Nelson Rigg Hurricane 40l Backpack/Tail-Bag Reviews

Nelson Rigg sent us their 40l backpack/tail-bag to use and review, which was very kind of them!  I'd been looking for something like this to use for either those Baja trips where we stay in hotels and don't really need both our panniers or the longer trips where we need a bit extra up top in addition to our panniers.

The Hurricane does get compared often to another popular bag mfg's 30l bag but Nelson Rigg claims theirs is actually more comfortable and functional (as well as larger at 40l) to wear as a backpack than the competition's.  I haven't tried any other bags but from looking at the construction and function I'd have to agree on this point.  And at $60 less for 10 more liters of storage, it seems like quite a value to me.

20l pack shown here for size

My first tank bag I bought for around $30 back in 2011 was a Nelson Rigg and I wasn't that thrilled.  But they've come a long way in their design and materials and this Hurricane bag shows a lot of thought and proficiency went into the construction.

You can read the description in the other tab so I won't go through all the features but these are the ones that stand out for me:

• Thick, padded backpack straps with extra back padding but also with ventilation
• Welded tarpaulin seems so you know it's waterproof; with an air valve to purge extra air for packing it as small as possible and not a huge "balloon."
• Interior pocket for a laptop or tablet and with the backpack straps, it's something that's easy to carry with you for security.
• 2 liter water bladder for extra water storage as well as a bungee net for something like a jacket
• Extra pocket with molle loops on one side and a clear map pocket on the other
• Extra pockets for something like a fuel/oil bottle
• Loops for easily strapping it to your rear rack with whatever system you have (i.e. Rok-Straps)

I've used this in tropical downpours in Puerto Rico with Motorrad Angels as well as in the hot, dry Mohave desert at AltRider's Taste of Dakar so I'm 100% certain that this is a piece of kit you're going to be happy with.