In Search Of How To Carry Your Undies

It has been quite a while since I have travelled anywhere overnight by motorcycle and hence, a long time since I have needed or purchased any motorcycle luggage. Being on a sports bike limits how much I can carry but the good thing about all of the bikepacking that I have done over the last few years is I have learnt how little one really needs for a few days on the road. Take my trip to the US last month for example. I took exactly one pair of long pants, one t-shirt and one pair of undies for a 3 week visit......yep, I travel light these days! Admittedly, I only had 4 or 5 days in "civvies" before I donned the bike-cycle riding gear for the AZTR but one really does not need much.

With this in mind I went luggage hunting today. When I first bought the bike I figured I would buy a Ventura rack and use the bag that I have owned since 1994 but on closer inspection (of prices) the Ventura rack systems had become stupidly expensive so I scratched that idea long ago. While visiting a motorcycle accessory warehouse a few months back to find a mate's son some goggles for mtbing I noticed some luggage options on display. 

I promptly forgot about them until a few days ago when my bro mentioned that the lads from Sydney were planning a weekend ride midway between Sydney and Brisbane in June this year. Some of the Brisbane guys are going down for it so I thought if I am not working that weekend I might head down (if it isn't raining...). That is when I remembered that I have no meaningful way to carry my undies....

Off to a few of the local accessory stores and I was soon in posession of something that looked like it might do the job.

NOT where I bought the bag, but close!

Nelson Rigg is a brand I vaguely remember from somewhere. I have no idea of it's likely reliability but with the amount of use it will get from me, it will last for years. There aren't too many UV rays inside the cupboard!

It fits ok as is but I will cut and sew the straps that go under the seat as I want a specific, tidy fit to the rear seat. That will mean it will be bike specific but I can always buy more strap to make it fit whatever I may add to the stable in the future.

The good thing is that at 24 litre capacity I can't fit too much in it. It apparently expands to 33 litres which will hold a helmet. Nice to have but I can't see myself using it for that purpose.

The waterproof cover might be handy but luckily Australia is pretty dry which is a good thing as the cover is quite bulky and probably takes up 15-20% of the bag's capacity! I will have to screw it down into a tiny roll and tie it so as to minimise the covers bulk.

So, now to sit with a beer and just look at it for fifteen or twenty minutes  errr, brainstorm a solution to tidy up the straps underseat shitshow......

Yes, I am a bit OCD. ;-)

Cheers.