The all new Desert Fox Soft motorcycle luggage  systems. Tailored for adventure and overland touring riders who seek a tough lightweight alternative to conventional aluminium panniers & top boxes, without sacrificing on strength.

The range of Desert Fox textile luggage systems have been designed with one sole objective.

Peace of mind.

But how does one achieve this?

We believe it is through  attention to detail, bordering on the obsessive.

Let us explain.

Bordering on the obsessive.

The very nature of adventure biking ensures that no two journeys are the same.  Some journeys are more demanding than others.

A rider, at very least, should not have to be concerned about equipment failure.

Moreso when far from help.

We have have been there. We believe you should not have to.

So we design our luggage systems accordingly.

• A tough 1680 Ballistic-Nylon outer. The toughest textile one can use.
• Every bag is hand-made, featuring multi-layered construction.
• Sahara side panniers : Rigid ABS cores front & back. These stiff cores are purposely absent of sidewalls, allowing the bag to retain its shape for easier packing, yet compress upon impact.   Compression is an important element in the event of the bike being dropped.
•  Karoo rear Tail bag: the ABS core runs front,  back,  sides top and bottom  offering aluminium top box rigidity with none of the off-road shortcomings of an aluminium top box.
• A waterproof removable inner bag protects the contents from water crossings & rain.  Simply remove this bag when arriving at your destination.
•  Aluminum buckles in high impact areas- never be compromised with broken plastic buckles.
• Triple & box stitching at high stress points.

A lot of people will buy gear without realizing or questioning the quality of the product they’re getting.  And in a market saturated with retailers offering a variety material, it can be hard to recognize the difference.

Virtually all  textile motorcycle luggage systems are made from nylon. Nylon is much stronger than polyester, making it the preferred choice  in such applications.

Not all nylons are created equal though. For motorcycle luggage most manufacturers use either a standard nylon (not ballistic) , Cordura, Ripstop, or Oxford weave nylon.

Rarely is 1680 D Ballistics nylon used due to its relatively high cost.

Ballistic nylon is a densely woven, high-strength nylon fabric originally developed by DuPont for military body armour. The term ballistic nylon takes its name from the fact that it was intended to protect its wearers from flying debris and fragmentation caused by bullet or artillery shell impacts. This fabric is the top-performing premium choice for rugged applications where exceptional abrasion, tear and puncture resistance are crucial.

Just as significant as the type of fabric used is the fabric’s Denier.

Denier (d) is often used as an  indicator of a yarn’s diameter or thickness.

Although referred to the thickness of threads, denier is actually a weight measurement. The measurement of denier is one gram per 9000 meters of fiber and is based on the natural reference of a single strand of silk being approximately one denier. A 9000 meter fiber/ strand of silk weighs about one gram. Silk is typically 1d, while human hair is about 20d,

The higher the Denier (d) number the thicker the thread strand, making the material more durable..

Most manufactures use a denier of 500 -1000 d.

It is also important to note that tensile strength (resistance to the material breaking under tension) increases with the denier count.

Higher deniers will also yield higher abrasion resistance.

Weave Pattern & Density

Weaving is done on a loom and involves inter-twining a set of vertical yarns called the warp, with a set of perpendicular yarns called the weft.

Ballistics nylon uses a uses very dense, balanced weave with the same density of warp and weft yarns for equal strength in both directions.

Desert Fox textile luggage systems utilize a 2:2 ratio weave where two wefts weave under and over two warps. This maximizes the fabrics’ tear resistance in all directions.

Comparative examples of Weave Pattern & Density

Other considerations in fit for purpose textile selection 

How to distinguish normal nylon from ballistics nylon.

It is important to make the distinction between standard 1680 d Nylon and 1680 d Ballistics nylon.

A “ballistic weave” is a particularly tight and dense 2:2 basket weave. This maximizes the fabrics’ tear resistance in all directions and accounts for its extreme durability. The large denier of the individual nylon threads also effectively resist abrasion.

It is this ballistics 2: 2 basket weave which turns the thread into a robust material & is the notable differentiator when compared to other materials.

Quite simply it is very difficult to beat a dense weave!

Standard 1680 d nylon does not have a 2: 2 weave. It therefore has a substantially lower tear and abrasion resistance and is used as a cost saving measure.

The density of the Standard 1680 d weave is also considerably less.  A real world example of this is embroidering a logo.

It is very difficult to embroider a logo on ballistics nylon due to its dense weave. So if if you see an embroidered logo on a bag, rest assured it isn’t ballistics.

UV resistance.

Ballistics nylon’s extremely dense weave with thick threads makes it resistant to UV degradation.

This dense weave also ensures excellent slash & puncture resistance.

Conversely, materials without a dense weave e.g ripstop require additional coatings to prevent UV breakdown. These coatings however have a limited life and will wear off with use, leaving the fabric vulnerable to the elements..

Comparative Strength Tests

1680 denier ballistics nylon surpasses leather, Cordura and standard nylon (non ballistics) in strength.

In abrasion tests conducted against nylon and leather, ballistic scored highest.

Leather scuffed at 25 cycles, nylon failed at 295 cycles, while ballistic was only affected after 3000 cycles.

In tests conducted to measure tear resistance, nylon started tearing at 5 lbs ( 2.3 kgs), Cordura tore at 74 lbs (33.6 kgs), but ballistic held strong at 250 lbs (113.6 kgs)!

If one considers that a lot of motorcycle riding jackets and pants are made from 600 D or 1000 D Cordura, you can figure out for yourself the advantages of Ballistics nylon.