Soft luggage

[fifthwheel]

Hi all, I bought some roll top soft panniers/luggage last year from Lomo. I have never used them. I have since bought a Yam Fazer 600 foxeye I want to keep and do a tour of France and Spain this year. I have just started looking for luggage frames but I am a bit worried about security. I bought them for short trips weekends away tent camping but am having second thoughts about a long trip with them, should I buy some hard panniers and sell my soft bags? john.

[Gerontious]

Plenty of people, including people I have toured with use soft luggage with no problems at all. Sometimes because of cost. Sometimes because it suits them. It's a very British thing to worry about security. But security for what? A few changes of clothing and toiletries. Your not going to be storing your passport or cash in your panniers. Soft luggage is fine once you get over the paranoia. If you can't get past that then up your game to hard cases.

[Stu]

I have toured with soft luggage with no issues!

[fastbob]

Soft luggage is a bit of a worry but as previously mentioned it's not as if you're carrying valuables like your money and phone in it . That's why touring jackets have so many pockets.

[fifthwheel]

Thanks for the reassurance, I was thinking of stopping briefly eg. for a brew at a cafe and leaving the bike for a bit, I suppose I will have to pick my stops with parking where I can see the bike.

[raesewell]

You will find that in mainland Europe nobody will take any notice of your bike, just relax and enjoy the holiday and don't worry if you can't see the bike for every second.

[Pie man]

Don't worry about it. As already mentioned, we worry too much about sh1te. If I'm touring on my own, I prefer to take soft luggage. If Mrs Pie is with me, then it's hard panniers

30L tail pack is enough with leg bag or waist pack for passport and money etc. Tail pack strapped on with Rock Straps and a Cargo Net. If anyone wants to take my smellies, 1 pair of jeans, 3 tee shirts, 3 undercrackers and a pair of cheap trainers they can have them. I could probably replace them all at Aldi/Lidl for next to nowt.

[fifthwheel]

Ok guys will go with what I've got, my camping gear is worth more than anything else, my new tent, Coleman stove, new panniers, sleeping gear etc etc. john.

[fifthwheel]

An easy option for me would be to just use my 60ltr Lomo dry bag and a Givi 48ltr topbox for solo camping. My soft panniers look too big for the limited space available on the Mk2 Fazer 600. Do you think I would have enough storage for tent, sleeping bag, mat,clothes, stove and cooking gear, etc. I have looked at the video by Stuart Fillingham on youtube, he seemed to have enough space but other videos show riders with luggage piled up to the sky

[Pie man]

I can't help you there Motorcycling and camping are two words that don't go together in my vocabulary

[Gerontious]

An easy option for me would be to just use my 60ltr Lomo dry bag and a Givi 48ltr topbox for solo camping. My soft panniers look too big for the limited space available on the Mk2 Fazer 600. Do you think I would have enough storage for tent, sleeping bag, mat,clothes, stove and cooking gear, etc. I have looked at the video by Stuart Fillingham on youtube, he seemed to have enough space but other videos show riders with luggage piled up to the sky

 

That's mostly because people pack too much stuff. They do silly things like take a winter ready sleeping bag for a weekend away in August. Pack clothes they never wear. Take food they don't cook. And on and on and on.. Multiple bundles will always take up more space. If you limit your capacity by using a fixed volume of bag or luggage. Have a bit of discipline... Leave behind stuff that you won't use. Pick up stuff as you travel.. It's a lot easier.