VOLUME 56 ISSUE 40 OCTOBER 8, 2019 P101
List Price: $699
Website: http://giviusa.com/
•WE'D LIKE TO SEE
FUTURE MODELS
UPGRADED WITH METAL
BUCKLES
•WATERPROOF
•VERY WELL
CONSTRUCTED
•SUPER VERSATILE
S TANDOUT FEATURE
Waterproof bags with highly versatile storage options
inside and outside the main compartment
RIDER AN ALYSIS
Soft panniers offer lots of advantages for those of us
who take our large adventure bikes off-road or around
the world. They're more versatile than hard panniers
in that you can cinch them down to almost nothing if
you have a small load or stuff them to capacity, leav-
ing just enough room to fold over the top and buckle
them up. From a safety perspective, soft panniers
are far less likely to pin your leg under the bag than
traditional hard cases.
With all of that in mind, it's easy to see why soft
luggage is quickly becoming the number-one style of
adventure luggage—and the GIVI GRT709s are some
of the absolute best luggage options we've ever used.
They're loaded with features and thoughtful details
that make packing them almost as fun as riding with
them. With all the cool MOLLE components that come
with these bags, you can let your imagination run
wild. MOLLE is also used by military units all over the
world to increase carrying capacity on backpacks and
web gear. Needless to say, there are tons of items
that can be purchased separately so that you can
personalize the luggage system to fit your needs.
That said, GIVI has done an exceptional job design-
ing the GRT709s, and they are a fantastic system
LOWDOWN
right out of the box. Each saddlebag has a main compart-
ment and a secondary outer compartment. The outer bag
is stylish and sturdy, and comes complete with its own
waterproof fold-down inner bag that provides enough room
for a tool roll and tire repair equipment—a fuel canister or
water bottle would also fit nicely. The main compartment in-
ner liner is also a super-strong removable bag that provides
additional waterproofing and includes a document pouch
for your important papers. The entire system is locked in
place with a keyed lock, so removal for carrying them into a
hotel or to your tent site is super simple.
We did a lot of rough washboard off-road riding with
these bags loaded down for a week-long trip. Stopping for
pictures, dialing in suspension, it seems like we're always
stopping for something. We love how you can attach things
like camera tripods, a screwdriver, or whatever else your
heart desires to the outside of these soft bags using the
cinch straps to hold it in place. It makes life so easy when
you can get to items without digging into the main bag.
Since we didn't encounter any rain during this test, we
pulled out the garden hose at the office and drenched the
bags, partly to wash off all the dirt from our trip but mainly
to see how waterproof they really are. When we were done,
nothing inside showed any signs of water intrusion, and we
were very pleased with how well the bags cleaned up after
a long and very dusty trip.
For us, there's no question—the GIVI GRT709 thirty-five
liter soft bags will be our luggage of choice for all future
ADV backcountry excursions. They're simply the best, most
versatile luggage system we've ever used.
—Keith Dowden
pouch is included within the inner bag.
Additional features of the GRT709 in-
clude, Duraflex buckles, an exterior water
bottle/cargo-carrying pocket, Modular
Lightweight Load-Carrying Equipment
(MOLLE) system in the front and on the
bottom with fasteners included along
with D rings. Elastic straps and universal
hooks complete the MOLLE goodies that
come standard. A shoulder strap is also
included with each bag.
