Life In The Saddle

I am a sucker for bags, and a fanatic kit organiser. These two personality traits have led me on an ongoing search for the best bag for every pursuit, whether it is trans-continental bike tours, overseas travel, or a daily cycle commute. No one bag ticks all the boxes for every kind of trip, but having a multitude of bags does allow you to be super-organised and prepared for any kind of adventure… The Thule RoundTrip Bike Duffel Bag is designed to carry all your kit when you are heading to a bike race, training camp, or on a multi-day trip with your bike. Featuring dedicated storage pockets for your helmet, shoes, sunglasses, tools, and clothes; it has a place for everything, so everything can be kept in its place and easy to access. Thule bags have become my go-to luggage choice, they are faultlessly made and last for years. So, when I was looking for a bag to transport riding kit and accessories, they were the logical brand to turn to. The RoundTrip Bike Duffel is the perfect compan...

This week's review is another great product from Portland based PNW Components – their compact and comfortable Rover Hip Pack. Made from super durable sailcloth material, with an air mesh padded back panel and a plethora of pockets for all your trail essentials; the PNW Rover Hip Pack is the ideal companion for off-road adventures in the forest, bike park or on gravel adventures. I was an early adopter of the bar bag on my gravel and road pursuits (check out my previous posts on 'bar bags' ); embracing the feeling of carrying little in your pockets, and letting the bike take the load. On mountain bike adventures a bar bag is less suitable though, as they bounce around too enthusiastically; the solution is a hip pack.  A hip pack is different from a 'bum bag' – the latter is designed to sit around your hips, whereas this is really a 'waist pack' that is meant to sit higher up on top of your hip bones, around your waist. Perched on top of your hips it can com...

The Chrome Industries Mini Kadet Sling might look like a little like a miniature satchel to the uneducated eye; but in fact, this sling bag is far from begin a masculine handbag. Rather, it is a robust and incredibly useful everyday carry—based on Chrome's prestigious heritage producing some of the best urban cycle courier bags in the world. When you travel regularly, for work or pleasure, you find that juggling a water bottle, wallet, notebook, jacket and other small essentials becomes a tricky task; to the extent that you become rather envious of the practical handbag that your (normally female) travelling companion safely stashes all such belongings in. Enter a solution—the Chrome Mini Kadet Sling Bag. Based on the iconic Kadet Sling Bag that has been popular with bicycle couriers, commuters and travellers for many years, the Mini Kadet is the super compact sibling—offering five litres of storage capacity in a robust and durable design. This is the perfect way to carry your ...

Keep it simple. That would be a good strapline for the BTR Waterproof Bicycle Handlebar Bag. This compact handlebar bag is designed to be a completely waterproof capsule that easily attaches to the handlebars of any road or mountain bike — to safely house your valuables and ride essentials. For bikepacking trips, gravel adventures, and long road rides a small waterproof handlebar bag is a great idea — read my post ' What Is in Your Gravel Adventure Handlebar Bag? ' to see what comes in mine. The BTR Waterproof Handlebar Bag is as simple, but as effective as they come; with an exceptionally fair price tag too. The design is straightforward. The bag is 20 centimetres wide and made from durable waterproof fabric, with a classic roll-top closure to ensure that even the worst weather conditions cannot infiltrate the interior. The bag attaches to the handlebars with three hook-and-loop (Velcro style) straps; two over the handlebars, and an extra strap that can go around the headtube...

The BTR All-Weather Waterproof Wedge Style Bicycle Saddlebag can certainly go the distance—it came with me on last year's #CelticCrossTrail bikepacking adventure —a 1875-kilometre ride that featured some of the worst riding conditions I have ever experienced. The compact waterproof saddlebag kept its contents dry and secure throughout that journey and has remained on the bike to this day. As with the earlier reviewed BTR Waterproof Handlebar Bag, this waterproof wedge saddlebag is as simple but as effective as they come. Made from 100 percent waterproof fabric with a large easy opening roll-down closure—it seals out the elements in all conditions. The saddlebag has a universal fit design, with three hook-and-loop fastening straps attaching it to the saddle rails and seat post. It should fit any bike, and it has great adjustability while remaining securely in place. Note: I recommend knotting the saddle rail straps when you have set them to the right length, as they can slip in the ...

Vaude make superb apparel and equipment; they have been my choice for clothing, tents, and bags on many past bikepacking adventures . The new range of bikepacking bags from the eco-conscious German brand caught my eye because of their simple and smart designs. The Aqua Box Light is the new ultralightweight handlebar bag in the range, offering four litres of storage in a tiny 170-gram package. Here is my review… Handlebar bags have evolved a lot since the traditional 'box' design that sat prominently in front of the handlebars of a touring bike. With the growth of bikepacking , riders have demanded lighter handlebar bags that will house their valuables safely within their gaze but will not obscure the bike's front wheel for those technical off-road sections. The Vaude Aqua Box Light Handlebar Bag is a further evolution of the minimalist tendency seen in handlebar bag design. It is in essence a shaped roll-top waterproof bag that attaches to your handlebars with two robust ...

A rack-top waterproof trunk bag is the ideal place to stash ride essentials when bicycle touring or on a cycle commute. The Altura Dryline 2 Rackpack 7L is a superb example and offers a safe and watertight carry. Whether you a commuting, brevet event riding, or on a trans-continental bike tour; a rack top trunk bag is a great luggage solution.  Hopefully, you have read my post ' What Is in Your Gravel Adventure Bar Bag? '—well, on my touring bike that has a pannier rack permanently fitted, I opt to carry the same selection of products (plus a lightweight windproof jacket), but in the Altura Dryline Rackpack instead of a handlebar bag. The Altura Dryline 2.0 Rackpack is designed to be a simple but sturdy, and highly functional rack-top pannier pack. Mounting the Altura Dryline Rackpack is easy. A base plate attaches to the pannier rack using two strong Velcro straps. The rack bag then attaches to a base plate using Velcro strips and three quick-release buckles; to allow f...

Chrome Industries are an icon in the world of bicycle courier luggage. More than twenty years ago, in the city of Boulder (Colorado) the brand created the sling messenger bag out of seatbelt buckles and straps, five bar webbing, and a double-lined waterproof truck tarpaulin interior. Their tag-line reads ' Building Indestructible Gear Since 1995 '—a claim they reliably hold true to. The Chrome Barrage Cargo Backpack is a new leading light in their indestructible messenger bag waterproof backpack line-up—created to be the ultimate roll-top bike messenger rucksack. Capable of carry your daily cycle commute load or your weekend adventure kit—this backpack is as versatile and hardcore as they come. The Barrage Cargo is made from abrasion resistant 1050D Nylon, with a welded waterproof truck tarpaulin liner, and a classic waterproof roll-top closure. The design makes it a watertight load carrier—with the cavernous main compartment safely accommodating 22 litres of gear, includi...

There is no doubt that the Swedish brand Thule are innovators: whether it be their bike carriers , travel bags ,  rucksacks , panniers , or this semi-rigid bike bag; their products push the boundaries in terms of functionality and design. The quality level is also impeccably high, and the Scandinavian influence is clear in their attitude and implementation. The Thule RoundTrip Pro XT Bike Case/Bag is a great piece of kit... I have tested a lot of bike bags and boxes , from many well known manufacturers; many of them have excelled, and done the job of transporting my rides to far-flung destinations. Many of them have had faults or niggling downsides though... anything from wheels that have fallen off, to being unable to take recent 'Gravel' bike axles and wheel sizes. The new Thule RoundTrip Pro XT Bike Case / Bag, is a semi-rigid option, which seems to tick many of the boxes, without a lot of the downfalls of its competitors. Hard case protection with soft case packabil...

Taking your laptop with you on your adventures is increasingly becoming a necessity, especially when you are a social media and content marketer by trade. Luckily, laptops are significantly lighter and more compact than when I had my first IBM ThinkPad (it weighed a tonne). However, with the slim-lining of technology, there has also been an inevitable increase in its vulnerability to knocks and drops. That is where a good laptop case comes in… I previously reviewed the Thule Vectros MacBook Case on Life In The Saddle. That bumper case continues to do a great job of protecting my personal laptop from everyday use and abuse; however my new slim-line work MacBook required some protection too. I decided the Thule Subterra Sleeve was the perfect solution. Like all other Thule products that I have tested for the blog , the Thule Subterra Macbook Sleeve has been carefully and thoughtfully designed; then produced using the best quality materials available. Your MacBook is housed in ...