Tunnel Bag Review: Giant Loop

By Stephen Furlong

A while ago, I bought a 2009 HCR and she was a bit of a fixer-upper. After some much needed maintenance and clean up I began rebuilding the suspension and adding a few mods to boost power. I had the shocks rebuilt and added some Ice Age rails, air intake, a new track and with the clutch kit, programmer, exhaust and a few more goodies she was only lacking one very important detail: Storage! When travelling into the back country, one mustn’t underestimate the importance of on-sled storage. Spending a day deep in the country, I want to be prepared for anything and this means tools, tape, wire, wrenches, shovels, saws, spares, etc. This creates a lot of weight for a backpack that will raise your overall center of gravity, increase rider fatigue and decrease your performance. I wanted something different and came across the Escalator rack by Full Throttle Industries. It has a raised section that can be used as a foot step and perfectly fits 2x 5L gas cans. With the rack on my tunnel there was a gap from the seat which was perfect for a bag.

I began looking for a bag that was watertight, durable, small enough to fit yet, smart enough to maximize storage space. There are many bag options but a lot of them didn’t work for me. I remember looking at wet-sacks (watertight cylindrical rubber bags) and thinking “how could I mount this to my tunnel?” This is when I was given the chance to try out the Revelstoke (24L) and Torngat (37L) tunnel bags by Giant Loop. These bags are Polyurethane coated with additional reinforcements, pockets and straps which adapt them as a versatile tunnel bag that weighs almost nothing. The Torngat is huge and was more than I needed on this sled, so I tried it out on different sleds and ATVs with great success. The Revelstoke fit perfectly in my space and mounted with 4 simple clips bolted to the tunnel. Once the clips are installed, the straps slide into them and are tightened to secure the bag in place… no matter how the sled lands!

The bags become water tight when you roll the top down (min. 3 rolls) and tighten 2 straps. This works really well to keep your contents from shifting around while keeping them bone dry. I tested this bag all winter long and it never failed me. I stepped on it, rode dense trees, and wiped out and the bag took it all with ease. The design is very simple but very durable. I placed my tools in it, along with food, fire supplies and other heavy items I didn’t want on my back (where they often become damp). I only carried my DSLR and spare gloves and goggles in my back pack which made riding much more comfortable. It was a pleasure to stop for lunch with all my gear secure in my Giant Loop bag and dry as a bone. My last ride of the season was a particularly wet one due to snow conditions so I even placed some paper towels inside as a final test and they were completely dry at the end of the day. I can’t say enough good things about this product and if you need a simple, tough and reliable storage option for any machine, I highly recommend Giant Loop.