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Packing camping gear on a motorcycle requires flexibility in the thing that will hold the equipment. Often times it isn’t necessarily the weight, but instead the dimensions of camping gear that makes packing difficult on a motorcycle. Many of the popular sidebags and top cases aren’t long enough for tent poles and other long items. This leads many riders to build tubes or just strap things on to the bike.

The Giant Loop Great Basin on my Suzuki V-Strom 650 during a trip last summer.

Personally, I like most items to be stored inside where they are less likely to come loose and fall out while on the road or trail. Strapping things on, such as a sleeping bag is  ok. The fewer items that are left hanging, the more secure I feel.

Hands down, the best solution that I have found for packing camping gear on a motorcycle is the Giant Loop Great Basin Saddlebag. Those of you who have followed my product reviews for a while may remember the accolades that I gave Giant Loop for the Fandango tank bag. These guys have it going on.

Build Quality – A

The Giant Loop Great Basin is a soft bag with a tough personality. The bottom portion of the bag is made of 1050 nylon ballistic cordura, the top is made of 22-ounce vinyl coated polyester. Top-notch YKK zippers allow easy access to goods and the whole package is sewn together with military-grade thread.

If you hear “vinyl” and don’t think the Great Basin is up to the rigors of off-road and long-distance touring then you’re sorely mistaken. Giant Loop calls it a Bomb Shell material and says it is similar to a trucker’s tarp. That is a very good descriptor. If the material can hold up to hundreds of thousands of miles on a semi-trailer, then you can bet it will hold your gear securely on the bike.

The straps and heavy-duty metal clamps hold the Giant Loop Great Basin securely to any bike.

Speaking of holding it on the bike, this thing isn’t going anywhere once attached to your bike. The compression/attachment straps are made of 1-inch ballistic cordura and Nylike webbing with steel and aluminum buckles. Two similarly constructed straps secure the bottom of the bag to the bike. I’m not sure what the heck “Nylike” is, but these straps are strong.

Ease of Install – A

The straps secure the Great Basin to just about any bike in less than a minute. Racks aren’t needed, which further simplifies the installation process. Some hard bags might be easier to take on/off, but they also require timely installation of racks to hold them on.

The bag sits on the pillion portion of the seat and is then strapped on. The mass is held close to the bike all three directions of the U-shaped bag. This is perfect for adventure motorcycles and their top-heavy nature. The weight is centralized and held close to the bike.

The bag is removed from the bike quickly at the end of the day. I often put it in my tent to rest against it to read at night. Think of it as the motorcycle camper’s big-back-arm-pillow, like the one you had as a kid.

Included removeable and attached internal bags make easy packing of the Great Basin.

Bang for Your Buck – A

The Giant Loop Great Basin Saddlebag sells for $439. On the surface it seems that there are cheaper products available in plentiful supply. Other dry bag-type saddlebags from high-quality manufacturers such as the Ortlieb Dry Bag Saddlebag and Wolfman Expedition cost $187 and $214, respectively. These bags and others typically require (or at least suggest) the use of side racks to keep the bags from rubbing on the bike. Racks will set you back about $200. The Ortlieb’s 39 liter and Wolfman’s 42 liter capacities are much smaller than the Great Basin’s 50 liter capacity. That is why the Great Basin Giant Loop is a fantastic bang for your buck.

I have not found another product that compares to the Great Basin.

Complaints

A complaint that I do have is that the straps can make access to the contents of the bag more difficult during the day. Pack items that you may need near where the zipper can be opened between straps. Being mindful of where the straps are located will save time during the ride. Another complaint is that the material and zippers of the bag will keep water out, but the threaded areas won’t. Giant Loop provides seam sealer to correct this. Once applied, your gear should stay dry. EDIT: Giant Loop has informed me that the seams are now waterproof. All is right in the world.

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Side view of the Fandango tank bag on a Suzuki V-Strom 650

Motorcyclists have ridden off-road as long as they have pointed their wheels down paved roads. The term road should be used loosely to describe the rutted and muddy mess that riders took the early Harley Davidson and Indian motorcycles down. Despite this long history of on- and off-road riding, very few motorcycle accessories are equally at home on your bike in the dirt and at speed on the road.

No matter the terrain, carrying capacity is always in demand aboard our two-wheeled machines. Luckily, my Suzuki V-Strom come stock with cargo rack. Tying small items such as wallet, keys and camera to that rack is senseless. These items can stow in a pocket, but sometimes that option isn’t comfortable or pockets are in short order.

That’s where a tank bag comes into play. Tank bags come in many shapes and functionality. Some have so many pockets that you lose items in them simply because you can’t remember which pocket they are in. The shear number of pockets makes it difficult to get those small items quickly when you need them. For example, it should be easy to locate and pull out your wallet to fill the gas tank without getting off the motorcycle.

The accessories that get used day after day on my bike are simple, functional and water tight. A product that does all of these things well is few and far between.

The Giant Loop Fandango tank bag is a rare combination of simplicity and functionality that is equally at home on the road or on the trail. The Fandango has one large compartment that is accessible via a sealed zipper. The bag simple design of the bag makes it down right cavernous with a single Velcro divider for organizing contents. I keep the divider all the way to the back of the pocket. This is just wide enough to hold my cell phone, wallet and a small camera where I can get them quickly.

A clear plastic map pocket tops off the Fandango tank bag package. The pocket holds a folded map. Again a simple waterproof zipper protects the contents against the elements (see critiques below).

Removing the Fandango tank bag is simple. The single zipper makes the fuel cap easily accessible.

A third zipper runs along the bottom perimeter of the bag to attach it to the base. This simple design allows quick removal of the bag when needed. Upon removal of the bag, a cutout allows easy access to the fuel cap to keep the adventure going.

The base attaches to the bike with three straps. A single strap goes around the frame, under the triple clamp. The remaining two straps attach to the frame or other solid point on either side of the bike. I found the perfect attach points around the GIVI crash bars on my Suzuki V-Strom. In all, it takes a couple minutes to solidly attach the Fandango Tank Bag to the bike.

The Fandango was originally designed for use on dirt bikes. This means that when attached, the bag isn’t going anywhere. When I first attached the bag to my V-Strom, the triple clamp strap was a bit short. It worked, but left me nervous with the lack of remaining strap.

I ran into Harold Olaf Cecil from Giant Loop at the Vancouver Motorcycle show. Upon sharing my critique, he walked out to the bike to actually check it out. Apparently, their design evolved to fit larger bikes and I had one of the original (more dirt bike-oriented) straps. He was nice enough to pull the base off of a bike at the show and swap it out. Great customer service goes a long way with me. Giant Loop won me over in this area.

Simple, single compartment keeps everything organized in the Fandango tank bag.

The other critique that I have is that water can find its way inside the bag. The “truckers tarp” material and waterproof zippers are 100 percent watertight. The seams between the zippers and fabric allow the slightest amount of moisture to get through. The map pocket is especially susceptible to moisture and a wet map is a useless map. Giant Loop does provide seam sealer with the product and I highly suggest it be used. A couple minutes applying the sealer makes moisture a non-issue.

Giant Loop is a fairly new player in the motorcycle luggage field. This small company based in Oregon is definitely worth looking into. Their customer service has been quite impressive and the product is solid. They are passionate about their product and it shows.

The Giant Loop Fandango tank bag is available in three colors: black, orange and yellow. It sells for $149.00 at www.giantloopmoto.com. You can also find it through their dealer network.