. Best thing about it is that you set the size yourself with how much you pack and roll it. Very versatile. However, being a tube, its harder to pack (think packing a tent away), and you often have to empty it to get what you want like a rucksac.

The ortlieb rack packs are GREAT because they have a large top opening, making them easy to pack/unpack.. The flat base sits nice on a pillion seat and the handles make It easy to carry.

And the 49l one should get away as airline carry-on luggage. Be it with a raised eyebrow on occasion.

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

I'm very happy with my recently acquired Wolfman 40l roll bag. Looks and feels bombproof- very thick vinyl material and handy D rings for lashing to the bike securely and adding more packs if need be. Opens nice and wide so easy to pack. Made up a couple of custom straps to keep things neat, fits well on my Rugged Roads rack plate.

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I actually don't have the rack pack which is a roll bag but a real duffle, with a zipper (water tight) It's 85L which seems big but its not much bigger than the bag on the beemer above! And it has back pack straps which is a big bonus I think.

I agree. I own one of those huge Lomos for all my kayaking junk but would never use it on a bike and expect it to keep the stuff dry over a day of heavy rain.

Here's another rack pack suggestion: Watershed Chattooga dry bag.
They claim 30L which may be possible, perhaps more like 25L. I can get my tent, bag and mat in there, so all up no more than 4-5kg weight hung out back.
Tough PU 'hard-coated' fabric would outlast an Ortlieb on a slide down the road and a fat, rubbery ziplock seal (similar to freezer bags) means it's effectively submersible. Designed for rafting; it will not leak.
I've found in a day of heavy rain riding, water inches it's way past roll-up bags, no matter how tightly done up. A bit OTT for most (I mostly use it for paddling) but if I had a long wet ride lined up - say trans Siberia - I'd be confident this bag out on the back could fall in a few rivers without problems.
Knowing that, you don't need to put contents inside yet more dry bags, just in case (as I used to do). One submersible bag does the job. Rubber seal is a bit of a faff but the way I use it, camping gear gets packed and unpacked once a day at most.

Ch

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I wish I saw this a few months back, I went and bought a similar bag off ebay for the back on my bike but the plate snapped after a few days, where's best to get one of them?

I've tried lots of top boxes, duffels and top bags. I've shifted luggage around quite a bit on my DR650, trying various hard and soft panniers. Now going full soft all the time.

With camping gear I have a massive duffel. Way too big, must hold 50L easy.
But more room than I need ... this $35 usd bag came apart after just ONE
week long camping trip. JUNK! (Cycle Gear) Avoid!


Working hard to keep up with the boys on the KTM 950SE's with GIANT POOP
bag on the back.


I use a simple wood platform. This one is too big. (was for BIG bag shown above, about 28" wide). I will now cut it down for the small Wolfman duffel bag, (33L) which is only 20" wide.

I'm using Nelson-Rigg panniers. Very well made, hold more than I need for solo non camping travel. I got these new from a fellow rider... $100 usd.
I use inner bags with them, at Hotel, just a grab and go. I use small and light Happy Trails racks that allow the panniers to sit very close to the bike but off the HOT pipe. They ride LOW and FORWARD. They pretty much stay put on the roughest trails and have held up well the last year/8,000 miles.


The Wolfman unrolled and stood up ... man, a lot of room in there! I got ALL my clothing, sandals and MORE .. filled it half way.

Easy to mount up securely and quick off ... and since I use clear bags for stuff, I have a way to organize internally ... and SEE contents and get to it quickly.

Opening bag is easier than expected. I hate fiddly bags. My only complaint here is TOO MANY straps. After a few trips ... I will simply CUT OFF the ones I don't use or don't need. So far, after having the duffel off and on several times, loading it up and unloading it ... it is a pure delight and much better than expected. This is the small size... and it holds a ton!
Remember, this is my NON camping bag. For camping I would go up one size to hold tent, pad, sleeping bag plus all clothing.

With this set up my main panniers are not even half full. Lots of spare room. Now I have to resist overloading with junk I don't need.
The panniers will hold:
1. a few tools that don't fit in my tool tube (extra tire iron)
2. Spare tubes (2)
3. Toilet kit, meds, Medical kit
4. Tow strap
5. bike cover
6. quick access Merino wool sweater and syn T shirt, rain pants, spare gloves
7. Hand heaters, Ear plugs, Zip ties, Chargers, camera and phone stuff
8. Bike elec. kit, nut/bolt kit, bike odds and ends
9. Maps held in flat inner pocket in panniers
10. Tea kit/cup/sugar (No stove)

Hey!

As I am riding more and more gravel and light off-road, I need to change my Givi Maxia 52l top box for a soft dry bag. Here is my criteria: needs to be top loading, at least 50cm wide, quality product not some Chinese knock-off. There are a lot of options out there, so I narrowed it down to these 3:

1. SW-Motech Tailbag Drybag Medium 35L


Size: 55x30 cm
Capacity: 38,811L (Calculated)

Pros:
- Hi-Viz yellow

Cons:
- Possible flapping of carry handles in the wind while riding

Price: 60€ (66€ delivered)

2. Enduristan Tornado M 32L


Size: 53x27cm
Capacity: 30,345 (Calculated)

Pros:
- No flapping handle

Cons:
- No reviews of the bag, like no one is using them
- Smaller size than advertised

Price: 65€ (77€ delivered)

3. Wolfman Expedition Dry Duffel - Small 33L


Size: 51x29cm
Capacity: 33,687L (Calculated)

Pros:
- A lot of happy users
- A lot of add-on parts
- Repair kit available

Cons:
- Possible flapping of carry handles in the wind while riding
- Price

Price: 99€ (112€ delivered)
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In this bag I will have my camping gear: tent, ground sheet, sleeping bag and mat,...

Is anyone using any of these bags and can comment on them? If you had to chose one, which one would it be and why.

I will buying one as soon as I sell my Givi case.

Thanks for your help![/QUOTE]

Like Touring Ted I use Otleib Dry Bag for diving Camping & everything between.

Lomo are doing a offer at the moment £40ltr dry bag £15.00 or 20 for get now worth a snout quite a few of the ABR guys used them.

I use the roll toped type as I can see problems with the tube type & doubble open ended, I dont see the point, I can see with doubble ended needing more bags in side & if you for get where or which side of the bag well you get the pic the roll top dry has quite a large mouth to rummage in & rolls down as small as it needs to be, if you get the big one & dont need all the space roll it up some more

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