Mosko Moto Backcountry Duffle 30L Review

The Mosko Moto Backcountry Duffle is a serious bit of kit. It’s built for purpose, for adventure riders to be able to quickly and easily access their gear throughout the day without having to unstrap their entire bag – making it so much more functional than a conventional roll-top. Here’s our review…

By Andy Davidson

Mad or Nomad - RTW motorcycle travellers

Snapshot

Price: £327 30L / £357 40L
Time tested: since October 2024
Miles tested: 15,000 miles
Testing conditions: South America
Functionality: 5/5
Durability: 5/5
Ease of use: 5/5
Value for money: 5/5
Total score: 20/20
Where to buy: moskomoto.com

Mosko Moto Backcountry Duffel 30L Review

This review is based on our own personal experiences using the Mosko Moto Backcountry Duffel on our round the world motorcycle trip.

Going for the Backcountry Duffle

For the last year we have been using the Mosko Moto Backcountry Panniers on our round the world motorcycle trip. And they have blown us away. They’re the best panniers out there for adventure motorcycle riders and overland travellers.

We have always used soft panniers over hard panniers. But as we live on the road we do need to carry laptops, cameras and valuables that we want locked away for peace of mind. So, we use a lockable top box. That way we have the best of both worlds.

However, we only need the one top box on one bike for all our important stuff. So that left us with a free back seat on my bike and we decided to go for the Backcountry Duffle because we love the BC panniers so much – and it has not disappointed!

Why a double-ended duffle over the single top opener

This was an important decision when deciding what type of duffle to go for. I have used both systems on previous trips and travels and they both have their pros and cons and are suited for different purposes.

Roll top duffle

The single roll top opening duffle is a staple. Its main benefit is that you have one opening, so when you open that you can see the entire contents of your bag quickly and easily. It’s also arguably easier to pack and organise.

However, the cons are that once you strap it down to the back of your bike, if you need to access anything inside it, you’ll have to remove all the straps, and unless you’re very tall won’t be able to see inside once its unrolled so will need to take it off.

Double ended side access duffle

The con is you don’t have the benefit of being able to instantly see everything inside your bag with side access duffels. You will need to take everything out of one side to access whatever’s in the middle for example.

However, once it’s strapped down to your bike, it’s incredibly easy to access whatever is on the sides without unstrapping the bag. And the other benefit with the Backcountry duffle is you have more features above the straps and can store even more easy-to-reach items, without having to undo any straps.

How to decide

Going for a roll top or a side access duffle depends on what you want to use it for. For example, if it’s going to hold all the gear you’re going to take into a hotel at night, or all your camping gear and you don’t need to access anything from there during the day, then a roll top is great. However, if you use it to stash kit, gear and accessories that you may use throughout the day, a double ended bag is perfect.

Features

Double lined – the duffle has a heavy duty inner waterproof bag as well as an extra tough outer. This makes the bag seriously tough and fully waterproof.

Double ended – the bag can be opened from either end as opposed to a top opening. This means its contents can be accessed easily without undoing the straps.

Beavertail – the bag features a beavertail design, which is basically two large flaps that go over the straps and buckle together. You can put your wet gear, jacket, anything you need to quickly and easily stash away in here.

Backpack straps – a very handy feature. Unzip the opening, pull out the straps and hook them on. You can easily take your bag up to your hotel room, or make it easier to carry on flights etc.

Expandable – aside from the beavertail, you can also attach extra bags using the MOLLE system.

Extra pockets – when you open the beavertail you’ll find a tent pole pocket, a document pocket and a map pocket. These are all exceptionally handy.

30 vs 40 litre Mosko Moto Backcountry duffle

The Backcountry duffle comes in either a 30 litre or 40 litre size. The 30L measures at 76 x 51 x 25cm and weighs 2.5kg while the 40L measures 86 x 56 x 30cm and weighs around 3kg.

As my duffle lives on a Honda CRF300L, I opted for the 30L. I don’t need the extra capacity of a 40L and I also want the bag to be small enough so it doesn’t overlap my panniers. Additionally, my 30L duffle is used to store everyday items that I might need quick access to, like waterproofs, snacks, my heated jacket etc. If I was using it as a main bag to store my camping gear or all the kit that I want to take into a hotel each night, I would have opted for the 40L.

Why we love it

The reason we use the Backcountry Duffle over a standard roll top design is because this bag is for stuff we might need during the day. Our Mosko Moto Backcountry panniers are cabled and locked shut on my bike. They hold camping gear in one side and tools and kit we don’t often use on the other. Both these bags stay on the bike if we go into a hotel for the night. In Alisa’s panniers are our personal gear (clothes, wash kit etc).

So, we need a bag that we can quickly and easily access our heated jacket, waterproofs, warm gloves etc. Everything we need throughout the day. All the warm gear is on one side and we don’t have to remove the bag to access it. On the other side, we can stuff food and water we buy throughout the day or anything else we need to quickly tuck away.

Extra features

The Backcountry Duffle is packed with features as we mentioned above. We particularly love the beavertail though. When we turn up at a border, I can easily strap my jacket under there by unclipping three chunky clips. When I buy a bottle of water, a carton of milk, have leftovers etc, I can just stuff it under there. Last week in the Andes mountains of Peru, I saw a 90-year-old man sat alone on the side of the road in the evening waiting for a lift 30kms to the nearest town. He had been waiting for someone to stop since the morning. I gave him a lift and we easily strapped his big bag of fruit in the beavertail within a minute. No idea how I could have carried his bag otherwise.

The pockets inside the beavertail are also incredibly handy. We keep wet wipes, hand sanitiser, toilet roll etc in them. And there’s a tent pole pocket too. We don’t keep our poles in there, instead, it stores a fold up water container. When we have extra water we fill it up and lay it flat under the beavertail.

It’s so much more functional than a roll top because the beaver tail and its pockets live above the straps that tie down the duffle.

The rucksack feature is also a favourite. It’s easy to just swing it over my shoulder and walk into the hotel instead of lugging the bag with one hand.

Build

As is expected with Mosko Moto, the build quality is sublime. Incredibly durable, tough and 100% waterproof – especially as it’s a two-bag system. These bags are expensive, but they’re built to last.

How we secure the duffle

We use Rok Straps to secure our gear and bags and have been using them for years. But, for the duffle we decided to opt for the Mosko Moto Cinch Straps that go with this bag. I still have the Rok Straps attached to the bike and use those for strapping down anything in a hurry like a jacket or a big bottle of water.

But for the duffle, the cinch straps work exceptionally well and keep the bag tied down perfectly, even over tough off-road. We have also used them as tie downs on ferries.

Mosko Moto Backcountry duffel review round up

It’s a smart and well-thought out design packed with incredibly handy features like the beavertail, rucksack straps and additional pockets. The duffle is seriously well made, 100% waterproof and will last forever. If you’re after a functional tail pack for your adventure bike – this is the best in the business.