Show me your overstuffed Small Sackville Saddlesack

[SJB]

I'm thinking about moving away from front loads on my commuter. Currently, I use an Ostrich front bad on a VO front rack.

Riv's small Saddlesack has a smaller capacity than my Ostrich bag, but I think it might work. I think the medium would be way too large for my needs (which are just lunch containers and the dress clothes I've worn during the day.)

Would any of you have pics of your Saddlesacks stuffed to capacity or beyond? It looks like the flap closure will allow for some overfilling, but I'd like to see how this works.

Thanks

[Deacon Patrick]

No pictures, but I over stuff mine with my Filson Makinaw Cruiser spilling out each side, with the pack holding my rain jacket, gloves, socks, pipe pouch, and I'm pretty sure I've had 1-2 shirts and my moccasins in there as well. That's actually one of the reasons I'm trying to figure out how to carry stuff in the front, because for 8 months of the year in the Colorado mountains, I need to be ready for 20-80 degrees if I'm out all day long, often before dawn. It's a pain to undo everything to get something on the inside when pressure packed item fly everywhere with the release of the leather strap. My vote is to go for the medium if you aren't sure. If I can't figure out the front load for regular riding (I've got it figured for camping/touring), I'll go with the medium.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Joe K]

No pictures from me either, but I bought the Small thinking it would likely be all I ever need, then discovered how much room a coiled cable lock, tool bag, spare tube and windbreaker or poncho take up -- it's like half the UNstuffed bag.  I haven't really tested its overstuffed capacity.

On my particular bike, the Small just looks "right," in proportion, and doesn't interfere with the canti brake cable.  Aesthetically, the Medium would look massive, but I know that extra capacity could prove useful one day.

Joe K

[PATRICK MOORE]

Mine is a Medium.

https://picasaweb.google.com/BERTIN753/BIKESMISCELLANEA#5823569219896713602

and 

https://picasaweb.google.com/BERTIN753/BIKESMISCELLANEA#5823569233951771170

IIRC, that load came to 25 lb. I've carried 30. Not as good as a good rack and good panniers, but, if for some reason you don't want a rack, the Sackvilles are as good as it gets -- and I've used many, many other saddlebags.

I carry a 4' length of 1/4" cord and have used it to securely lash excessively bulky loads.

On Sat, May 4, 2013 at 6:09 PM, SJB <sjbr...@gmail.com> wrote:

Would any of you have pics of your Saddlesacks stuffed to capacity or beyond? It looks like the flap closure will allow for some overfilling, but I'd like to see how this works.

Thanks

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http://resumespecialties.com/index.html

patric...@resumespecialties.com

Albuquerque, NM

[Matt Beebe]

Sorry to go off topic from the small saddlesack, which is a great bag, but I thought I'd chime in on the issue of relative proportions and aesthetics.

I have a Large saddlesack on my main bike.    When I first got it, it indeed looked big.  But after a few weeks it looked just right, and other bags began to look positively tiny in comparison.     One of the things I like about the Large is that when I go to the grocery store on a rainy day, I don't have to think about whether what I'm buying will fit into the bag;   it just does.   

Using that bag is not just convenient, it actually transcends into the realm of fun.    I think it's because it gives you power.


-Matt

[Andy Smitty Schmidt]

I'm a fan of the Small Sacksville Saddlesack. Here's a pic from a recent day ride. Not really stuffed to bulging but full-ish... tool roll, tube, a layer or 2, gloves, first aid kit, ditty bag, variety of snacks, perhaps a tupperware or 2. I'm always impressed how much I can stuff into it. I also have a Medium and rarely use it 'cause I have other bikes that are more set up for hauling bigger loads. For grocery runs and such, I would suggest considering a Medium or Large. 

--Smitty

[WETH]

Another vote for the large. I can easily fit two 6 packs of bottled beer, plus tool roll, u-lock, hat, gloves, frame pump, and much else. Today, I carried a "box o joe" from Dunkin Donuts to a meeting; I could have fit two in there and still had room!
Patrick, if it won't interfere with balance issues, I highly recommend the large. Personally, I like having excess space.
Sorry to drift a bit off topic.
-Erl, who carries too much stuff, Houston

[PATRICK MOORE]

Question about the large: I can't imagine that the L would work without a rack, but with a rack you can use panniers, which can have a capacity even greater than that of the Sackville Large. So what is the advantage of the Large over panniers, particularly since panniers are so much easier on/off?

I love the Medium because, with my 58cm c-c/559-wheeled frame, there is ample tire clearance even without a rack. But if I had to use a rack, I'd use panniers because they are at once bigger and more flexible -- with the Ram/Fy, for instance, I can carry none, one, two, big, small. 

(With my home-made more-or-less-QR saddlebag attachment, it's not hard to swap between the S Med and the much smaller Carradice Junior, which last I prefer if I'm not shopping.) 

On Mon, May 6, 2013 at 8:44 AM, Christopher Chen <cc...@nougat.org> wrote:

One vote for the large. I always carry tools, rain gear (top+bottom), locks, and still have room for work stuff and groceries.

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[Deacon Patrick]

My decision has at the heart of it much the same question as you, Patrick. I currently have the small, which is the perfect size for day rides 3 months of the year round here, when all I need to carry is my rain jacket and a few thin layers of wool. But I want a bag that is my single system bag year round, for short rides, day rides, and bikepacking. So: medium or large? I always run the Big Back Rack either way, so my decision points are as follows:

Medium: rides closer to the post and is two inches shorter, leaving more of the rear of the rack available to strap on tent/stove/pad/sleeping bag (whatever doesn't fit into the panniers or saddle sack.

Large: more stuff fits inside, which I like. What doesn't can strap onto the top/back D rings on the bag and/or fit between the seat post and the bag.

I'm leaning toward the large, as I don't really see a down side to having too much space and since I keep the rack on all the time anyway. Which eliminates the wool temptation, as it's not available in wool. Grin.

With abandon,

Patrick

[Anne Paulson]

The opening on the Large is easier to use than panniers. It's easier to put stuff in, and easier to get stuff out again, because the opening is bigger. Let's say you stop at the grocery store on the way home. You buy a gallon of milk, a big bag of potatoes (no paleo here!), some vegetables, a package of meat, some laundry detergent, some cans of tomatoes. Maybe you already had a jacket and your laptop along. With panniers, you have to painstaking allocate everything. With the Large Saddlesack, you just jam it all in, and scrooch stuff into the corners to fit everything.

I like panniers for touring. I've crossed the US west to east, and also south to north, touring and camping with panniers, so I know what it's like to use panniers every day. But for daily commuting/around town/picking stuff up after a ride, the Large Saddlesack is my choice.

On Mon, May 6, 2013 at 10:17 AM, PATRICK MOORE <bert...@gmail.com> wrote:

Question about the large: I can't imagine that the L would work without a rack, but with a rack you can use panniers, which can have a capacity even greater than that of the Sackville Large. So what is the advantage of the Large over panniers, particularly since panniers are so much easier on/off?

 

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-- Anne Paulson

My hovercraft is full of eels

[PATRICK MOORE]

But, but, but .... I agree if we are talking about, say, Ortlieb Packers -- those otherwise very desirable and capacious panniers with so many straps, cinches, and contours that interfere with quick, simple stuffing: I have two pairs (Pluses and Sportses). But for shopping and quick stuffs, nothing but nothing beats my Banjo Bros Market Panniers. Slam, dunk: even grossly overstuffed cloth grocery sacks with large bottles distorting the would-be rectangular sides sinke gratefully into the wide, inviting maw of the BBMP mouths - desperately mixing metaphors here. Compared to at least the Medium Saddlesack, no contest at all in the Swallow All And Very Quickly category.

I do agree about Paleo though. Or rather: all paleo and all carbs all the time!

Patrick Moore, washing his deep-fried french fries and fatty bacon -- grease mingling with heavy mayo applications -- BLTs (all home made of course) down with a wide selection of better beers and wines in ABQ, NM.

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[Anne Paulson]

Those Banjo Bros panniers look like my Ortlieb back roller panniers. Good panniers, but the 10.5" by 12" opening (approximately; I just measured it but it's not exactly rectangular as used) on the Large Saddlesack is far bigger, I'm pretty sure. It's just huge.

[PATRICK MOORE]

Well, we must agree to differ, then. I've not use the Large, so perhaps it is unique among saddlebags, but I have used the Hoss and the Sackville Medium, and, compared to these, the ease of use (for grocery shopping and about-town errands) the Banjos are better by a mile. Nothing to roll, cinch, strap, fiddle: just a wide, gaping maw that willing swallows absurd bulk. 

I hear that Ortlieb actually has a shopping pannier that is much like a higher-quality Banjo -- basically a single, unobstructed cavity designed with the appropriate stiffening so that, when you drop a standard paper (or cloth) grocery sack) into the opening, there is nothing to obstruct its downward progress. I hear that this Ortlieb model is much like the Banjos, but better made with better materials and 3x the cost.

At least you will admit that I have Gravity on my side!

[Anne Paulson]

Mostly I just put stuff in the Large. I don't cinch the straps; I just leave them sloppily unbuckled 99% of the time, only strapping when I overstuff dramatically, piling junk up . The opening on the Large is on the top, and the large stays horizontal because it's on top of your rack. Things don't fall out. Gravity is on my side too.  

[Christopher Chen]

One other log to toss on the fire:

During a wonderfully muddy ride with Manny and the PDX Riv gang, my fenders kept junk off most everything, and my large saddlesack emerged essentially spic-n-span:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumachrome/8645949783/in/photostream

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mannyacosta/8646855277/in/set-72157633237315741/

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"I want the kind of six pack you can't drink." -- Micah

[Shoji Takahashi]

To SJB: I would recommend at least the medium based on how you'd like to use it. 

I use the medium saddlesack for commuting with a change of clothes. Any smaller and I wouldn't be able to do it. I fold and pack my work clothes (shirt and pants) in an Eagle Creek packing folder to keep me presentable. It won't fit in the small; it can be maneuvered into the medium. (FWIW: I have the small saddlesack, too. It's nice for packing a lunch and doing a day trip.) 

The medium doesn't require a rack, but if you're on a small bike, you may have clearance issues. I have it on a 52cm Crosscheck (fistful or so of seatpost), and if it weren't for the metal fenders and rack, it'd be on the tire. It does reduce the capacity of the saddlebag, as opposed to those having larger bikes with more room to the rear wheel. (Or same size bike with smaller wheels.)

The large requires a rack. I recall some people having trouble with the large and the tombstone on the Nitto Big Rack (though others seemed not to mind). If I had to do it again, I would probably go with the large (since I already have a rack, and could use the space).

--shoji

[Matt Beebe]

I'll echo Anne's observation.     The large is just easier to use than panniers.    It's easier to open, easier to find and access things inside, things don't get crushed on the bottom, and with a Nitto QR it's also easier to remove, taking about 0.2 seconds.    In addition, you can use the large *with* panniers for touring, and now you have serious carrying capacity, but you should put something on the front to balance it out.

Matt

[PATRICK MOORE]

Nyah, nyah, nyah. My gravity pulls straight down.

[PATRICK MOORE]

Which panniers?

[Christopher Chen]

Can we please drop this thread and talk about something less contentious, like carbs or carbon forks?

cc

[PATRICK MOORE]

I don't think it's contentious at all. What a boring world where everybody had the same opinion about everything. Let differences flourish! (In both senses.) I am puzzled and somewhat amused by some people's thin skinned-ness.

Obviously this is a case where we each have our own preference, but there's nothing at all wrong with that.

FWIW, I personally prefer saddlebags for all but quite heavy or bulky loads, simply because they don't require a rack (at least those I use on my bikes) but I prefer panniers for the shopping ease. I wheel my bikes through the stores as my shopping cart and find the grocery-specific Banjos the best I've used -- wish I could afford the upscale Ortliebs, but for the money the BBs are excellent. And of course they are so easy to put on and take off. The hook on top/bungee on the bottom is not the most secure system but for short grocery rides (I usually extend them to 11 miles rt or more) they are fine.

And a plug for the Medium Saddlesack. I've carried up to 30 lb and, more to the point, it will carry as much as a single Ortlieb Packer, ie about one paper grocery sack's worth with flap closed, though I -- and I emphasize that I am speaking for myself -- find it considerably less easy to load than an open-style pannier. 

I am debating whether to continue the conversion of a larger-sized Timbuktu bag into a pannier by bolting on an Ortlieb mount. Right now it's got the simple dowel + toe straps system that works very well, but it takes a tedious 10 seconds to release it. OTOH, the dowel/strap system does allow me to use it also as a messenger bag while the Ortleib clamps would stick out on the back ...

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[Philip Williamson]

Ha! I'd skipped this thread until you said that! :^)

Philip

www.biketinker.com