I bought a motorcycle during a mild quarter-life crisis in 2022. The thought of puttering off into the mountains with a tent, sleeping bag and fly rod was too much to resist. Instead of purchasing an expensive aftermarket luggage system in pursuit of this fantasy, I figured I could build some bags, a harness, and my soft-goods skills over the course of the winter. Process and build pictures below, enjoy!

The Initial Prototyping Process: The first step was creating a cardboard template to simulate what would eventually become a fabric laminated HDPE sheet. This allowed me to experiment with several paper mock-ups of the “holsters” that would hold twin dry bags. The primary goal here was creating a style of bag that complimented the bikes aesthetic, while also exploring scale, features, various construction methods, and placement.

Prototype Build(s): During this phase, I was using inexpensive materials to dial in the fit and construction of the harness system. After building the camo Cordura mock up, it was clear the holsters needed foam reinforcement if they were to hold up to rigors of off-road riding. Additionally, adding MOLLE panels on the top and bottom served as insurance; if there was a feature I wanted to include later (like the fuel bottle storage) I could always tack on an auxiliary bag without rebuilding the entire harness.

Final Build Specs:

• Dual-laminated 800D Cordura HDPE Framesheet

• Dimension Polyant VX50 foam-reinforced holsters

• Hypalon abrasion panels

• Dimension Polyant VX50 roll-top dry bags

• Beaver-tail style duffle holder with MOLLE grid and document storage

• MOLLE-compatible WFR essentials first-aid kit

• NRS Cam Strap Attachments

• MOLLE- compatible fuel and water bags

First test ride in southern Wyoming

Heavy testing - note the absence of the front turn signal, I laid the bike down on the right side, but thankfully neither myself or the bags were injured. :)