Well, I was a little bit concerned about what I would be getting after reading a post about all the shortcomings of the Giant Loop Coyote.
So here it is - along with my solution to carrying extra fuel - a 3.1 gallon fuel blivet from justgastanks. The fuel blivet is just held where it will be sitting in the future, without the snap link setup that will ensure that when I get there, the fuel blivet will still be behind me. But... the picture should provide the general idea of how it all fits together.
So, let's test the concern it isn't waterproof. As you can see from the pictures, winter has arrived here (-30 with the windchill yesterday, great pheasant hunting but miserable weather) so the chances of getting rain anytime soon were slim. So what to do?
Well first, let's do what the manufacturer says you're supposed to do - treat the seams with seam sealer. Doesn't take long - but I'll bet more than a few guys who buy these don't bother. Like all of my weather gear, the seams in this will get a yearly blast of military seam sealer - not just one time and then forget about it. This is a particularly onerous task that takes a whole five minutes of one's life, once a year. And the woven parts and straps will get a goodly blast of Scotchguard - just like my riding jackets do.
I highly recommend a proactive approach to weather gear. As the saying goes in the military "Any dumb asshole can be cold and miserable... one man, one kit". You are the savior of your own comfort - or lack thereof.
Now let's see about those claims it ain't waterproof. Being an army guy who doesn't believe in testing features out where they have to work as advertised or things can get lethal in a hurry, I can usually figure out my own testing medium. I can't replicate rain hitting the bags at 60 mph headin' down the highway, but I sure can replicate rain. So the Coyote bags got stuffed with the next day's laundry, and then into the shower it went. We were heading out for about four hours of shopping, so I turned the water on and off we went (it's our well, so I will use as much damned water and pump it into my septic field as I feel like, thank you very much).
Four hours later, we get home and I haul the Coyote bag out of the shower and towel the exterior off. Then we undo the zippers and take a look inside.
Bone dry. So much for the theory that they leak. I'm a little bit surprised, because while the zippers close up quite tight, the zipper doesn't have the appearance of what I think of as a true welded zipper such as we have in our patrol gear - and those suckers are indeed waterproof.
Will they leak eventually? Probably; most stuff leaks eventually - especially if you don't feel any obligation to maintain it. Having a job that has taken me via parachute to locales ranging from the Arctic to tropical rain forests, I take the concept of "take care of your shit" pretty seriously. Including putting all my gear inside lightweight military drybags or garbage bags when it looks fugly, no matter how "weatherproof" my ruck or luggage is supposed to be. There will always be four or five giant size bright orange garbage bags, fresh out of the box, taking up a few millimeters in the bottom of the bags... just in case. Just as there are in my rucks. Not only make good temporary dry bags, but make a pretty nice little rain fly or rain suit in a pinch as well.
Okay, having dealt with "is it waterproof", what's next?
Second. How handy is it?
I dunno - let's find out. So I loaded it with tool kit, spare tubes, sleeping bag and bivvy bag, wading boots, flyweight waders, three days worth of ration packs, two water blivets, stove, upper and lower fleece, some flipflops, camera gear, etc. What I would take on a two or three day self supported ride, minus the shelter half and rain gear which would get strapped to the outside of the Loop anyways. Tight fit, but it all fit. With a tiny bit of room left to spare.
To each his own, I suppose. But the ability to slide the zippers to where the gear is you want to get out is more convenient for me than a top loading bag. However, I am also the kind of guy that far prefers front loading rucksacks to top loading rucksacks. If I was just riding and not taking extra recreational stuff with me, like hunting or fishing stuff, I could go on long trips with this bag.
If one wants to carry everything but the kitchen sink, then the Coyote won't do it for you. However, 30 litres is a lot of capacity for most things, if you have a backpacker's mindset. Maybe to people who haven't done a lot of backpacking that doesn't seem like much, but I have done ten day trips with 30 litre rucksacks. And the old rucksacks (two previous varients) the military issued us up to the latest model didn't even have 30 litres of capacity on their best day.Take a look at REI and see how many rucksacks weigh in at 30 litres of capacity - without the ability to start strapping other stuff on like you can with a Coyote. You tend to be more selective of what you do and don't take with you when you have to carry it all on your back instead of throw it on a motorcycle... I can live with 30 litres plus whatever I strap to it.
"Handy" would also include how the bike feels with the Loop on. I didn't go any further than up and down the driveway a few laps with the stuffed Loop mounted, but it didn't interfere with my normal riding position, so I'll tentatively say this isn't going to be noticeable at all.
How rugged is it? Well, that I am not going to test - it would require dragging it down the road a few miles behind my truck, I suppose, so I guess I'll pass on the destructive testing. However, the material is thicker than that of my flyfishing water skeeter, and not quite as thick as the material in the fuel blivet. Conclusion: I am not going to lose any sleep over the ruggedness.
Other things I like:
Comes with three stuff sacks cut to the contour of the Loop. Not a big thing, but there's probably $30 worth of quality stuff sacks right there. Think of them more as organizers - they have a drawstring opening, so they are not watertight.
Truly does not need racks. Goes on and comes off to leave a clean bike configuration in about one minute. I like that. Don't even need a rear fender rack.
Things I don't like at first sight (more accurately, would improve).
I'd put more daisy chains on the outside for strapping stuff to the outside of the loop. I suppose I can add these myself at a later date by taking the bags to a parachute rigger (most of them can give your wife sewing lessons); given the alterations they do to our tac vests in exchange for a beer in the mess, this will be a no brainer to them.
I would (and will) change the mounting system from strap and buckle to bayonet mount. That will speed up mounting even more so. What you do is put one half of the bayonet mount on a loop that will just go around your chosen anchor point and feed through it's own loop. The other half of the bayonet goes on the mounting strap. Click-click - the bag is off or on, just that fast. And if the bayonet mounts do fail, you still have the original strap and loop configuration.
Other considerations: zippers are always a potential weak link. A blown zipper can be a real problem. These look like they could last forever - but just in case, there's about 60ft of 550 cord that will be sitting in the bottom of the side with the spare garbage bags. Worst case scenario, the bag can be trussed up as close to closed as possible like a butcher stringing up a rolled roast. Hope for the best but always plan for the worst...
Oh yes, that "blemish" that supposedly makes these seconds? Well, I think I did see a small black mark on the bright yellow body material... but I couldn't really be sure.
Very, very pleased with this purchase. Between this and the fuel blivet, long overnight trips into the mountains and back will not be a problem. And the longer you're out, the more fuel and food you use up, the less bulk you will have with this flexible fabric configuration.
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