Last summer, I used the Turkana Duffalo 40L bag for moto luggage and found it was an excellent catch-all for all-weather touring. But what if you don’t need the full 40-liter size—maybe you’re only going away for a night or two, and you don’t need to haul camping gear? Turkana has another solution if that’s the case. The Duffalo also comes in a 25-liter size, and when I was on my way out of the Toronto Motorcycle Show, their booth rep threw one at me and said to try it out this summer. So that’s what I did.

Now, after four months of use in all weather, and on a range of different bikes, I must say that I’m just as impressed with this smaller-sized bag as I was with the full-sized version.

I typically used two ROK straps plus a BMW strap to secure the Duffalo, but that might have been overly cautious. Photo: Zac Kurylyk

First, it has the same rugged construction, with an outer layer of what Turkana calls Rhinocote fabric. This is a ripstop synthetic material that appears to be fairly weatherproof on its own, but internally, there’s a waterproof liner bag that is removable. The Turkana Duffalo uses rolltop closure, and a Velcro-like material around the mouth of the bag attaches the waterproof liner, so it’s easily removable for repairs. It also lets you easily store something soggy and nasty (a wet tent rainfly?) between the two layers of the bag, keeping your socks and underwear nice and dry. I don’t think this was the original intention of this design, though.

Like the 40-liter version, the Turkana Duffalo 25L has no internal dividers and no external pockets, but a generous slathering of MOLLE panels lets you attach other accessories easily. In my case, I did run the bag with Turkana’s BushBaby utility pouches if I needed extra storage for tools, etc.; attaching/removing these accessories was easy.

Turkana’s stuff does go on sale from time to time, so you can get a better deal if you keep an eye out. Remember that this is made in South Africa and designed by ADV riders like us, made to hold up to the rigors of travel, not just grab a quick buck. It’s much preferable to the el-cheapo stuff you see on Wish or Temu or those other sites selling dodgy knock-off adventure riding merch. Photo: Turkana

Just like the larger Duffalo, the smaller 25L is easy to securely strap down to a rack thanks to those MOLLE panels. They allow you to securely run a ROK strap through the daisy-chain webbing and around a rack (BMW straps or similar also work). You could also use the MOLLE webbing to attach the Duffalo to a soft pannier base that’s designed with this in mind.

After thousands of miles all over the northeastern US and Atlantic Canada, some of it on gravel or tight, grown-in two-track, the Duffalo 25L has no sign of wear at all. I also used this duffel as a catch-all for overnight camping and fishing trips into the woods, so it saw lots of use this summer. There were no failures; nothing broke or leaked. I found the smaller size was very convenient for a fly-and-ride I did in July, as it fit into an airplane’s carry-on compartment nicely.

With all that in mind, I think you’re getting a lot of bag here for the $140 MSRP in the US (Canadian pricing seems to be about $200). The only thing I think that could improve this KISS bag is a shoulder strap, and you can add one of your own easily enough, if you want. I’d certainly spend my own money on this gear, if I was on the market, and since I’m a pretty thrifty guy, that’s about the best endorsement I can give it.

Find more details and colors at TurkanaGear.com.