How waterproof are the Sackvilles?

[Michael]

Any water get inside in rainy rides?

[Kelly]

I've had great luck with the large sackville. Several tours and all day rains with nothing getting wet.... And or even in the bag. I still line it with a trash bag, and recommend that, just haven't needed the extra protection under some severe weather conditions.

Kelly

[Matt Beebe]

In my experience, the saddlesack bags (medium and large) will keep your gear dry.   The canvas is fairly thick and tightly woven, and the main flap provides lots of coverage, almost like a raincape over your stuff.

[grant]

The Scottish fabric is the tightest and most light-and-airproof of any I've seen or used, and as far as I know is not available in the US.  Carradice, I think, gets its fabric from the same Scottish maker. Or at least has.
The waterproofness is one thing, and a big one, but as KS says and does, stuff your dead-if-wet stuff in plastic or nylon bags. Or get vinyl bags, like Ortliebs.
Waterproofness aside and on a more practical, everyday note, the tightness and dryness of the Sackvilles means they don't accumulate dirt like both looser and oilier bags do. I don't say the bags are perfect, but they are as good as they can be, and as good as I've seen. Good enough, for sure.

[Greg]

I've never had water enter the main compartment of my large Saddlesack, which has seen some rainy multi-day tours in Va./W. Va./ MD.. Nonetheless, I use trash compactor bags or mega-size Ziplocks as liners.
I have had rain water enter the two front zippered pockets and even the leather flapped side pockets. Putting all you stuff carried in these two locations in Ziplocks is prudent.
The great advantage of a canvas bag for bicycle touring is the same as a Duluth Pack for canoe tripping.
Breathability. Even if the interior of the bag gets wet it will dry out, evaporate. You don't get that with waterproof-coating bags. The exterior may dry fast but any water that gets inside stays there till you drain it out and mop the inside.
For the same reason I prefer Egyptian hemp cotton decks on Klepper kayaks for touring to any waterproof nylon ones.

On Wednesday, December 26, 2012 1:15:03 PM UTC-5, Michael wrote:

[Manuel Acosta]

lets say pretty water proof.

http://flic.kr/p/cS2vhb

[Brian Hanson]

After a 3 or 4 seasons in Seattle commuting and riding with various canvas bags (Sackvilles and Acorns), I would say they are not appreciably less waterproof than the Ortlieb I used to use other than the zippers.  If you can fold the bag over (shopsack) so the zipper isn't exposed, you should be good.  I also would say the fabric used in the Sackvilles is better than the other canvas I've used.  I still like my Acorn Tall Rando, though :)

Brian

Seattle, WA

On Wed, Dec 26, 2012 at 10:15 AM, Michael <john1...@gmail.com> wrote:

Any water get inside in rainy rides?

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[MobileBill]

I don't mean to get into a bragging war with the folks in Seattle, but
Mobile is literally the rainiest city in the U.S. at 67 inches per
year (Seattle gets a drizzly 38 inches or so). And we regularly get
two and three inch in a couple of hour kind of deluges (Grant now has
some inklng of this). During our last tropical storm, I accidentally
left my Saluki outside with my work clothes stuffed inside the
Sackville panniers. After an inch and a half of rain in an hour, my
work clothes were dry as a bone. I'm sure it would have been
overwhelmed at some point, but it's going to be a once in a decade
storm. I could report similar semi-miraculous moments with other Riv
heavy canvas bags (the older trunk bags and the erstwhile Keven bag).

[Bruce Herbitter]

Just a few hours drive up I-65 from you Bill and we still get 55" a year. I agree that the bags do great, although I use a helmet cover on the Lil Loafer. Just in case.  I hate having to re lube though after a deluge. Keeps rust away though.