Motorcycle Luggage

If Kriega makes an OS-Base for your exact bike, start there. Otherwise, go with the Kriega OS-Base ADV for adventure bikes and wider rear frames, or the Kriega OS-Base Dirtbike for lightweight enduros and small dual sports. Every OS-Base is a rackless, over-the-seat harness that carries one to three Kriega OS Adventure Packs (12–54 liters total), with no pannier racks needed.

Here's how we match bases to bikes:

Then pick your bags. Mix and match the OS-6, OS-12, and OS-18 Adventure Packs, or buy them as matched pairs: the OS-6 Dual Pack (12L), OS-12 Dual Pack (24L), or OS-18 Dual Pack (36L). For more room, put a Kriega US Drypack like the US-10 or US-20 on top. The OS packs are designed to hook onto the base as side bags. The US Drypacks aren't designed as side bags, but they work great on top.

A few honest caveats:

• Riding two-up? Kriega doesn't recommend the OS-Base when you carry a passenger. Rack-mounted soft panniers are the better route for two-up travel (see "Do I need a rack for soft motorcycle luggage?").
• The older Kriega "Universal Fit" base used a single lower strap that let the bags flop. That's why we steer riders to the ADV or Dirtbike base instead.
• Some bikes are just hard to fit rackless. Kriega calls out the BMW F900 GS, which has no rear panels or rack to pull the packs against and needs extra side supports.
• Protect your plastics and your bags. Any rackless base can rub side panels, especially with mud and dust, so put clear protective film where it touches. Add a good heat shield on the exhaust side (see "Will the Kriega OS-Base work with a tail rack or an aftermarket exhaust?").

Not sure about your bike? Send us a photo of the back of your bike and what you've added to it (rack, seat, exhaust), and we'll help you pick.

It depends on the bag. Soft panniers built for racks need a pannier rack. Rackless saddlebags and systems don't, and neither do duffels or dry bags. Here's how the bags we carry break down:

Needs a pannier rack:

• Nelson-Rigg Hurricane Dry Saddlebags: about 27.5 liters per side, with a main compartment around 15" L x 8" W x 14" H. They need a rack with a full frame for the straps to wrap around, and they can sag on rail-only racks. Remove any small nubs on the rack that could rub through the bag. The pair weighs about 13 lb empty, and the stiffeners are removable.
• Nelson-Rigg Trails End Adventure Saddlebags: about 25 liters per side plus roughly 8-liter bottom pockets. They have mounts made for a round-tubing pannier frame.
• Giant Loop Round The World Panniers: 90+ liters (45 per side). They mount to racks with flat, vertical, hoop-style sides, using either the Giant Loop Pannier Mounts (sold separately; they hook onto 15–18 mm round tubing) or the rack maker's hardware. We run these on Outback Motortek racks on our 1250 GS.
• Kriega OS-32 Soft Pannier: 32 liters per pannier, priced per single pannier. It needs pannier frames on the bike, and mounts either over the seat with the Kriega OS-Strap or onto a Kriega OS-Platform.

No rack needed (rackless saddlebags and systems):

• The Kriega OS system (our favorite): an OS-Base for your bike plus OS-6, OS-12, or OS-18 packs. See "Which Kriega OS-Base should I buy for my motorcycle?"
• Nelson-Rigg Hurricane Dual Sport Saddlebags: throw-over, waterproof, about 14 liters per side.
• Nelson-Rigg Trails End Dual Sport Saddlebags: throw-over saddlebags for dual sport, enduro, and adventure bikes.
• Giant Loop: Great Basin (68L), Coyote (39L), and Mojavi (12L) saddlebags.
• Green Chile Adventure Gear soft racks: the Uprising Soft Rack Kit for ADV, dual sport, street, and cruiser bikes, and the Hardcore Soft Rack for small bikes with a narrow rear fender.

No rack needed (duffels and dry bags over the seat or a rear rack): Kriega US Drypacks and the Kriega US-40 Rackpack, the Kriega Rollpack 20 and Rollpack 40, the Nelson-Rigg Hurricane Dry Duffle Bag, the Giant Loop Rogue Dry Bag, and the Sea to Summit Big River Dry Bag.

Rackless or racks: how we decide. If you ride technical terrain or singletrack, go rackless to keep the bike light and slim. If you'll be traveling for a long time on dirt and gravel roads and want to pack more, racks make life easier. We keep our dual sport light with rackless bags and run racks on our big adventure bike for longer, more comfortable trips. With any rackless bag, protect the exhaust side with a good heat shield like the Green Chile Adventure Gear Chilly Exhaust Heat Shield.

We don't sell racks. Racks are specific to each motorcycle, so we send riders to the rack makers and supply the soft bags. Look at Touratech, GIVI, Outback Motortek, SW-Motech, and Happy Trails. For bikes with few options, Happy Trails and Touratech make universal racks.

Usually, yes. Pick the right base and protect it from the exhaust. The Kriega OS-Base ADV has fully adjustable straps and is designed to fit adventure bikes with or without grab handles or a rear rack. Some bike-specific bases are shaped for a stock bike, and an added tail rack can get in their way.

Tail racks:

• Yamaha Ténéré 700: the Kriega T7-specific base fits a stock T7 exactly the way it's designed to. Many aftermarket tail racks, though, have side bars that come forward along the sides of the rear seat. Those bars sit right where the T7 base wants to lie, so the base hits the rack and won't sit properly. Not every tail rack is shaped this way, so it depends on your rack. If your T7 has a tail rack, we recommend the OS-Base ADV.
• The OS-Base ADV and the OS-Base BMW GS are made to work with rear racks. The base needs something solid at the back to strap to, at minimum two of the included OS-Rings.
• Kriega OS-Rack Loops bolt onto a rack (four 6 mm holes) and give you solid hook-on points for an OS pack or US Drypack on top. We also carry the OS-Rack Loops - KTM Fit.

Exhaust and heat shields:

• Kriega shapes its bases to keep the packs clear of the exhaust. Still, on some bikes the base lies over the stock exhaust shield, and on others there's no shield at all.
• On every bike, we recommend the Green Chile Adventure Gear Chilly Exhaust Heat Shield. It's the best heat shield we've used, and it keeps your bags and plastics off a hot muffler. It matters most if you run an aftermarket muffler or your bike doesn't already have a heat shield.
• With an aftermarket exhaust, check clearance with the bags fully loaded and the rear suspension compressed before you ride.

Carrying a passenger? Kriega doesn't recommend the OS-Base for two-up riding. Rack-mounted soft panniers like the Kriega OS-32 Soft Pannier are a better fit.

Send us a photo of the back of your bike showing the rack, seat, and exhaust, and we'll help you check fit before you order.

Choose by the back of your bike. The Giant Loop Great Basin Saddlebag (68L) sits on the passenger seat and anchors to the passenger footpegs, so it fits almost any bike built to carry a passenger. The Giant Loop Coyote Saddlebag (39L) mounts to the rear fender or a tail rack of dirt bikes, dual sports, and enduros, and doesn't need passenger pegs. For day rides, the Giant Loop Mojavi Rolltop Saddlebag (12L) carries tools, tubes, and spares.

• Great Basin: Giant Loop's biggest rackless bag. It needs a passenger seat and passenger footpegs, but no side racks. It includes three waterproof Dry Pods and a heat shield, and weighs about 6 lb. It's our high-capacity rackless pick for long trips.
• Coyote: fits the rear fender or a tail rack of virtually any dirt bike, dual sport, or enduro. It includes three Dry Pods, a heat shield, and a 25" strap, and weighs about 4.5 lb.
• Mojavi: two 6-liter side pockets for trail-day essentials. It mounts behind the seat on the fender.

Will it sag into the wheel? On bikes with little or no rear bodywork, Giant Loop's single lower attachment point can let the bag lean inward toward the rear wheel. Adjusting the mounting angle often helps. If it doesn't, a Kriega OS-Base, which has two lower connection points, or a Green Chile Adventure Gear Hardcore Soft Rack is usually more stable. Every bike is a little different, so some trial and error is normal. On any rackless setup, a Green Chile Adventure Gear Chilly Exhaust Heat Shield adds protection on the exhaust side.

Want racks instead? The Giant Loop Round The World Panniers are Giant Loop's rack-mounted soft panniers. See "Do I need a rack for soft motorcycle luggage?"

Our first pick is Kriega. The Kriega US Drypacks fit any type of motorcycle, across the seat or on a rear rack, and you can hook them together. The Kriega US-40 Rackpack is our go-to moto-camping duffel. For a simple strap-over bag, the Nelson-Rigg Hurricane Dry Duffle Bag and the smaller Giant Loop Rogue Dry Bag are also good options.

Kriega (start here):

• US Drypacks: US-5, US-10, US-20, US-30. These are 100% waterproof roll-tops that mount inline or across the seat or rack using web loops on the subframe. Hook several together to build a system up to 70 liters. They're also the top bag we pair with a Kriega OS-Base.
• US-40 Rackpack: 28–40 liters, double-ended, with a separate tent-pole tunnel that takes poles up to 50 cm (about 19.5"). It mounts across a passenger seat with the included subframe loops or straps to a tail rack. That's enough room for a tent, pad, and sleeping bag.
• Rollpack 20 and Rollpack 40: simple roll-top dry bags that suit sport bikes, standard bikes, and cruisers with a small tail section or a sissy bar.

Also great:

• Nelson-Rigg Hurricane Dry Duffle Bag in 25L (about 17" x 9" x 10"), 40L (about 20" x 11" x 11"), and 60L (about 24" x 14" x 14"). It comes with straps and mounts across or along the seat.
• Giant Loop Rogue Dry Bag: a smaller, very capable strap-on dry bag.
• Sea to Summit Big River Dry Bag: lighter and cheaper, but you'll need your own straps, like Green Chile Mondo Straps.

By bike type:

• Sport and standard bikes: Kriega has the best solutions for small tail sections. Look at the US-40 Rackpack, the US Drypacks, or a Rollpack.
• Cruisers and baggers: keep the heavy stuff in your saddlebags and put lighter camping gear in a roughly 40-liter bag on the sissy bar or passenger seat, like a Rollpack 40, the US-40, or the 40L Hurricane Dry Duffle.
• Scooters: you're mostly limited to a hard top case on the rear rack plus a 40–60 liter duffel strapped over the seat.

How much room do you need? Plan on about 40 liters for the core camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, pad, and pillow), or 20 liters or less with ultralight gear, and 40–60 liters total for a 3–4 day trip.

Two safety tips: bags that attach low on the sides stay more secure than bags strapped only over the top. And pack small items inside one larger bag so nothing can work loose and end up in the rear wheel.