Roll Bags – Dry Bags and Other Types of Soft Luggage

The more I tour on a motorcycle, the more I find I use a roll bag rather than my panniers. On the last road test, I used two roll bags as neither the Suzuki V-Strom nor the GSX-S1000GX came with luggage, and having a motorcycle with a narrower profile was a bonus when filtering through traffic.

A well-designed pannier is a thing of beauty, but there have been some dreadful panniers supplied with motorcycles in recent years. Typically, this has happened where the design department has worried more about the aesthetics of a pannier rather than facing up to the practicalities of what we use them for. [See Frustrating Factory Luggage]

Naturally, I’d prefer one that looks good rather than a milk crate, but I don’t care how Gucci it is if I can’t pack my crap in it and ride away.

Packing my clothes into my favourite bag, I was struck by how soft luggage has evolved from the cheap holdall in a bin liner I used when I went to the Isle of Man in the 1980s.

With soft luggage, it seems the designers prioritise the practicalities of life and push aesthetics further down the to-do list. When bags tend to end up tied to the back of a motorcycle, functionality wins over looks.

Here are the four we have used and abused the most.

QBag Waterproof Roll Bag

I’ve had my QBag for “decades.” The current version is called the QBag Roll Bag 3, although I can’t see what makes this the third iteration of the QBag. It looks the same as the one I bought years ago, and as it still only costs a single crisp £10 note, I dare you to complain.

Made from polyurethane with a waterproof coating and with a whopping 60-litre capacity, there is nothing wrong with the QBag, but it is precisely what it looks like – a sack.

The included straps are for packing down the contents rather than securing the QBag to the motorcycle. Given the 60-litre capacity, you will need a pair of Rok Straps if you want to ensure you and the QBag, both arrive at the same destination. So, the £10 headline figure is more like £35, but still good value.

I’ve used mine on a few tours and never had any real problems. The QBag kept the contents dry but was a pain to strap to the bike due to its capacity. Just when I thought I’d secured the bag, something would move, and the once-tight straps would come loose. Once resolved, the bag stayed in place, but it was a game I had to play every time I loosened the straps to get in the bag.

The fabric isn’t that thick, and lugging a bag around that changes shape every time you take hold while carrying your helmet in your other hand is one of those challenges you don’t need in life.

But it is ten quid … you can’t have everything.

Oxford T30 DryStash

The T30 DryStash roll bag is perhaps everything the QBag is trying to be; only Oxford has opted to address all of the finishing touches the QBag missed.

The material is durable 600D polyester, with taped seams and a waterproof zip to seal the opening. A storm flap covers the zip to ensure nothing finds its way through.

Reinforced hooks strategically placed around the edges of the bag make securing the T30 easy. Two tie-down straps and a padded shoulder strap are included, all of which push the retail price to around £35, but SportsBikeShop currently has them for £25.

My T30 was one of the bags I took on my last road trip, and it is as good as ever. It still keeps the rain out, and we rode through heavy downpours several times.

The only negative, other than my tendency to stuff too much in the bag, is that the bag lacks any shape, and depending on how you tie it down, it can be pulled flatter than you want. On a couple of occasions, I’ve had to rearrange the contents of the bag and the tie-down points to keep the T30 from spreading across the saddle. Nonetheless, it is a practical, well-made bag at a good price.

SW-Motech Dry Bag

I’m not sure how many monsoons they get in Germany, but if continual heavy rain is forecast, I’d store my gear in my SW-Motech Dry Bags. Not content with 500D polyester, the German design team then used a thick PVC outer coating to ensure the bag’s contents remain dry no matter how much water falls from the sky.

The price varies depending on the size of the dry bag you need, starting with the 18-litre bag for £60 and ending with the 60-litre bag for £85. Two other bags are available: a triangular 8-litre bag best suited for engine bars and a 70-litre “shipping container” that, in addition to going across the bike, hangs down on either side.

The tie-down straps are loop-through, meaning you can attach them to various places on the bike without having to double back on yourself. The straps connect to the bag at seat width, keeping them close to the bike for maximum stability. A carrying handle is built in, and an optional shoulder strap is available.

Dry bags are excellent if you don’t mind searching for things. To seal the bag, the top rolls over several times and is clipped to the sides so that it remains closed. Unravel all of that, and you are looking into a tall sack. I use cheap inner bags to organise the smaller items; otherwise, I’d never find them, and I try to remember to put anything I might need on the ride at the very top.

Don’t be tempted to opt for the largest because it is the best value for money. I’ve had to secure the 60-litre Dry Bag lengthways on the seat a couple of times, as I didn’t have enough “stuff” to give the bag any shape. The bag is brilliant, but 60 litres is a lot of space.

The 35-litre Dry Bag is the most practical and the one we all reach for first.

SW-Motech Pro Tail Bag Rack Pack

And then there is that one bag that has blended aesthetics, practicality, function and design without letting one requirement rule over all the others. Specifically, I’m talking about the 32 to 42-litre SW-Motech Pro Tail Bag Rack Pack.

That is quite a title, so give me a moment to break it down.

SW-Motech produces a range of bags they call the Pro Tail Bags. Not content with just adding the capacity of the bag to differentiate between them, SW-Motech also gave each of them a different name.

Hence, we have the SW-Motech Pro Tail Bag Road Pack (8 – 14 litres), the Pro Tail Bag Rack Pack (32 – 42 litres), the Pro Travel Bag Tail Bag …. The list goes on.

These bags are tough. Constructed from highly durable, UV-resistant 1680D Ballistic Nylon with a splashproof inner lining. My Rack Pack is about three years old and has been on many tours, but it still looks almost new. It is dirty, I’ll grant you, but it hasn’t faded, has taken its share of knocks, and still looks good.

All the zips work, and the Velcro hasn’t lost any of its inclination to grab onto any other Velcro that gets within an inch of it. The elastic hooks on the end of the zippers – so you can open the zips when wearing gloves – are still all in place.

The side pockets on the Pro Tail Bag unzip at the bottom to allow the bag to expand, and perhaps this feature is the one drawback. The lightweight material this exposes isn’t fully waterproof. It is good in the rain but will eventually “wet out”.

This doesn’t mean that the bag’s contents get wet. SW-Motech spotted that possible flaw at the design stage and included a fitted dry bag for the interior of the semi-rigid outer bag. However, the exposed expansion material can become damp, and I need to remember to let it dry out before zipping the expanding side pockets closed. In every other respect, I can’t fault the Rack Pack.

Perhaps the best feature is the way the straps attach to the bag. Rather than the regular loops and long tie-down straps, SW-Motech has developed a quick, simple, and strong hook-and-eye solution.