Tank bags...there are hundreds out there and the choice will depend on your bike, what features you require, the type of riding you do and how much space you want in the tank area. Previously I have used SW Motech tank bags (the one thing they seem to be not too bad at... other reviews to come later), however for this 2+ year adventure we switched to the Enduristan Sandstorm 3S tank bags.
The reasons for this were:
- High volume (expandable)
- Waterproof
- Additional waterproof map pocket
- Designed with off-road riding in mind
- Fitted well on our Acerbis tanks
There are other great features of this bag, however for us these were the key things.
What are our thoughts after 20 months on the road, using these bags day in and day out?
Really good. Now I will be more specific. For us, it is not only quality that is important, but customer service and after sales service. Unfortunately both of our bags came from a small batch of faulty ones, however it was not too serious. The velcro attaching the map case to the top of the tank bag came off and therefore we could not attach them securely anymore. We contacted Enduristan and they immediately sent us replacements at no additional cost. Talk about service! Since receiving the replacements almost a year ago now, the new ones have been excellent overall, the only issue being that Kelvin's map case cracked one night whilst camping on the Laguna's route in Bolivia, likely because the plastic could not withstand the extremely low temperatures (-17 degrees Celsius). Mine was inside a vehicle and had no issues. We cannot fault Enduristan's customer service.
PRO's
The bags have been 100% waterproof, with no issues from leakage. I am that confident in it that I keep our main camera in the bag (with padding of course), and because of this I am constantly opening and closing the bag to take photos. The zip is excellent quality. Obviously you need to keep it clean if you want it to stay in the best condition, but this is very easy. There's plenty of room inside the bag and if you need more, it has an expanding section with velcro tabs, this gives you a maximum capacity of a whopping 12 litres (from about 7 litres). I also like the fact that inside the top of the bag there is another pouch, which is very useful, and I alsways use it for things I need handy but don't use all the time like my head-torch.
It's also very easy to unclip and clip back in when when filling up with fuel, (if you have it up on the fuel cap).
CON's
Kelvin is 5ft 11" and finds that the tank bag interferes a little with his stance when riding in a standing position off-road; however it isn't too bad. For me, being 5ft 5" I do find that I am much more aware of the bag when I'm standing off-road, however after 5-10 minutes I kind of forget about it, and we're both so used to it now it doesn't bother us too much. Obviously this also depends on the type of bike you ride and whether you've danged the tanks like we have We would still choose them again at this point due to the same reasons we purchased them in the first place, however if you're a weekend warrior and just out on the trails and don't need the additional capacity then something like the Sandstorm 4X may be a better option due to its smaller size (3.5 litre volume). The other thing is that the zip ties holding the rear clips to secure the tank bags need replacing after a while as they snap. This is usually no big issue however in South America we have really struggled to find zip ties that can withstand even a gentle tug without snapping!
Two photos above by Michnus Olivier of PikiPikioverland.com
So overall, would we recommend this tank bag?
Yes. Overall it's a great bag with excellent quality, the company is willing to back up their products and offers great customer service, just maybe go for the smaller option for day rides and/or off-road riding where you'll be standing and moving a lot. They have a tonne of other great options on the market, but we can't vouch for any of them as we've not yet tried them out.
Please note: We are NOT sponsored or affilited with Enduristan in any way. This review is based purely on our own experiences.
