Wolfman continues to refine and define motorcycle luggage, with a built-in versatility that allows riders to carry exactly what they need in a way that suits their use, bike-type and personal style. Providing USA-made motorcycle luggage and accessories, backed by the highest level of service and featuring innovative designs no matter what or where you ride. Whether you're into street bikes, cruisers, commuting, weekend rides or full-scale adventures they have a complete line of Motorcycle Luggage and Motorcycle Luggage Accessories.
That's the corporate pitch from Wolfman Luggage out of Longmont, Colorado. After testing other items from Wolfman I have to agree that they have a unique approach to motorcycle luggage. They focus on being very versatile with multiple options to add accessories to their bags with unique touches that make them stand apart.
The Rocky Mountain Saddle Bags are the largest bags that Wolfman produces. They offer a total of 64 liters of storage with some flex room to get a little more stuffed in each bag. They use a very unique compression strap system to allow them to mount to virtually any side rack. They also come with an internal support and dry bags. Priced at $441 retail you can generally find them for less at online resellers.
Mounting:
As stated above the bags will mount to virtually any side rack. The racks can't have tabs on the corners that block the cam buckle straps. Wolfman designed and developed this unique cam strap to make mounting easy. The plastic tab slides through the cam buckle and then you use the compression straps on the bag to securely fasten it to the rack. The bags weight is then supported with over the seat straps. This links the bags together and distributes that weight evenly. The buckles are large and depending on your arrangement can interfere with passenger seating.(Note: I did find these when I was writing the article Happy Passenger Seat Straps, definitely looks like it would fix the comfort issue.) That is probably my biggest complaint about all of the soft luggage I have tested so far. The passenger is a forgotten individual in these designs and they all impact their comfort. I located the front strap in between the seats but it left the bags looser than I would have liked. Not an ideal work around but it did increase passenger comfort.
How Do They Work:
It's recommended to mount the bags using a pillow or blankets initially. This keeps the bags "full" and allows you to get the position correct. I did this and it did make life easy. Load the provided dry bags with all of your items you need protected. I stuffed clothes and other "dry" items in the bags and then stacked shoes, toiletries etc that were in ziploc bags on top. That allowed me to compress the dry bags really tightly and leave plenty of room on top of them for everything else. Compressing the bags with squishy items in them would lead to a very ugly mess. I do like this separation capability but do wish the exterior of the bag was waterproof.
Loaded the bags are easy to deal with. They mount easily to the bike and are simple to open. They use a roll top design providing a giant opening. Unlike the Amphibious bag reviewed previously there is no velcro to snag clothes going in and out. If you pack it properly you have access to your most used items. This does take some forethought so you are not digging through all of your items for a hair tie. (My wife's favorite item to pack on the bottom of a bag.)
Final Thoughts:
The bags are really well designed. They are made of very durable materials that can also be found on the Wolfman Expedition Tank Bag. They offer multiple mounting points for other Wolfman products like their Rolie Bags, water bottles, and tool rolls. That's one of the best features of all the Wolfman products; versatility and compatibility of every item.
Don't forget our other soft luggage reviews. (More coming!)