So with the bike upgrades done, well at least for now, I now need to sort out my luggage.
In previous bike trips I have always used 'hard luggage' in the form of aluminium panniers. However, for off-road riding, where there is a greater chance of coming off the bike, it is recommended to use 'soft luggage' to minimise the chances of hurting yourself in the unfortunate event of losing control of the bike.
So, the research into this found that it was a bit like finding your favourite coffee, and is something more of your personal preference rather than simply going with the latest trend. And this was the case with me. So, after much consideration, I went with the old style, the tried and tested, horse shoe shaped soft luggage, made by Giant Loop. It's really one big bag that basically sits on the rear passenger seat where a pillion would normally be, and even has parts of it that come down either side where the pillions legs normally are so this helps with the weight distribution. And it took a few attempts at fitting it, then going for a ride to work how best to do it for both rider comfort and trying to keep the weight more balanced. However, after a few more test rides, trial packs and realising what I have forgotten to pack, I am sure I will be tweaking the setup further yet!
Here is my passenger, aka the Giant Loop bag, on a test ride.
It was later discovered, that I needed much more space than just the GL bag on its own as the camping gear was going to take up more than 50% of my luggage. A solution was found by adding an extra bag plus a couple of attachments, so, hopefully, we are ready now.
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