Our jump off date for Southern Utah/Moab/etc. trip is quickly approaching (October 1, 2013). I've been busy getting myself geared up for at least five days of open camping. Since I don't have quality camping gear (translation: anything that would keep me reliably comfortable, warm and dry) I knew that I was going to have to invest in some serious pieces of gear. But first, I needed something to carry it all on the bike.
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| 2013 Dl650A Vstrom with Giant Loop Great Basin Bag: that's my zero degree Big Agnes Whiskey Park on top of it. I like the convenient tie-down flap that comes attached to the Great Basin, it makes attaching a tent or big bag very easy. |
I am not into very wide, rigid hard boxes hanging off the side of the bike. Why? Well, I like to split lanes in traffic and those big boxes make what should be a nimble, lithe, zippy Vstrom look and feel like a bloat bike. Secondly, a good friend who'd just ridden off road to Loreto (down Baja-way) made it a point to tell me to look into the bags offered by Giant Loop. He used a smaller version of the Great Basin for his ride and he loved it. This brings me to my latest purchase: The Great Basin Bag by Giant Loop. I bought mine online from Revzilla. I like these guys, they ship for free and they ship immediately- stuff gets to you fast. I also like the fact that they gave me $15 in Revzilla money which kind of took the sting out of the $380 I spent on them (but... on the things-I-like-to-support side of it, they're made in the USA by a small company in Bend AND they're much less than buying hard sideboxes). I just wrote a review for the bags for their storefront in the comments section- here it is (there will be an extensive after action report on these bags and since I don't work or receive product from anybody I will be brutally honest AND fair):
Just received this bag (quick, no hassle, free shipping with $15 Revzilla bucks... great job Revzilla!) for a seven day Southern Utah + Moab + wherever the road takes me kind of trip (google motoaway or motoidiot for ride reports).
The bag is very sturdy. The material is a thick plastic coated fabric, with some very heavy cordura reinforcement along the bottom of the bag legs (I suppose to help protect the bag from falls or from sharp internally packed objects) the straps are very thick and there are ample cinch points and tie down points to attach extra bags/bottles/6packs or whatever else you might need to put on there. Best of all, the bag fits over the seat of 2013 VStrom- and connects easily to the passenger footpegs. I'm not into big, wide side boxes so these bags seem perfect. Light and tight.
Check out the photos- I have a jetboil, REI campchair and my sleeping pad all in one leg of the bag. The other leg has all of my cold weather gear, a light jacket and some underwear- this leaves the big middle compartment open for my tent, wet gear and some freeze dried food- maybe a bottle of rum.I did just order the internal packing bags to help keep some order inside the bag but I may not even use them.
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| One leg of the Giant Loop Great Basin with JetBoil, REI camp chair and Exped 7 sleeping mat stuffed into it. |
A few things to be aware of so far: Getting all the straps, cinched and organized (they come with long tails- and a recommendation to trim them but I want to use this on my DR400 too so I'm not trimming) and the bag where you want it takes some time. Also, the zipper, since it's semicircular will bind a bit when the bag isn't full. It's still very rugged. In all, I'm happy with the bag. Additionally, I'm still figuring out the best way to load the bag, since it's shaped like a horseshoe it's kind of awkward putting things in it when it's off the bike.
I can't give it any "excellent" ratings as far as performance because I haven't put it to the test yet... that happens Oct. 1. I will do a full review on my site once I return.
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