6 Best Soft Panniers for Adventure Bikes

Welcome to the Best Soft Panniers guide. Here’s 6 of the best soft luggage options for adventure bikes on the market today. You’ll find info on their features, how they work, pros and cons and loads more.

Best Motorcycle Soft Luggage

Contents

Why Soft Motorcycle Panniers?

Soft pannier luggage is the way to go for adventure bike travellers. They’re cheaper than hard boxes, less strain on the frame, more flexible and adaptable and most importantly – hard panniers are way more likely to cause you harm in a crash. That makes going soft a wise choice for anyone focusing more on off-road than tarmac.

If you’re not convinced by soft luggage, are weighing up your options and are considering hard panniers, then take a look at these handy guides next.

READ MORE:

But if you’re set on the textile luggage, then remember that not all bags are made equal. You’re going to want the right soft stuff to suit your bike, budget and riding style. So, we’ve collected a selection of the very best soft panniers for adventure bikes to help you choose the right luggage for your trip.

The 6 Best Soft Luggage Options for Adventure Bikes

Mosko Moto Soft Luggage

Quick Info: Off-road focused, Racked, Rackless, Heavy duty, High price range
American firm, Mosko Moto, are new players to the motorcycle luggage scene, but have already cemented their place on the soft luggage top spot. That’s because they produce seriously high-quality, tough and durable gear. Their kit is off-road adventure riding focused and the bags emphasise that. If you’re looking for premium kit and are going to be spending most of your time on the rough stuff, then these are for you.

Mosko Moto sell directly to the rider and don’t have a dealer or distributor network. They say this allows them to skip out on a costly distribution step so that they can use premium materials without making their products too expensive.

Lomo Motorcycle Panniers

Quick Info: Most affordable, Easy to use, Throw-over, Low price range
Scottish watersports company, Lomo, have recently started producing more motorcycle orientated dry bags and the latest additions are their waterproof soft panniers. There are three sizes to choose from. All are single opening, welded seam waterproof PVC bags. The bags are simple, easy to use and no fuss.

Giant Loop Luggage

Quick Info: Off-road focused, Rackless, Racked, Mid-price range
Giant Loop pioneered the rackless luggage system back in 2008. The US based company developed their horseshoe-shaped bags to sit where a pillion would and not need pannier racks. Giant Loop have been in the game 12 years and know how to produce quality gear. They also now provide standard soft panniers too.

Adventure Spec Magadan Panniers

Quick Info: Suited for long-term travel, Secure, Throw-over, High-price range
The Adventure Spec Magadan panniers were developed by Walter Colbatch (if you haven’t seen his incredible Sibirsky Extreme on YouTube, you need to check them out!) The panniers were made to be simple, tough and secure.

READ MORE: Magadan Pannier Review

Kriega Overlander System OS Soft Luggage

Quick Info: Racked, Rackless, Premium, High-price range. 
British firm, Kriega, have been in the luggage business since 2000 and have a long standing reputation for high-quality and ultra robust kit. Kriega kit comes with a 10-year guarantee because they’re so confident of its build.

Enduristan Monsoon 3 Panniers

Quick Info: Throw-over, Mid-price range, Easy to ue.
Enduristan are a Swiss company offering a range of soft motorcycle luggage options including panniers and rackless systems – all with a five-year warranty.

Update: Semi-Rigid Option

Lone Rider MotoBags Semi-Rigid Panniers

Quick Info: Semi-rigid, High-end price, Requires rack.

The Lone Rider MotoBags are semi-rigid soft panniers. We decided to include them in this list after they were mentioned a couple of times in emails and in the comments section. They’re expensive but super high-quality panniers that Lone-Rider claim are 100% waterproof. 

You get the two pannier bags, two removable inner dry bags, two universal mounting plates and the necessary parts to attach them to your rack and two specific locks for the bags. 

Update: New panniers

Givi GRT709 Canyon Panniers

Quick Info: Racked, lockable, quick release

The Givi Canyon motorcycle panniers are packed with features. They work by attaching the bags to nylon backing plates (included). These plates have a quick fit and release attachment to racks and can also be locked to the racks with a key (which can be keyed to a Givi top box etc). The bags use a waterproof roll down closure, have removable inner bags, handy exterior pocket for bottles and straps for when off the bike. 

Hard vs Soft Adventure Bike Luggage and the Ultimate Set-up

TRAVEL TIPS

Read more on Adventure Bike Luggage and Gear

Thanks for checking out our Best soft luggage for adventure bikes guide. We hope you enjoyed it! Here’s a few more articles on motorcycle luggage and kit that we recommend you read next. 

ps. We may receive a small commission, at absolutely no cost to you, if you purchase any products using the links on this page. We’re not sponsored by anyone, are completely impartial and don’t run ads. So this helps us keep the site running. Thank you for your support.

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Let us know what you think of this Best Soft Luggage for Adventure Bikes Guide in the comments below! We’d love to hear from you. 

32 thoughts on “6 Best Soft Panniers for Adventure Bikes”

  1. This is awesome and just what I was looking for. Loving the website and all the advice. I had a read of your hard vs soft luggage guide and decided soft panniers are the way to go. Now just got to pick one of these! Thanks pals

    Reply
    • Hi Dan, thanks very much, we’re really glad you’re finding it helpful!
      That’s great! If you need anything else or have any more questions just leave another comment or send us an email. All the best and good luck.

      Reply
  2. Hi guys. Im still deciding between hard boxes and soft bags. I want to go for soft bags but the only thing thats stopping me is how safe my gear is going to be when i leave the bike. Any tips for this? I just asked the same question in your forum too. Top job. Thanks

    Reply
    • Hi mate!
      I replied to your question in the forum, here’s the link to it in case anyone else has anything to add https://www.madornomad.com/forum/bike-equipment/how-secure-is-soft-luggage/#post-65

      And here’s my reply:
      Good question! It is easier to steal stuff from soft panniers over hard panniers. But, if someone really wants to get in, they’ll take a chisel and hammer to your hard box and snap it open in no time. So the benefit is really in preventing the opportune thieves. To do that with soft bags you can either go for a slash proof bag like the Magadans or you can buy a Pacsafe mesh net https://www.madornomad.com/pacsafe-review/ or if that’s too much of a faff, there’s always a Pacsafe single cable, which you can use to wrap around your bag.

      We left 3 years ago with a net and chucked it after the first few months. We went to the cable and then chucked that too. In three years we’ve never had a single thing go missing from our soft panniers (touch wood) (and in 15 years of bike trips with soft bags as well). Stuff is far more likely to get nicked in cities or big touristy areas which we try and avoid. Here’s an article on how to keep your motorcycle gear safe while travelling https://www.madornomad.com/motorcycle-safety-while-travelling/ .

      Also, we tend not to worry about kit in the soft side bags because we have a hard top box. We keep our electronics and important stuff in there, so if the clothes and flip flops get taken from the side panniers it’s not the end of the world. You can read more about our set-up here: https://www.madornomad.com/hard-vs-soft-luggage-for-adventure-bikes/

      So to sum up… Yeah, hard boxes can do more damage in a fall, so if you want soft panniers because of that then don’t be put off by security. There are ways of protecting soft bags as mentioned above. But after travelling for a while we realised that they don’t really need protecting because theft isn’t as common as it’s made out to be. If you still want some piece of mind (like we do), then you can always opt for a hard top box to keep your valuables safe and use soft side bags for everything else. Best of both worlds! Hope this helps.

      Reply
  3. Hi guys,
    No mention of Lone Rider soft panniers. Ive looked at most of the above mentioned and actually bought an Enduristan 50l Tornado 2 before I came across Lone Rider bags.
    Have you had any experience with them? They seem to be well made, lockable and fit a wide range of racks. Not cheap however. Would be interested to hear your views.

    All the best,

    Reply
    • Hey Brett, thanks very much for your comment. Yeah, I did consider them when writing this guide – especially now they’re becoming more and more popular. The reviews all sounds pretty good and they do look very well made. Actually quite innovative really.
      You know what, you’re right, they probably should be considered for this article. I’m going to do some more research into them and ask around as I haven’t tested them personally and then look at getting them up on here.

      How did you get on with the Enduristan panniers? Are you considering switching to the Lone Rider panniers?

      Reply
      • Hey guys. Hope you are both well.
        I havnt bought the pannier bags yet. Its the 50l Tornado 2 roll bag that I have.
        Its well made and fits all my camping gear in it at a pinch. My sleeping bag is more bulky than my 3 man tent. I really do need to replace the bag.
        The reason I chose the Enduristan and Lone Riders is because you dont need dry bags unlike the Moskos which were high on my list. That said, I still put my gear in dry bags anyway. Just an added precaution. Nothing worse than a wet sleeping bag!!
        I have decided to go with the Lone Riders and not the Enduristan Monsoon 3 panniers. The features and build quality of the LRs appear to be a step up from a lot of others on the market. They do need a rack however. But.. LR dont do one for my bike (Super Tenere) so I settled on the Touratec rack. A lot are made from mild steel but Touratec racks are made from 18mm stainless steel tube. Ive had mild steel racks in the past. They always rusted and Im fed up with stripping them down, cleaning them up and getting them powder coated.

        All the best to you both

        Reply
        • Hey Brett,
          Ah I see. Woah, yeah that sounds like a big chunky sleeping bag! What tent are you using out of curiosity? Good shout on putting your gear in dry bags regardless.
          Good choice on the Lone Riders and thanks again for pointing it out. I’ve now added them to this list after a lot of research. They’re seriously expensive, but they do come with rack plates, all necessary fittings and the dry bags and you’re right, they do appear to be super high quality according to all the reviews and product tests I’ve watched and read.
          It would be really interesting to hear how you get on with them! Please do let us know.
          All the best to you too and I hope you like your new bags!
          Cheers mate,
          Andy

          Reply
  4. Hi Andy,
    The tent is a Snugpak Scorpion 3. Not a bad tent. Its a dome tent and as such is stand alone and can be pitched in under 10 minutes easily. There are several pockets the full length on both sides with a small loop above the entrance to hang a light. Good size vestibule that can be closed if you wish. Also 3 vents to help with condensation problems.
    Reasons for choosing this was price. I had a budget of £300 and got this on sale for £275.
    Secondly, it is pitched fly first and after initial setup you can pitch it and pack it in one hit. No need to disconnect the interior from the fly. A huge bonus when its raining. Everything stays dry. That was a consideration I wasnt going to compromise on. It had to pitch as one.
    Third, 5000mm rain head fly and groundsheet so its going to stand up to some serious rain.
    Fourth, it had to be 3 man because its used for camping with my little man (a 4ft tall 4 yr old takes up more room than you would expect. Hes a little giant!). And i like the extra room.

    I used to work in a hunting and fishing store for a few years in New Zealand and got to see a lot of tents so I had a good idea of the features I wanted. Ideally I would like to get a Hilleberg 2 man Tarra or 3 man Saivo but they dont come cheap! Shame they are not available in NZ because I would have used my staff discount and got one!

    I like your choice of cooking stove and was so very close to getting the same one several years ago. I had heard it was as noisy as a jet engine but very good. The noise thing did put me off a bit but not enough to discount it. In the end I went with the Whisperlite Universal for the same reasons you went with your Dragonfly. The choice of fuels is definitely a big deciding factor. Petrol, diesel, meths, kerosine, Coleman fuel normal gas canisters. You will always find fuel somewhere for it.

    Reply
    • Hey Brett, Yeah we have the Snugpak Scorpion listed in our 10 Best Motorcycle Camping Tents article. Definitely can’t argue with those reasons for getting it haha! Sounds like you really know your stuff. That’s awesome you’re camping with your son, I bet he must love it.
      Yeah, the MSR DragonFly is an awesome stove, I’ve used it for around 10 years now and just won’t change it. Yeah it’s a little noisy but it’s really not that bad. But yes you’re right, the most important thing is taking multi-fuels so the Whisperlite is a pretty good alternative too. Are you still based in New Zealand?

      Reply
      • Hey Andy.
        Nope. Im back in Dorset now since Dec 2018.
        Yep. The little man loves it. If it was up to him he would live in a tent.

        The only problem Ive found with my Snugpack is the rear guy line wasnt secured into the vent sheild very well and my sisters dog tripped on it and pulled it out. Ive since superglued it back into the slit (theres a flexible foam/plastic band to keep the arch in shape) and sewn it back up with fishing braid. Maybe it was just a one off so shouldnt be a big concern for anyone looking at the Scorpions.. and its not a huge effort to add some extra stitching if youre concerned about it.

        I usually do a lot of research on more than just a couple of sites before buying anything. Have been caught out in the past when I first started riding and camping by listening to advice from armchair campers. Never again. ;o)

        Reply
        • Ah I see!
          Haha don’t blame him.
          Interesting info on the Scorpion there, I’ll direct people to your comments on it if anyone asks!
          Yeah, totally agree!!!

          Reply
    • Hi Raf, I’ve heard lots of really positive reviews on the Givi GRT 709 bags and was actually looking to add them to this list after more research. Of course, it depends on what type of soft bag set up you’re after and if you want throw overs or clip on and off fixed bags. If you are after a lockable clip-on then these do look like a good shout. Cheers

      Reply
  5. Hey guys thanking you for this very interesting homepage 🙂

    My question is just that one;

    I have the need for a softpanniers but not on a metal rack, only with straps.

    But is there anything for TOW PERSON RIDING? (With Sozius)
    Ps it’s for the new Ténéré 700

    Thanks for your help 🙂

    Cheers
    Severin

    Reply
    • Hi Severin, good question! Most rackless soft throw-over panniers have very large straps for resting over the pillion seat in order to support the bags. So, if you’re taking a pillion you can either opt for bags with thinner straps and tuck them under the pillion seat, if possible, or lay them over the seat and add an extra pillion cushion on top – this is probably your best bet. Hope this helps, cheers mate,

      Reply
  6. I am considering the Enduristan Monsoon Evo bags – they seem to have a decent attachment mechanism to pannier racks, and for the price range (eg compared to Kriega OS).
    Has anyone owned/used these for Overland travel, and how have they held up – I have seen one review mentioning that the outer plastic reinforcement at the bottom of each bag, broke on a fall – but did not seem to affect the waterproofing…..

    Reply
    • I’ve heard good things about the Monsoon bags (and am trying to rack my brains to remember who I know that’s riding RTW with them!). They are far better priced than the more expensive Kriega OS system, but if you’re considering soft panniers and are concerned about how hardy they are because you’re perhaps going to be riding hard off-road a lot and are likely to have a few drops – then why not go for the Magadans? I know they’re about £100 more expensive, but this may be worth it in the long run if you’re on a big, extended and off-road focused trip.
      Cheers,

      Reply
      • Hi,
        I don’t think that my proposed journey can be described as off road focussed…lol…but I will, as far as time, skill level, etc will allow, be looking to explore the scenic route….
        Magadans….yes, seen a review of these and they do look really good….but budget and availability are key deciding factors…and I like the relatively simple mounting mechanism of the Enduristans….anyway let’s see…I still have quite a bit of time to decide….luggage, choice of bike (sent you a separate email on this)….looks like travel costs are going up, so it is likely I will end up choosing the best economical options available out there….
        cheers….I do appreciate you taking the time to respond to all comments/posts….

        Reply
        • Hi Sekhar,
          Ah, I see, well that’s fair enough. I’m sure you’ll get on well with the Enduristans regardless and have heard great things about them.
          Yes, you’re right, having a simple mounting system is very important, especially with soft luggage. However, they do have removable inner bags so that the main bags can stay on the bike while you just take the inner bags into hotels etc.
          Replying to your email on bike choices right now 😀
          Yeah prices have certainly gone up, especially shipping which at the moment is ridiculous!
          No worries at all, always happy to help fellow travellers.
          Cheers,
          Andy

          Reply
  7. hi there – very very useful article…

    Pannier for Brutale 2009 1090RR in Singapore

    Wanted some help… I am using the bike for local conveyance and end of next month on a long tour. Want to add some pannier (soft/hard) on the machine, with some locking mechanism and enough storage to throw in my gym clothes during office week and more clothes and tools for the tour… and ofcourse want to maintain the looks. 🙂 what do you suggest?

    Reply
    • Hi Ruchir,
      Good question! A little tricky to answer because the Brutale isn’t a conventional ‘adventure bike’ and so prepping it with a luggage system isn’t as common. So no doubt it’ll be harder to find examples online too.
      Locking mechanisms for soft luggage are also hard to come by. Your best bet for a secure system is the Adventure Spec bags as you can easily lock them and they’re slash proof. Your other option is to use a PacSafe mesh net or cable loop to secure your gear to the bike. But the AS bags are throwovers and you would probably need a custom rack, as I’m not sure if there are any companies out there making racks for the 1090.
      So, I would suggest going with something like a Kriega system and having it fastened to your pillion seat.
      Here’s a Kriega example
      Or a wider tail pack like this example
      I think these types of systems would be best because it’s risky to have panniers without support underneath them.
      The other option would be to have a protective bar fabricated and then use lightweight throwovers like a rackless system that sits very high up.
      Hope this helps and best of luck with your adventures!
      Cheers,

      Reply
  8. Just got back from a month long tour of Colombia with my Kriega 32L plus hook on four additional five liter bags. The attachment point where the OS-2 strap system attaches to the midpoint of the backside of the bags completely tore off. One point on each of the bags. I had to finish the trip strapping them together with bungee cords and duct tape.
    The bags had about 25,000 miles on them, maybe about 1,000 miles at most of off road.
    The concept is great, but they worked well until they didn’t. I was very happy with them before this.
    Can’t recommend.

    Reply
    • Hi Joe,
      Thanks very much for posting your feedback here, that’s really interesting to hear! (and of course, a shame that your gear failed!).
      I am surprised to hear it, I’ve had some Kriega kit for that’s over 10 years old and going strong. Have you contacted Kriega about it? Would be interesting to hear their take on it.
      Cheers,
      Andy

      Reply
      • Waiting for my bike to get shipped back from Bogota, Colombia. When it does I plan to take pictures of the failed straps and send them to Kriega.
        BTW, just ordered Giant Loop RTW soft bags. Fingers crossed.

        Reply
        • Ah fair enough then. Do let us know what Kriega says and how you get on with the Giant Loop bags too. I’ve heard very good things.
          Cheers,
          Andy

          Reply

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