SV Luggage?

[Viney]

1 pair of any soft panniers. Cargo, Oxford, tech7 etc etc. As fizz says whack your clothing in bin bag, then put in the pannier. Job done.

Im rubbish at traveling light. However, i got a small tent, small self inflating roll mat and only camp near food/pub/resturant...but then you probably aint camping.

Originally Posted by hovi5

sale???

go on then....how much?

lol, off top me head i dont know, worth popping into your local one/phoning them up.

Here's my view on luggage

My order of preference for how luggage effects the ride/handling:

1. Tankbag
2. Panniers
3. Tailpack
4. Rucksack

My order of preference for how easy the luggage is to fit:

1. Tankbag
2. Rucksack
3. Tailpack
4. Panniers

I'll alter whether I base it on ride quality/ease of fitment on several factors: What I need to carry, how much of a rush I'm in, what sort of distance I'm doing and the roads I'll be on (no point aiming for ride quality if it's all motorways, rather than A and B roads).

All Oxford first time luggage, bar the rucksack(s). Tankbag is modified to have the headstock strap removed. I found it got in the way (on one occassion shortening how far I could move my bars), it was a pain to do up and perhaps, most importantly, I considered it to be unsafe. The idea is that if for some reason the magnets stopped working (unlikely- tested in hard braking from 110-0 and it moved about 1cm) it'll stop the tank bag falling off. Sorry, but if it comes off, I'd rather it fell onto the road, rather than dangled about near my front wheel, getting tangled in the brakes and locking the front up!

I'll add luggage based on my need for capacity. Sometimes, if I need a large rucksack at the other end (eg camping/walking) I'll take my clothes in a rucksack and pack the hard stuff in the tank bag/panniers or bungeed to the bike.

In addition to this, I've since managed a week's smart clothes, laptop, washbag etc. all in a tankbag and 30 litre rucksack. I've changed the tankbag for an oxford lifetime one now (old first time one was coming apart- over two years of heavy use taking their toll). Only thing is, it does look quite nice and a bit too nickable. Unlike the old one, I'm not really happy leaving it on the bike when I'm parked up. I tend to use the old one for work for this reason.

Cheapest option would be a bungee net from Halfords - £6 or something like this. Just bungee a backpack onto the passenger seat/hump - one size fits all

I think panniers slow my cornering ability - plus I dont like them when filtering/overtaking - i.e added unwanted distraction.

EDIT: For waterproofing - stick your kit it in a rubbish bag and bungee. My pannier waterproof covers (oxford) ripped to shreds at excess speeds.

[Bluepete]

I have done several weekend trips, camping and family visits using a buffalo tail pack and expandable panniers, all from J&S in Northwich:

http://www.jsaccessories.co.uk/hermes/shop/11,1,100

As with some others, the waterproof covers are pants on the panniers and I too use bin bags!
There was a thread a few months ago about rucksac use, I will not do it, but the choice is yours.
Google the buffalo stuff, some places do good deals if you get panniers and tail pack in one go.

This websitt may have some useful packing information. It's not specifically aimed at bikers but it's about how much you actually need to get by instead of taking everythign you might need.

http://www.onebag.com/

[northwind]

For the AR, I slung my tent and mat on the luggage rack, used my Oxford tailpack expanded to full size... And that's it really. I had my Oxford Manbag, or whatever it's called, the tiny tankbag that'll hold about 2 litres, as well. I did a couple of extra days after, but you could travel that way with a week's stuff no problems. And take an extra bungee for the rain cover! If you let it flap it'll tear apart, it's got to be as secure as it can be made. If I'd used my tankbag, I'd have been spoiled for space.

I've got a set of Oxford panniers as well, but I've never used them. I might for next year- I'm thinking I'll build a siderack for them rather than having them sat on the plastics.

Really, the topbox is king. Not a popular opinion, but it's pretty much undeniable once you've used one.

Originally Posted by Heed

This websitt may have some useful packing information. It's not specifically aimed at bikers but it's about how much you actually need to get by instead of taking everythign you might need.

http://www.onebag.com/

Nice site, not seen that before. My own little tips (learnt from hiking/camping) are:

At the end of every trip, when unpacking, look at everything you took. Did you use it? If not, don't take it again (unless it's something like tools/waterproofs/first aid, obviously!). If you only used it once or twice, how essential was it? Could you live without it if you made the trip again?

Where possible, pack things within things; stuff (clean! ) socks/pants into any dead space in any boxes you take. Also take less bulky versions of things- a resealable food bag takes up less space than a normal wash bag, yet performs the same function.

If you travel a lot, consider making a special versions of things for travel- cut off superfluous parts (you only need a few Cm of toothbrush handle), take smaller versions of things (eg smaller tubes of toothpaste, smaller tent, etc.). Sounds extreme for a small benefit I know, but apply to all your kit and watch it shrink. I sometimes hike with a big 16 stone bloke, build like a navvy, you think he could lug a 4 stone back for miles no problem. He can, but he chooses not to- he really minimises everything and as a result he consistantly has the smallest/lightest pack. It almost looks a bit comical considering how big he is. Still, it's very comfy, so why not?

On a bike, I'd add, is it something you can/are prepared to use? If you don't know how to use a given tool/don't feel confident with it, take it out. Likewise, consider getting boots you can walk and ride in comfortably and safely- a pair of trainers takes up loads of space.

A nice side effect of all this is that when you really do need to take a lot of stuff, you can, because your "essentials" take up so little space.

Originally Posted by hovi5

go on then....how much?

tankbags £20
tailpacks £15