Camping trip with Enduristan Blizzard 2.35 and Yamaha Tenere 700

Coming back from a three-day camping trip through Bosnia, Montenegro and Serbia feels like a good time to give some first impressions of the Enduristan Blizzard 2.35 bags mounted on a Yamaha Tenere 700.

This was the first time I took the new Blizzards out for a ride. I've used the previous generation of the Blizzards quite a few times on many different bikes over the years, so my expectations for the new version were high. The short version of this article is: there's a lot to like about this rackless luggage setup.

The longer version is below.

The bags offer 35 liters of capacity. That doesn't sound like a lot, but once you start packing, you quickly realize there's a lot of room in there.

This was a planned three-day camping trip. Mid-September in the mountains means cold nights, and the weather forecast predicted a lot of rain. I had to pack accordingly, meaning warm clothes and rain gear.

For added storage, and to help separate wet gear from the rest, I also added a Sidekick 20 as a tail bag. A simple, robust and spacious bag which easily straps to our Top Luggage Rack.

This setup allowed me to pack everything easily, with plenty of room to spare.

The new Blizzards have a minimalist harness that sits on the rear seat of the bike. Straps allow the width of the bags to be adjusted to fit different bikes.

One of my gripes with the previous generation of Blizzards was the way the width was adjusted. That's been changed on the current version! Four straps with cam buckles make the whole process much easier.

The Blizzard 2.35 offers two ways of securing the bags to the rear of the bike. You can use a simple strap or Enduristan's new Anchor-Lock System, which uses small aluminum attachment points bolted to the rack.

For this trip, I went with the strap option. The bags were going to stay on the bike for the whole trip, so there was no real need for the quicker removal offered by the Anchor-Lock System.

Lower straps were attached to our Gen 2 Tie-down Brackets. Passenger footrest brackets will work just as well if you choose to keep them on the bike.

Fitment on the Yamaha Tenere 700

The Blizzard 2.35 fits the Tenere as if they were tailor-made for this bike! Almost the entire bags sit on the side panels, which provides plenty of support and stability. Riding through some rocky trails in Montenegro, I couldn't feel any bouncing.

The only part of the setup that wasn't resting on the bike's side panels were the external pockets, which were strapped to the rear side of each bag. Sidekick 04 on one side, and Bottle Holster 2.02 on the other. These provided a convenient and easily reachable place to pack water and shoes.

Even with the Sidekick 04 installed, the RHS bag doesn't come close to the stock silencer. I can't imagine a scenario where heat damage could occur. I don't have any experience with high-mounted aftermarket exhausts on this bike, so be mindful if you're using one.

As expected, the bags remained fully waterproof throughout the trip. The very large openings made it easy to put things inside the bags and reach them when needed. It's one of those features you learn to appreciate during a trip.

Final thoughts

All in all, I feel this new generation is a worthwhile improvement over the already good first-gen Blizzards. They are easier to adjust, have a quick-mounting option, can be fitted with external pockets, and fit the Tenere 700 perfectly.