Best waterproof saddle bag

menthel

My topeak wedge medium saddle bag is great apart from 2 things, firstly the clips are fragile (ok I stood on one in my cycling shoes) and secondly it is not waterproof enough for commuting. Opened it up today and the contents is all a little damp. So, what do you all recommend? I like the look of the ortlieb ones but some of the reviews say its design is a bit funny. It is only to carry spare tube, patch, CO2 inflator and jacket with perhaps a phone and a £10 note!

rhext

Well, Ortlieb tend to be viewed as the gold standard when it comes to keeping water out of things. And for good reason. They're also robust and long-lasting. Having said that, although I swear by their panniers and dry-bags, I've never used one of their saddlebags. I find that there are two main 'problems' with their stuff:

1) While they're wizards at keeping water out, they're less imaginative when it comes to internal layouts: their bags tend to be simple affairs without many sub-pockets/compartments etc.

2) The roll-top closures on most of their stuff are not as quick and simple to use as (say) a zip or a simple clip-down lid. When I've closed up a pannier and realise I've forgotton something, there's a small flash of irritation at the thought of having to unclip and unroll the top, then roll it back up and clip it again. The roll-top closure is what helps them stay so waterproof, of course, but they're a little unwieldy.

If you can live with those two quirks, then build quality is second to none, and your stuff will stay dry.

menthel

rhext wrote:

Well, Ortlieb tend to be viewed as the gold standard when it comes to keeping water out of things. And for good reason. They're also robust and long-lasting. Having said that, although I swear by their panniers and dry-bags, I've never used one of their saddlebags. I find that there are two main 'problems' with their stuff:

1) While they're wizards at keeping water out, they're less imaginative when it comes to internal layouts: their bags tend to be simple affairs without many sub-pockets/compartments etc.

2) The roll-top closures on most of their stuff are not as quick and simple to use as (say) a zip or a simple clip-down lid. When I've closed up a pannier and realise I've forgotton something, there's a small flash of irritation at the thought of having to unclip and unroll the top, then roll it back up and clip it again. The roll-top closure is what helps them stay so waterproof, of course, but they're a little unwieldy.

If you can live with those two quirks, then build quality is second to none, and your stuff will stay dry.

Thanks, I may see if I can find one in a shop to look at. If this is possible I might even buy a medium!

kennygalbraith

Hi, I have a topeak bag, I just put mine in the wash with waterproofer and also sprayed it. So far so good, you could always buy the waterproof jacket for it.

andyrr

I've an Ortlieb saddle bag - one of the main reasons I chose that was that they offered a very large one that enables me to transport pretty much all of my stuff to and from work barring pump and waterproof that go in my rear jersey pocket.
That model has space for the usual inner tubes, tools etc plus my sarnies which are relatively bulky and almost no other saddle pack/bags could cope with.
The material and the roll enclosure do seem to mean that the contents stay dry but the negative with the bag in my experience/personal use was that the bag drooped down towards the wheel - I think that can be affected by where on the saddle rails the bag mount is attached. I wasn't happy with how low the bag droopped so I 've used a bungee cord that I run from saddle rails wrapping around the rear of the bag before looping around the seatpost and runs back in the opposite drection to the other saddle rail.
Works fine.
Also a pain is the lack of a good place to hang a rear light - I've bodged on on though.

menthel

Thanks all. I am picking up an ortlieb medium today. If I like that I will get a large as well so I have fittings on both bikes and also the option of a larger bag for long rides!