GEAR ON TEST - Kriega OS-6 Adventure Packs
Kriega OS-6 Adventure Packs
Tested by: Phil Suriano
My thinking behind this was to separate the spare clothes, toiletries and other ‘off the bike’ items (for the US-30), as well as snacks, phone, maps and gear I access more regularly (in the R15) from my repair, recovery and first aid equipment.
This normally consists of a puncture repair kit, two-way radio, tow strap, tools, mini compressor, rescue tape, zip ties, mini jump starter and a first aid kit. While this gear doesn’t take up a lot of space, I didn’t want to be rifling through the US-30 when I needed it, nor did I want to put these items in my R15 backpack, as recovery gear invariably gets grubby. With 3,500km of riding ahead of me, most of it on unsealed roads, I knew the latter would happen!
I also didn’t want – or need - the bulk of full-size panniers, as I wouldn’t be camping on this ride, with most of my overnight stops at mates’ farms, pubs, shearing quarters and the odd motel.
On a recent BMW Safari, I had seen a friend use the ‘Overlander System’ (OS) Adventure luggage from Kriega. As I’ve had good experiences with Kriega products to date, I thought this might suit my needs.
A Lighter Option
In place of traditional metal pannier frames, the OS Adventure uses a tough fabric ‘over-the-seat’ harness that stretches over the pillion’s area or tail of the bike, with straps that fasten to the frame (or footpeg brackets) and rear mudguard, creating a platform to attach OS Adventure Pack soft luggage.
Available sizes for the packs range from 6 to 18 litres, so I went for the smallest 6-litre option and selected two, so I could evenly divide my recovery kit across the left and right side of my R1200 GSA.
The OS Adventure packs are generic, but there are specific OS Adventure bases to fit Husqvarna, KTM, Honda and Yamaha adventure bikes. There’s no base in this range to suit BMW’s GS series yet, but Greg from Kriega’s Australian distributors, Bike Soup, advises this will be coming soon.
The base I ended up using was a generic unit that Kriega offer to suit most dual-sport, enduro and dirt bike models.
The OS Adventure system normally requires holes to be drilled into the mudguard to attach the rear anchor points for the base, but I used the bars of my GSA’s pannier rack instead, which worked out fine.
6 x 2
As the name suggests, the OS-6 Adventure Pack is of 6-litre capacity, and measures 320mm tall x 200mm wide by 90mm deep.
Construction in tough HYPALON+ 1000D Cordura material ensures durability, while a roll-top closure keeps the contents free of dust and water. Aiding this is a 100 per cent waterproof liner that’s removable. The white finish of this liner sounds superfluous, but it’s amazing how much easier it makes it to see and find contents compared to a black liner.
The alloy buckles are made from aircraft-grade aluminium and the cam buckles are heavy-duty Acetal plastic.
Integral loops allow a multitude of fastening options, from the back end as a stand-alone tail pack, to your bike’s front crash bars (if you have them) or piggybacked on to Kriega’s OS-32 panniers. There’s even an optional shoulder strap that allows the OS-6 Adventure Pack to be used away from the bike as a carry bag.
As you can see from the images, the pair of OS-6 Adventure Packs I chose fit far more snugly against the bike than traditional panniers and sit lower, too, which is exactly what I was looking for.
The other bonus was the very useful positioning of the OS-Base’s tie-down points, which led to me anchoring other items off them.
On the Road
Over the course of my ride (which was a solo, not two-up), I found the pair of OS-6 Adventure Packs performed admirably. The outside accumulated a lot of dust, but none of that, nor any moisture, made its way inside.
Once fastened securely to my BMW’s frame, there was absolutely zero movement over the course of the 3,500+km ride. And on the handful of occasions when I felt the need to remove the OS-6 Adventure Packs, they were super-easy to take off, too.
The Kriega range covers dozens of items, which are all made to purpose and made to last, backed by a 10-year guarantee. I found the OS-6 Adventure Packs to be another awesome product. That’s not a cash for comment – this product and the other Kriega gear I’ve used really does work, with impressive durability and well as great functionality.
Kriega’s OS-6 Adventure Packs are $159.00 RRP each, with pricing for the OS-Adventure base starting at $185.00 RRP for the generic unit and $255.00 RRP for model-specific bases. Combination base and pack kits are also available, along with a comprehensive range of accessories.
To see the full Kriega range, go to: kriega.com.au
