wolfman rolie's or Giant loop? I'm torn.

[Scott_PDX]

Originally Posted by matapo

I like both set ups. I m really kean on buying a GL. The only thing that holds me back is securiy.

Its impossible to leave the bike unattended.

That's the same argument for any soft bag set-up. You can try a "Pac Safe", that may give you more peace of mind. But short of hard luggage, you'll have that same issue.

For me it comes down to where I'm going and how I'm getting there. If it's a "civilized adventure", then I take the KLR650 that has the hard cases. This means I can't go "Hog wild" on the trails, and need to be careful about putting my foot down etc. But I can lock most of my valuables and have some peace of mind. I still have a tank bag and other stuff strapped to the bike so I still can't leave the whole set-up unattended all night.

For more dirt oriented adventures, I've gone with a Coyote on my WR250. I got to be careful on leaving it outside unattended, and some things will just have to come with me when I leave the bike (wallet, phone, camera etc). This does limit me to parking where I can see the bike etc. But the trade off is where I can go. I can get a bit more "out there" with that set-up. It's not, however, city friendly. You want to hang in cities, get hard cases and locks.

[fluff34567]

not bothered to read thru 9 pages but has anyone considered the nomad venture bag - it has more features and is a lot cheaper than the giant loop.

i would have bought a GL if the seams were welded, having to waterproof it yourself sucks donkey cock.

[brad21]

Originally Posted by fluff34567

not bothered to read thru 9 pages but has anyone considered the nomad venture bag - it has more features and is a lot cheaper than the giant loop.

i would have bought a GL if the seams were welded, having to waterproof it yourself sucks donkey cock.

[fluff34567]

Originally Posted by brad21

spam? U will have to explain that one I'm afraid.

edit......ah..think i have worked it out.. i asked brad about the polish version after it came up in the giant loop " dont buy any bag that may look like ours" thread, as it appeared he had some info on it.

As i am in poland every other week i found the link and had a bag in my hands, i dont see what the issue is TBH - its 30 litres, has no baggage straps stitching isnt very good BUT has welded seams and waterproof zip.

Maybe I am wrong brad but hope you are not suggesting no one can suggest alternatives to the mighty Giant loop ?

Sent from my stupid iPhone

[The Letter J]

While the Nomad bags do appear to be direct knock offs of the GL bags, they do have something working for them... price. Their descriptions are really vague as to the construction of the bags which leaves me wondering where are they made? What are they made out of? What kind of zippers are used? Are they water "proof?"

[fluff34567]

Originally Posted by The Letter J

While the Nomad bags do appear to be direct knock offs of the GL bags, they do have something working for them... price. Their descriptions are really vague as to the construction of the bags which leaves me wondering where are they made? What are they made out of? What kind of zippers are used? Are they water "proof?"

yep price is realistic , in the US there is a big thing about "made in USA" , in europe we expect everything to be made in china/asia/bangladesh so we dont care where its made. Hey even the swiss enduristan bags are made in china.

I have been looking for a bag for a while and stumbled across a GL picture in a touring twat brochure, searching on here led me to the " dont buy any bag that looks like ours" thread where i learnt about nomad bags.

I fired off emails to both companies asking about shipping options, some pack sizes and other boring questions etc. Only nomad replied and even went and took some photos of the bag on a bike showing the different pockets/straps etc.

i ordered from nomad because i got the response i expected, if nomad hadnt replied and GL had, i would have bought from GL even though its more expensive.

[Joe Bar]

Originally Posted by fluff34567

................ in europe we expect everything to be made in china/asia/bangladesh so we dont care where its made. Hey even the swiss enduristan bags are made in china.

Wrong actually - I do care where stuff is made and will if possible buy non Far East made goods. I also avoid rip off stuff like the Nomad Bags and the Redverz Tent copies going around.

It's hard enough for small, innovative companies to get of the ground and start making a return on their investment, hard work, ideas and creativity without some cheap labour copies hitting the market once the concept has been proven.

Plus, although I avoid it if possible, I do think there is a difference between say a US / EU company creating a product and then outsourcing their production to the Far East and someone in a low cost manufacturing base simply ripping off their ideas, product and R&D.

[fluff34567]

ok ill re-phrase just for you... "Most" people dont care

[VxZeroKnots]

I have a giant loop coyote, I couldn't be happier with it. I live in the desert southwest so waterproof isn't too big of a concern, though I do pack a dry bag for stuff that absolutely can't get wet.

IMHO you can travel indefinitely with the capacity of the coyote if you pack smart, I rode for a month using that and a small duffle, but will ditch the duffle next time as I brought some unnecessary items with me.

[brad21]

Ugh.

Dave and Harold at GL are my friends. They've worked their butts off to get their company going. Trust me, they are not rich guys.

Along comes an unscrupulous businessman with a reputation in the industry, sees a proven great idea. Does a "Vanilla Ice" on it and sends it overseas to mass produce for Wal-Mart prices.

The stitching fails 500 miles from home and you lose your favorite socks. Maybe your Jetboil.

[cug]

Originally Posted by fluff34567

i ordered from nomad because i got the response i expected, if nomad hadnt replied and GL had, i would have bought from GL even though its more expensive.

I generally do the same. Not always, but really most of the time. It just speaks for good customer service. And it's important to me to get good service before, during, and after the sale.

[Terence FFM]

Originally Posted by fluff34567

ok ill re-phrase just for you... "Most" people dont care

Then "most" people shouldn't wonder when they wake up and all the good jobs are gone, the taxbase decimated and our standard of living reduced to a similar level (to India, China, etc). I try to buy domestically when I can, but I have to say that the labelling laws in the EU are terrible compared to Canada/US - lots of times it is impossible to determine an articles true place of origin.

That said, and to prevent this from turning into a Jo Momma rant, I concur that my impression of the GL is the price is bit high. In Europe, I would pay 400 Euro for the Great Basin compared to 160 for the Ortlieb panniers plus another 60ish for an Ortlieb duffel. OK, this set-up is not quite as compact, but roughly half the price, 100% waterproof and arguably more versatile.

I WANT to choose the GLs, but in my neck of the woods, the cost:benefit ratio isn't there.

[Mercury264]

Originally Posted by brad21

Ugh.

Dave and Harold at GL are my friends. They've worked their butts off to get their company going. Trust me, they are not rich guys.

Along comes an unscrupulous businessman with a reputation in the industry, sees a proven great idea. Does a "Vanilla Ice" on it and sends it overseas to mass produce for Wal-Mart prices.

The stitching fails 500 miles from home and you lose your favorite socks. Maybe your Jetboil.

It's been gone over many many times....GL didn't come up with the idea did they

[Dan Alexander]

Originally Posted by Terence FFM

Then "most" people shouldn't wonder when they wake up and all the good jobs are gone, the taxbase decimated and our standard of living reduced to a similar level (to India, China, etc). I try to buy domestically when I can, but I have to say that the labelling laws in the EU are terrible compared to Canada/US - lots of times it is impossible to determine an articles true place of origin.

That said, and to prevent this from turning into a Jo Momma rant, I concur that my impression of the GL is the price is bit high. In Europe, I would pay 400 Euro for the Great Basin compared to 160 for the Ortlieb panniers plus another 60ish for an Ortlieb duffel. OK, this set-up is not quite as compact, but roughly half the price, 100% waterproof and arguably more versatile.

I WANT to choose the GLs, but in my neck of the woods, the cost:benefit ratio isn't there.

You just answered your own 'Buy American' speel.

Everybody should and you've got all the reasons lined up in a row ... but you won't because it's too expnsive to do that.

So why bother with the speel in the first place? Buy what makes you comfortable.

[cug]

Originally Posted by Dan Alexander

You just answered your own 'Buy American' speel.

You haven't checked your facts, right? He is not in America, he's not ranting about "buy American" but rather about "buy local".

Ortlieb bags are made in Germany, he is in Germany. The bags are half the price of the Giant Loop, they are fully waterproof and more versatile (I use an Ortlieb RackPack and a Dry Bag - both are oooold now but work just fine and are still fully waterproof).

The two Ortlieb bags I have I can even get in the US for half the price of a Giant Loop Great Basin. And they need to be imported from Germany.

It comes down to the fact that a Giant Loop bag IS expensive even compared to other locally made bags. Whatever the reason. Some think it's worth, other's don't. Just the way of the world.