When riding a motorcycle, particularly in the UK, it is inevitable at some point the weather is not going to be in your favour.

Great British weather is indiscriminate, regardless of the time of year and if you do not choose your motorbike luggage carefully, you could end up with water breaching the inside of your cases. Thankfully, SHAD motorcycle top boxes and panniers are designed to tackle that exact issue, but just how important is waterproof protection and how is it achieved?

Why Do You Need Waterproof Motorcycle Luggage?

A lot of the motorcycle luggage options out there do not offer any waterproof protection or if they do, it is often what is described by the manufacturers as ‘a degree of water resistance’.

Now, obviously any amount of waterproof protection is better than none but to be frank, water resistance that only stretches so far is not good enough if you would like your gear to remain dry and good luck if you encounter a heavy downpour of rain or a rather large puddle. Let’s face it, no one wants to get their belongings wet, especially when your motorbike luggage could be carrying the likes of spare clothing, electronics and work documents.

It could be argued waterproof protection is priceless but even when the price tag is accounted for it does not necessarily mean a fully waterproof structure is going to break the bank. Take two of the largest motorcycle luggage brands for example, even though Givi motorcycle luggage only offers the degree of water resistance and SHAD top boxes and panniers are 100% waterproof, it is in fact the latter that comes at a lower cost.

What Makes SHAD Motorcycle Luggage Waterproof?

As mentioned, some motorcycle luggage brands do not offer waterproof structures with their cases and the level to which other brands' top boxes and panniers protect against water varies. Amongst the uncertainty here there is one constant and that is the fact that all of SHAD’s motorbike luggage is waterproof but how do they achieve this?

There are three main ways in which SHAD ensure their luggage is waterproof:

Plastic Profile - this particular waterproof structure utilises a plastic gutter to prevent water entering the case and can be found in SHAD’s smaller cases.

Double Profile Rubber Edge - this form of waterproof protection is used in the premium SHAD luggage cases and incorporates a rubber seal to ensure even the heavier flows of water do not permeate through the structure.

Inner Roll Bags - found in a selection of SHAD’s soft panniers, the inner roll bags can be used to contain your belongings before being rolled and secured with a buckle to create a waterproof seal.

If you are now still wondering just how important a waterproof structure is then ask yourself if you are willing to risk your belongings getting wet and just how much of an impact that will have.

As for SHAD, there is no doubt they have the best waterproof protection on the market, their three methods of ensuring a waterproof structure are streets ahead of the degree of water resistance found in other motorcycle luggage cases.