Gear Review: Enduristan Luggage

[MotoNews]

Published in: Gear

Choosing the set-up for carrying all your gear leads you to a fork in the road: rack or no rack? If your girl (adventure bike) weighs less than 400 lb., chances are you’re watching her caloric intake (weight of add-ons) with more scrutiny than you would with your plus-size GS or equivalent. You want to maintain agility, suspension performance—the fun factor.

In the case of my KTM 690, I opted to go rack-less with Enduristan luggage. My set-up from this Swiss company’s product line included the Blizzard bags with bottle holster, the Sandstorm 4H tank bag, and the tail pack.

Just to be clear, this system is not voluminous enough to accommodate all gear including a tent, sleeping bag, and espresso maker, but in combination with one or two dry bags it is sufficient, and compact enough when you don’t need all the overnight equipment.

The rubberized outer shell feels solid, overall a good combination of light weight, sturdiness, and tactile friendliness. Dust proof? Check! Waterproof? A little more difficult to prove in Southern California, but the hose test showed no leaks across the product line.

Having used roll-style luggage before, I much prefer this open-mouth, dry bag style of the Blizzard bags (large $340); accessibility is greatly improved, and there are no zippers sticking after dusty or muddy days.

My only gripe was with the mounting straps across the seat: In rugged terrain they kept coming loose, and they were a pain to tighten. The end would pop through the buckle when I pulled, resulting in some adult words…. I ended up sewing them together to eliminate the aggravation. The thread (see photo) is in contrast color for easier detection. This solution only works if they stay on the same bike (or bikes with similar dimensions), unless you really enjoy sewing. A few rides later all is forgotten, and this homemade fix transformed the Blizzard from a good bag to my favorite so far.

The bottle sling ($27) is a great add-on and can hold up to a 1.5-liter container. Suggested improvement to the manufacturer: Add a protective cap for the bottle top; no matter if you use it for water or gas, you don’t want any dust or freeway grime collecting at the opening.

Pleasant surprise: The Sandstorm 4H tank bag ($150) is able to accommodate my full-frame camera (including padding) and a spare battery, yet it is small enough to not encroach when standing up. The integrated ROK straps are a nice bit of engineering for the fastening system; even with the heft of the camera, the Sandstorm 4H stayed firmly in place. It’s a thoughtful design with an array of zippered and Velcro pockets inside the bag and out.

The material is identical to the Blizzard, including being dustproof and waterproof. But what about a cable duct to connect to your charger, you ask? They thought about that, too. MSRP: Blizzard (large) —$340 | Sandstorm 4H—$150 | Bottle Sling—$27 Enduristan.com 

Also available at Revzilla.com (Affiliate): Blizzard | Sandstorm 4H | Bottle Sling

---

PROS	CONS
▲ Waterproof	▼ Loosening mounting straps
▲ Lightweight	▼ Unprotected bottle top
▲ Dry bag style
▲ Three-layer construction

View the full article