Packing up and strapping down
By Ped Baker -
Touring & travel
28 October 2009 17:13
Canoe sacks make brilliant motorcycle luggage. They come in a variety of sizes, the roll down opening makes them completely waterproof and the long sausage shape is ideal for strapping to a rear rack.
The problem is, it's all too easy to ram your gear in and then tightly ratchet the sack onto the bike resulting in broken tent poles and damaged gear.
Always put your tent poles and pegs inside the tent as you roll it. It will provide padding to both poles and the sack.
Also make sure you use the peg and pole bags supplied otherwise you'll wear through or puncture the tent material.
Keep anything remotely sharp or pointy (like keys) wrapped up or in padded bags.
Aerostitch sell fleece bags that are ideal for this purpose and come in three sizes (www.aerostich.com).
Picking the right length straps, good anchor points and planning your loading in advance helps avoid most issues.
Get the right size bag for your gear, the right length straps and practice. Load up your bike and gear and decide what you need to get your hands on first when you arrive at the campsite etc.
Think about what gear might get wet, ie tent, riding kit etc and decide how you're going to deal with it.
If you have suitable anchor points, wide Velcro straps are better than the traditional buckle style or bungee. They're quicker to use, the wide area squashes much less and there's no eye gouging hooks (www.andystrapz.com)
