Bike riding is a passion for many youngsters. It makes us feel connected with nature. While riding long distances, we need bike bags for travel such as pannier bags to carry our essentials.
Let me give you a detailed list on the available bike bags for travel:
Best types of Bike bags for travel
Bike bags for travel are a bit different than our everyday backpack or a vegetable bag in the sense that bike bags can easily be mounted on the bike for hassle free carrying.
- Tank bags
These are the bags which get mounted on the fuel tank of the bike and people generally prefer small tank bags as the big ones spoil the look of the bike. Small tank bags are used for keeping wallets, mobiles and chargers and bike documentations.
Magnetic tank bags are available which get attached to your bike’s fuel tank provided it is of metal which most bike fuel tanks are made of but they have their own set of pros and cons.
Another type is the traditional strap tank bags which can be mounted on the fuel tank with the help of straps
The magnetic ones are convenient as they are easy to use. You can easily attach it as it is magnetic. But cons include falling off if the magnets are weak and the magnets, if not covered properly, can scratch the fuel tank and this magnet may interfere with various electronic components or devices.
Magnetic interferences can cause your devices to become hot and lose charge fast. This can happen with your mobile phone too, so be aware!
Strap on tank bags have cons of ease of use. They cannot be removed easily as mounting them with straps is a hassle. Mounting and unmounting takes time.
- Tail bags
Tail bags are bigger bags which can carry a lot of things and will come in handy if you are going to ride for days. Herer, you can carry food items and sweaters or other clothing and a small portable cooking oven too.
The bottom part of this bag has a U cut out at the center as this portain will rest of the seat or tail portion of the bike. This is done for proper mounting. It sits on your seat just like a pillion.
These bags have a whopping carrying capacity of 50 to 70 liters which. These bags have side pockets where you can carry fuel bottles for emergency purposes. These also have a top zip where you can even carry your laptop or other documents.
- Backpack
Then we have our obvious luggage carrier backpacks. It is used by students for carrying notebooks etc and by any other person like us. For bike riding, try to choose a water repellent backpack so that even if a slight amount of rain gets in through the rain cover, it doesn’t get inside the bag.
In backpacks, you can carry delicate items like your laptop or tablet so that they don’t get impacted by the bike or anything. Some, specialized bike backpacks even feature a hard back to protect your items.
- Saddle bags
Please note that saddle bags cannot be mounted on all bags. Some touring bikes come with a saddle stay and some don’t. What is a saddle stay, you may ask. A saddle stay is basically a stand structure which is fitted by taking support of the foot rests and various points. This stand is located at the sides of the bike’s rear wheel.
This stand is then used to mount saddlebags. The saddle stay is installed in a position that the saddlebags won’t touch the wheel. The stand also acts as a protection so that the bag doesn’t get stuck at the wheel.
Saddle stays can be installed in most bikes but it is a wise decision to first check if your bike has the prerequisites to install a saddle stay before buying a saddle bag.
As saddlebags are mounted at the sides so they can affect the handling of the bike and hence we do not recommend carrying heavy loads in these bags as your bike may lean on that side.
- Pannier bags
Pannier bags can be carried on your shoulder or even mounted at the rear of your bike or at the sides. These are generally small bags with less carrying capacity.
These are available in genuine leather variants which are immensely attractive and attract a lot of riders. So, if you are planning to buy a bag for carrying paperworks and small food items and water then we suggest the genuine leather pannier bags which will make you a superstar.
- Thigh bag
Another small bag for carrying a driving license or PUC is the thigh bag, well, this is not a mpountable bag and you don’t need to as these cannot be used for carrying heavy items. You can also carry your mobile and wallet in it.
These have straps to attach themselves to your thigh. That’s where it gets its name.
In a nutshell, this blog listed all the various types of bike bags for travel and their purposes. Now choose the one which suits your needs. There are many more motorcycle riding gear which can make your lise just easier. Check them out!
