Two Wheeled Nomad

Top Ten: Dual Purpose Pannier Items

Posted on October 8, 2014 Updated on October 8, 2014

Another ‘Top Ten’ dedicated to essential dual purpose pannier items.

With space at a premium on a motorcycle trip no matter how long the journey’s duration, shouldn’t everything your trusty steed has to carry have at least a dual purpose?  Here’s some food for thought:

1.  A Satellite Navigation System

An obvious start. Our weapon of choice is a Garmin S660; not necessarily the best and although we don’t solely rely on the device – maps remain king – it still takes the stress out of navigating around big cities.  Look for a GPS that comes with a nifty function to source the nearest petrol station, bank or lodging for example, which will prove priceless at the end of many a long day in the saddle.  Our SatNav has saved us precious time at the end of many a long day in the saddle searching for a bed.  A worthy investment if you also don’t fancy wasting time trying to find your way out of a labyrinth that is your average unfamiliar big city.

2.  Beer Can Stove

A stove can be made from any regular aluminium soft drinks or beer can, fueled by pure / rubbing alcohol sourced from most pharmacies and supermarkets.  Genius idea and incredibly cheap to run, prevents your food tasting of gasoline too from other petrol-fuelled stoves.

Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui8t3pivqtk

3.  Motorcycle covers

We used a long length of elastic and ‘ripstop’ fabric to make our homemade motorcycle covers, traditionally used in the making of parachutes.  We fed the elastic through the bottom of a hem so they would cling onto the bottom of the bikes without fear of them being blown away in a gusty wind.  The fabric is not rainproof although it will admirably protect your motorbike from the elements; sand, dust, snow, volcanic ash etc.  They also come in handy when you need to leave your bike unattended.  The covers make our motorcycles practically invisible.  The prying and over-curious eye is simply not drawn to two relatively big BMWs underneath as the covers give them both an indistinct entity.  Perfect in developing countries or any big city you just don’t fancy pushing your luck.  Furthermore, because of their size, the covers fit amply over hostel bed mattresses that look like they’ve seen cleaner days.  They also stash up into a corner of a roll bag without taking too much bulky space and can even be used as a comfy pillow.

4.  Luggage

Bags – Roll, dry and freezer:

In all sizes – keeping your stuff soggy-free and bone-dry at all times is essential, especially in the rainy season or over river-crossings.  We find a 90 litre Ortlieb roll bag and thinner material but no less functional Exped dry bags in varying sizes keep our equipment, provisions, clothes and tech watertight and away from all the other dusty and sandy delights you may encounter en route.  I also love using lockable freezer bags from most supermarkets as another layer of waterproof protection for my smaller items such as the rechargeable batteries, head torch, paperwork and wads of money travellers need to carry from country to country.  Although the Exped bags are brilliant, they will be susceptible to wear and tear, some of ours have incurred little rips in them from all the bashing they endure when we’re off road.  Oh, and don’t forget your ROK straps and bungee cords to tie your luggage onto the back of your trusty steed.

Panniers:

Hard of soft luggage – it’s a toughy!  After much deliberation, we each opted for a pair of Metal Mule 38 litre hard aluminium panniers.  Up to now (13,000 miles of on and off road), they’ve been bullet proof, have saved my legs when the bike goes down as well as the engine on my bike that doesn’t have crash bars.  They offer instant security for your valuables, no one has a clue what you keep inside them and they can be easily removed and locked to hostel beds with an additional lock and chain should you so wish.  We use the panniers as a table, stool and windbreak around the bikes when we’re wild camping in those million star hotels.

5.  Fake wallet

In the hopefully unlikely event of getting mugged, I like the idea of being able to reach for a ‘mugger’s wallet’ containing a small amount of the local currency in the country I’m travelling. Make it look real with old receipts, the odd company’s business card and expired gym / library / roadside cover cards too.  It may just satisfy the robber’s instant gratification requirements keeping the bulk of your hard-earned dollar out of the thief’s hands.

6.  Brown parcel / duct tape

How many times have I experienced a lid from a bottle that’s come loose and spilled all the contents of my bag or pannier? Use parcel tape on practically everything to prevent untimely spillages: toiletries in general, jam jars, opened sachets of wet and dry food, milk bottles and cartons…you get the drift. I use parcel tape on the end of my lead that connects to my heated clothing, which sits exposed on the outside of my motorcycle. It saves the rain and dust perishing it. I also like having a roll of strong clear tape on me too, I can repair rips in our maps and protect my pannier stickers.

7. Free mobile phone applications

   

- The free ‘European Road Safety’ app contains all important road safety rules. Going to play in Europe? What is the speed limit on Spanish motorways? Do I need to wear a helmet when I cycle in Sweden? Download it before going abroad and save on roaming charges too.  We rode from Nottingham to Antwerp via the Euro Tunnel to catch a container ship in Belgium, with our bikes taking us to Uruguay; having the ‘European Road Safety’ app proved useful.

- We also LOVE ‘Maps with me’ for detailed maps worldwide and its fabulously useful functions to search for local banks, hostels, camping etc.  It’s amazing how often this comes in handy to supplement the detail on the SatNav.

- ‘Skycode Translate‘ is great for many language translations, an app that works offline and will translate paragraphs not just words. Plus, have always liked having an offline dictionary in the local lingo (most are free). Saves weight and bulk in the panniers too.

- There’s also ‘Word Lens‘ that allows you to hover the camera on your mobile phone over some foreign text – a road sign or menu for example and it will transform the language into English for you. Just like that.

- I use ‘iTorch‘ as a strong illuminating beam when my head torch is packed away.

- I also tap into using ‘Duolingo‘ to help with my Spanish.

8.  Dental floss

Believe it or not, we use dental floss not just to maintain our dental hygiene but as an ideal and strong material to substitute sewing thread for repairing items such as putting a button back on, darning your socks, cutting through cheese if you haven’t a knife handy, holes in the tent, repairing backpacks, wrapping up parcels, fishing line alternative, hanging items from a tree, a clothes line…the list is endless.

9. Motion Pro Trail tool

Unquestionably one of the finest all purpose tools ever designed. One of these and a Leatherman will dismantle over 80% of most bikes in minutes. It weighs nothing and replaces KGs of other tools.

Demo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QMsjjnUzFA

      10. Motorcycle gear

Waterproof motorcycle boots:

We’re both wearing Sidi Adventure motorcycle boots as loathe the prospect of having wet feet all day.  Saves having to don expensive breathable waterproof socks too, which although are superb in serving their purpose, will get smelly soon enough and at some point will need a fresh pair. I don’t want my feet to sweat either by wearing plastic bags. The Sidi boots offer amazing protection in all weathers and on the odd occasion I fall underneath or off my bike.  They’re comfortable to wear astride the saddle all day although I wouldn’t climb a mountain in them.

 

Heated clothing:

Anyone nesh travelling in nippy temperatures on two wheels may wish to consider making the investment in heated clothing. We adore our Gerbing gloves and jacket; the heat allows us to ride for hours in sometimes sub-zero degrees and biting winds without batting an eyelid. Biking bliss in days when you get all seasons.  And worth every penny. Gerbing offer a lifetime guarantee too on all the heating elements, which is a Brucey Bonus.

CamelBak:

The sun’s beating down like a fiery hot hammer and the temperatures are searing sometimes.  Regardless whether it’s rain, hail or shine, I wouldn’t be without my CamelBak, a lightweight rucksack that houses 3 litres of water contained in a durable bladder.  The system feeds into a valved hose that falls neatly over my right shoulder, ready for when I’m thirsty.  The pack has just enough room for a light lunch, tissues and suncream.  Perfect.  Hydration levels safely attended, I am good to go for hours at a time without having to unpack the pannier and grab a drink to repack the pannier.  This slim little bag is also invaluable on day walks and short sorties.  On the back of this suggestion I also like the LifeStraw, which is a pen-sized water filter designed to be used by one person to filter water so that they may safely drink it. It filters a maximum of 1000 litres of water, enough for one person for one year. It removes almost all of waterborne bacteria and parasites. The LifeStraw Family, a larger unit designed for family use, also filters out nearly all microbes.