Altrider luggage - Hybrid Giant Loop Coyote

KTMphil

KTMphil

Senior member
Joined
Jan 11, 2011
Location
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Bikes
2007 KTM 990 Adventure Suzuki DRZ 400
As far as I'm aware, the new Altrider bag has been designed and manufactured by one of the partners of Giant Loop who's peeled off on his own. The design enhancements over the Giant Loop Cayote are very ingenious.


- A "sock" harness from the "n" shaped bag to fit into, making removal and fitting very quick

- Roll top / Kayak bag style closure, no more big zip

- storage area for fuel bottle


I will be ordering one - USD$ 380



Website:


Hemisphere Saddlebag AltRider





feature-altrider-hemisphere-saddlebag-2.jpg






installed-altrider-hemisphere-saddlebag-3.jpg






The sock arrangement that the bag slips inside at both sides


installed-altrider-hemisphere-saddlebag-16.jpg





installed-altrider-hemisphere-saddlebag-15.jpg






Roll top closure


installed-altrider-hemisphere-saddlebag-4.jpg





Drain holes in the sock harness ( "n" bag supposedly waterproof)


installed-altrider-hemisphere-saddlebag-11.jpg








AltRider Hemisphere Saddlebag
be the first to review...​
Coming Soon!
The AltRider Hemisphere Saddlebag utilizes a rack-free design that was created with dual-sport machines in mind - bikes like the Honda XR & CRF, Suzuki DR, Yamaha WR, Husky TE, and KTM EXC. The universal design will fit any dirt bike and is also compatible with many adventure motorcycles.
The main compartment of the Hemisphere Saddlebag has a sizable capacity of approximately 45 liters. It features a unique roll top design that eliminates difficult zippers and is waterproof when used correctly. The bag is hand crafted from tough ballistic and vinyl coated polyester materials that will hold up to the abuse dual-sport bikes were meant for. While seams are typically a trouble spot for waterproof luggage, the AltRider design uses military grade thread and fully taped seams to ensure complete isolation from the elements. The Hemisphere Saddlebag also includes a custom compression sack that stashes inside the saddlebag -- perfect for condensing your cold weather sleeping bag.
The design features 2 exterior stash pockets for tools, extra inner tubes, a tire pump or even a 1.5 liter fuel bottle. Placing these oft-used items outside the main compartment allows for easy access during trail side repairs and keeps the weight of a heavy tool pouch or fuel bottle lower to the ground -- significantly improving balance and handling of the bike.
The Hemisphere Saddlebag mounts with ballistic nylon webbing straps for a full strength connection to the bike, allowing worry-free exploration of wherever your adventure takes you. Metal cam-lock buckles on the straps prevent any movement of the kit -- regardless of riding conditions. The design also features 2 upper nylon straps with metal cam-lock buckles to secure extra items to the bag such as a tent or another dry bag. Reflective logos on the outside of the bag allow high visibility for increased safety in low-light or night riding.
AltRider Hemisphere Luggage was originally designed to fill the needs of the riders - a piece of luggage that encompasses the adventure lifestyle. The smart features of the Hemisphere luggage were designed by riders to solve problems with other luggage designs -- difficult to use zippers that jam easily, seams that aren't waterproof, or bags that don't hold up to abuse from real rides. Check out the other bags in the Hemisphere line -- AltRider Hemisphere Soft Panniers and AltRider Hemisphere Tank Bag.


  • AltRider motorcycle accessories and luggage are 100% designed and manufactured in the USA
  • Next generation design keeps weight down low to improve handling of motorcycle
  • 40 liter main compartment with roll top design is completely waterproof with proper use
  • 2 exterior stash pockets and included accessory bags for easy access for tools, extra tire tubes or 1.5 liter fuel bottle
  • Includes compression sack for main compartment
  • Tough Ballistic and vinyl coated polyester materials designed for off-road abuse
  • Ballistic nylon webbing and metal cam-lock buckles ensure bag is completely secure
  • Hard plastic stiffeners in holster provide strong stable platform to keep gear in place securely
  • Reflective side logos provide high visibility in low-light conditions
 
That does look like a good set of improvements.
 
For a rackless system, I like the sock concept (vs straps) and lower compartments for tools etc.

On a plated dirtbike, it could be difficult to swing a leg over on the trails if the top section was packed.
 
I have the Wolfman Beta bag (older verson/ 2009) - Its good quality, but the Altrider looks like the winner to me



Wolfman Beta Left bike (Giant Loop Coyote right bike)


12847381463_472c352222_b.jpg
 
Think that wolfman one looks even better..

At 500 getting spendy for soft luggage tho.
 
Yeah the Wolfman is 50 litres so a bit bulky but very good quality, how did jacks orange one work out i noticed he had what i guess was a copy of some kind ?
 
I have a giant loop bag if anyone wants it..

Missing the heat shield that should come with a new one..
 
Count me in for that one...LOS
 
I was given it for services rendered.. And I am not a fan of the one large pocket style. I like luggage with sections, with the ability to keep gear in tight separate bags.

I far prefer 2x 30 krieger 30's and a 20l.. or saddle bags with sections.. I like to keep my stinky gear apart from my clean.. Even like if the sections keep my clothes folded and pressed, I know that sounds like a tart, but its how I like my gear.

I had a set of cheap mocyc.com throw overs but each bit was enclosed from the other, with sort of hard panels to stop it mixing or getting mixed up... I like them more than the GL setup.
 
Jim had a chat with the Giant Loop people the other day & it looks like they're not taking this lying down. The Altrider bags are still on back order & Giant Loop have told Jim they are about to release an all-new version of the Coyote to compete with the Altrider bag, so it might be worth waiting until the new Giant Loop bag is released before you place an order.
 
I am very happy with the GL bag i got from L-LOS :D wish i had got one sooner.
 
KTMphil said:
I have the Wolfman Beta bag (older verson/ 2009) - Its good quality, but the Altrider looks like the winner to me
Click to expand...

I personally like the Altrider you showed at beginning of the thread as it leaves a lot more room for the rider to move back on forth rather then being locked in a position in front of the bag. When on off-road trails I like having my space to move around as it lets me control my bike better.
 
Sefton - The Kriega Overlander 30 bags were shit. Mine failed on me considerably: mounts, straps and Camlock buckles all failed on my Cambo trip. Even the waterproof bags were not waterproof at the end of the trip. Not a good design at all. I'm learning that Kriega is a lot like Touratech. Overpriced and hyped but when push comes to shove destroyed themselves.

If anyone is deliberating about the Giantloop Coyote or Kriega Overlander 30 bags I'd encourage them when bored to read this review: Kriega Quick review: Overlander 30 vs GL Coyote and Dirt Bagz - ADVrider

It would have saved me money and a cancelled trip. I also found out the waterproof coating on the Kriega bags (which is how they waterproof all their luggage) failed and wore through.


My Altrider Hemisphere bag was sent out over a week ago so I'll let ya know how that thing works out. Talking with the designer of the GL Coyote and Hemisphere bags on the phone my only initial concern will be accessing goods in the side pods as the bag is a good deal deeper than the Coyote (50 liters VS 30 liters).

Like Sefton mentioned the separate saddlebags are a lot nicer design to utilize for riding and accessing gear versus the one compartment Coyote style. But if it is not reliable as the Kriegas proved for me, it's useless.

Phil: Everyone had been asking for GL Coyote to get the shape waterproof for years. They never did and instead milked the basic original design that the original designer came up without any significant changes once he departed. Like others I'll be curious with what they come up with as an improvement.
 
I have been using the 20 and 10 Kriega stuff as tailpacks for short trips and its been perfect for me. But thats a very different kind of need than a fully loaded dual pack setup.. Havent tested them in torrential rain for long time but light rain so far stayed dry.

Thats a really good review you wrote and linked.. Only just working through the start but comprehensive and covering the real issues.

EDIT :: Just got through that full thread.. REALLY well documented and its a shame that what looks very close to the ideal system was let down by 2 small silly flaws, weak cambuckles, and an over seat lump in the wrong location. Seems so simple to solve and fixes all the issues (carrying capacity maybe).. Did they ever respond with fixes ??
 
Sefton - They're going to redesign the bags after my experiences but I was told it would not be in the near future. So poor punters are buying them and then discovering down the road the failures start cropping up. I was assured the kit had been tested by Roof of Africa racers for 100's of hours in the field and no failures were noted. I call balderdash as I'm anything but a Roof of Africa Racer, just a punter that enjoys offroad riding and they failed miserably in multiple areas during my usage. My failures only began rearing their head once I had about two weeks of riding with the bags.

Here's a pic of the bags for people that are not familiar with them.

pic2%20287-M.jpg


Your gear will be waterproof as long as the liner bags retain their waterproof coating. Here's a couple pics of my liner bags after my last Cambodia trip.

IMG_1568-M.jpg



The dark spots near my fingers are where the waterproof coating has worn away. These are pics of both bags so it was not just an isolated area on one bag that failed due to lets say something hard rubbing against the liner.

IMG_1567-M.jpg


I placed a cup under the spot where the wear patterns were located and poured a cup of water onto the location.

IMG_1573-M.jpg


Sure enough the water leaked through in about a minute.


IMG_1575-M.jpg


What they need is a regular PVC Drybag liner but they have refused to take this step at this point. It's a major flaw for Kriega since all their luggage retains this system for their waterproofing capabilities. If you're just using the bags for clothes and soft items hopefully they will last awhile.

I have other items from Kriega as well. An R15 backpack and an R3 fanny pack. I like the backpack but not the fannypack. The R3 fanny pack was constantly loosening as can be seen here. They have a quick adjustment on the belt that allows it to be loosened or tightened very quickly which sounds nice. However I found it constantly loosened to maximum adjustment which was bothersome as can be seen in this pic.

IMG_1416-L.jpg



Their backpacks harness system is wonderful if you don't carry a decent load in it but not good if ya do. I have an 11 inch laptop and 3 liters of water in mine and a few bits and pieces. I would not want anything more in it for offroad riding as the harness system has you carrying the weight on the center of your sternum instead of on the hips as with traditional backpacks. This free's up the shoulders and hips for riding which is lovely. However throw 25 pounds in it applies too much pressure to your chest affecting your breathing. I can't imagine loading a 35 liter backpack with this system and marketing it as an effective way to carry your stuff. When I originally noted this to Kriega years ago they did not believe it. The US distributor now accepts that they cannot carry heavy loads as well as traditional packs thankfully.
 
Their backpacks harness system is wonderful if you don't carry a decent load in it but not good if ya do. I have an 11 inch laptop and 3 liters of water in mine and a few bits and pieces. I would not want anything more in it for offroad riding as the harness system has you carrying the weight on the center of your sternum instead of on the hips as with traditional backpacks. This free's up the shoulders and hips for riding which is lovely. However throw 25 pounds in it applies too much pressure to your chest affecting your breathing. I can't imagine loading a 35 liter backpack with this system and marketing it as an effective way to carry your stuff. When I originally noted this to Kriega years ago they did not believe it. The US distributor now accepts that they cannot carry heavy loads as well as traditional packs thankfully.
Click to expand...

I've used the kriega Hydro3 for a while now.
3 litres of water and a rain jacket is plenty of weight for that harness system imo.
However, if that's all you're going to carry on your back, its a good system.
If I ever decide to carry more on my back, I'll go for something with a supportive waist strap.
 
Bill - Looks like we both feel the same way about the Kreiga backpack harness system. I noticed a lovely freedom of movement feeling without the weight on my wiast and shoulders when riding the bike off road versus my traditional pack harness systems. However I also tried filling the complete 15 liter backpack with water bottles and it failed miserably with weight transferring the load directly to your sternum. Almost like a firm palm on your chest all the time. As you say keep it light and it's wonderful.

Just landed back in Thailand and the Altrider package arrived whilst overseas so I'll get some pics and insight up after I go riding tomorrow.
 
Talking about the Altrider bag last night and it looks like it might be a real pain trying to load a fully loaded bag with its bulbous ends into the casette harness. Imagine on your own with the bag fully loaded weighing say 20kg (tools, tubes, camping gear etc....), trying to push the ends into the harness socks. We'll do a real life test when we can.
 
You would hope the socks are sort of conical, more than tubular..
 
bigntall said:
My Altrider Hemisphere bag was sent out over a week ago so I'll let ya know how that thing works out. Talking with the designer of the GL Coyote and Hemisphere bags on the phone my only initial concern will be accessing goods in the side pods as the bag is a good deal deeper than the Coyote (50 liters VS 30 liters).
Click to expand...

Justin, Assuming you have got and used the Altrider pack.. How have you found it ??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread starter Similar threads Forum Replies Date
B New soft luggage Bike Talk 6
KTMphil Why is this the best multi-day luggage setup? Bike Talk 18
KTMphil BMW off-road luggage Bike Talk 1
KTMphil Mosko Moto motorcycle luggage Bike Talk 17
KTMphil Ride your luggage Bike Talk 0
Similar threads
New soft luggage
Why is this the best multi-day luggage setup?
BMW off-road luggage
Mosko Moto motorcycle luggage
Ride your luggage
Back
Top Bottom