Practical advice : soft luggage makes for a good pillow , but you can put stickers on hard panniers .
About now I should probably get deep into the practical considerations that dictate one ’ s choice of luggage : the pros and cons of hard and soft gear ; what you should spend ; what you might require for a given journey …. or maybe not . I have never been one to turn to for practical advice on how best to spend your money , or how best to plan for a trip . I brought my panniers because they were very near the door of the shop I was in at the time and I was in a rush to get down to Dover ; they obscured my indicators and I only discovered the waterproof covers once I got home , but they did the trick and have done ever since . Over the years and over the miles I came to trust and rely on them almost as much as the Kawasaki to which they clung with reassuring certainty , just as my little boys now cling to my legs when we try and
leave the park .
Which is why I can look at my panniers now and see so much more than two bulky bags that take up too much space in my cluttered garage . I can unzip a pocket and find hidden inside the memory of a campsite in Latvia , or an evening ’ s ride through French countryside in search of wine and petrol ( either would have sufficed ). My battered panniers are the tangible proof that those days actually happened , and are not the wistful dreams of a deluded suburbanite . They are soul baggage from a time when my life was , quite literally , wrapped up in them .
Until next time , ride safe .
Hapless Biker Donates Royalties to Blood Bike Charity
Kevin will be donating his royalties to Shropshire and Staffordshire Blood Bikes , his local group of life-saving riders , for all book sales from 1 November 2016 to 30 April 2017 . If you ’ d like to support Shropshire and Staffordshire Blood Bikes and enjoy a good read in the process , Kevin ’ s books and e-books , Bonjour ! Is This Italy ? and From Crystal Palace to Red Square are available to buy from Amazon . You can find more information about them on Kevin ’ s website http :// www . haplessbiker . com /.