Luggage and tent

[vindice]

Hello all,

Well, me and Mrs V are off on another trip to Scotland on a new shiny bike, but hopefully without setting the luggage on fire this time.

Now, with that in mind, we're intending to fit some nice hard luggage; probably relatively cheap Givi. The question is this: if I pop a topbox on, and stick one of those wee ranks atop it, will it carry our tent? It's a Vango Beta 350, so about 20cmx60cm and 6kg weight.

Or, option 2, am I better just fitting a rack to the back and strapping all the camping gear to that?

How do people here deal with camping gear and hard luggage?

[motoman]

your top box and carrier plate/mount will have a weight limit on it. loading a 6kg tent onto a loaded topbox may exceed the limit. however i always overload and have got away with it so far!

[Scotsman37]

There's been light sprinkle of snow up this way today nearby Glasgow, but thankfully it's melting when it hits the road. Who knows what is it's truly like in the Highlands at the moment unless someone further up North here knows?

So put on some thermal underwear just in case it doesn't get any warmer through the week!

The following website is pretty good at forecasting the weather

https://uk.weather.com/local=true

[stinkwheel]

I'm more a fan of racks and dry bags myself.

Ultimately, you can actually fit more on because it can stick out the sides.

Another alternative is to put the tent IN the topbox or panniers and strap the poles onto the outside somewhere. They may even fit across the back between the pillion and the topbox.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[vindice]

Thank you all; some good advice.

RE: The weather, we're not off until Easter, just planning ahead.

Any specific recommendations on hard luggage? The bike is a TDM900, looking at some V35 Givis unless anyone has a better suggestion for roughly the same money.