Another DIY Saddle Bag

[Village]

I just finished a saddle bag for my Salsa El Mariachi. It's made out of Dimension Polyant VX21 and VX42. The top and bottom are stabilized with 1/16in HDPE and the light blue wings are stiffened with much thinner HDPE. The portion strapped against the saddle and seatpost is covered with a no-slip fabric covering a strip of closed cell foam. The bag as pictured is stuffed with a Marmot Pinnacle 15deg bag. One of my next projects is a summer-weight 900-fill down quilt. That should pack down much smaller! I've also included a photo of my tag board mock-up. It was quite useful to visualize the bag design and transpose to panel patterns.

Soon I'll make a matching frame bag, handlebar bag, and bento box. The outdoor line of D-P fabric is a joy to work with! It cuts easily and does not fray. I bound the hems internally with 3/4in grosgrain simply for aesthetics, but it was not necessary.

[12wheels]

Great job, it looks very professional.  Where did you get the fabric?

Good luck with the quilt.  10oz of down should be more than enough for a warm summer quilt.

[Village]

Thanks for the comments!

I got the fabric directly from Dimension-Polyant. They now have an outdoor fabrics product manager and I was able to order a bunch of remnants and seconds through him. It's a matter of giving them your business name and ordering for the purpose of prototyping new gear. I've had a side business in making custom mil/tactical gear and so was able to order under that name.  

Good to hear about the down - I just so happen to have 10 oz of 900-fill in waiting. I need only to prototype the dimensions for my body now.

[bartspedden]

WOW! Really nice job.  Quite professional looking. I've wrapped my own fly rods and know how good it feels to use equipment you've built yourself.  I hope you enjoy that saddle bag for years to come!

[boddunn]

Looks very professional to me! I had a quick go at the weekend and was pretty stumped as to how to make it look and fit right, much too busy to have another go right now but if mine turns out like that in the near future I'll be stoked.
 BTW, that Trans Am saddle is the comfiest I've ever ridden, wish I still had mine...

[longman]

do this type of saddlebag swing around a lot? I'm in the process of making some bags and was just wondering?

[12wheels]

Not if they are designed properly and not overloaded. 

[Village]

do this type of saddlebag swing around a lot? I'm in the process of making some bags and was just wondering?

The plastic reenforcement from the top to the seatpost interface, coupled with saddle rail straps that are anchored as close as possible to the edges of the rails, play a significant role in stabilizing the bag.

[longman]

Thanks for the advice!

[keywee]

Hi,

I've also just completed my first saddle bag. I can't seem to find any HDPE or similar where I live. As a result I'm a little down on side ways stability but find it less of a problem when It's more tightly loaded. Also, where did you get the non-slip fabric from?

cheers,
david.

http://picasaweb.google.com/davidkleinjan/Homebrew?authkey=Gv1sRgCKfDkPuj98jmRg#

[micamino]

here is my first attempt to make a seat bag
its my first sewing project, i had never machine sew before.
Made from some cheapo fabric

[Village]

here is my first attempt to make a seat bag
its my first sewing project, i had never machine sew before.
Made from some cheapo fabric

Well it looks like you nailed it! Good job both you all. Keywee: I used a rubberized Cordura fabric that I got years ago from DIY Tactical. A friend has the same heavy duty stuff that CDW uses. It looks even more durable but I don't know the source off-hand. Also, if you don't have an industrial source of HDPE nearby, just get some cheap food cutting mats from Walmart/Target. They're HDPE.

[keywee]

Cool, thanks. I was talking to someone during my last trip and they also mentioned the food cutting mats. I'll go shopping tomorrow.

Another question, what kind of thread are you all using? I'm using a good quality polyester gutterman thread, but looking at other outdoor products, they seems to be using a thicker gauge (jargon?) thread. Ideas/suggestions? I'm using a "denim" needle and it doesn't look like the eye is too big, but I'm sure it'll take more than the current thread.

Stitch length. I'm using 2-3, but again, looking at other outdoor products, it looks like a bit longer is common. My machine maxes at stitch length 4. I guess the less perforations make for less weakening of the fabric.

thanks.

[longman]

another option for the reinforcements is from Target, I bought some dinner place mats for $1.99 each that are 14" x 18". It's the closest I could find to what I was looking for, I glued 2 pieces together for the top and bottom sections of my seatbag and it worked a treat. Pics to follow.

[Eric]

Keewee - find some bonded nylon T 69 (seriously) or T 70 thread - its the beefiest thread that works with most home sewing machines. Look for it in real sewing stores and the mail order DIY places.

[keywee]

Great, good intel.

Is this the kind of thread in a different guise? It looks to be the toughest thread they sell at least.

http://www.extremtextil.de/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=38_40&products_id=957

cheers
david.

[micamino]

Great, good intel.

Is this the kind of thread in a different guise? It looks to be the toughest thread they sell at least.

http://www.extremtextil.de/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=38_40&products_id=957

Good one is also Amann Serafil 40 or 60 also available in WR (waterrepelant) option, Upholstery in Rolls Royce cars are sew with Amann threads

[vadim_123]

Very good looking bag. Thanks for sharing.
Could you post patterns for the bag?

[gabistephens]

Hey guys! I am new to bikepacking but am an avid outdoor enthusiast as well as diy-er and seamstress.  This July, a group of 5 gals are bikepacking a remote area in the Northwest Territorries.  I am trying to figure out what kind of bags to carry on my person and bike? I found the pattern for the frame bag and will attempt to make that, but I'd love to get some more info and/or patterns and instructions for other bike bags!  Any suggestions?
Thanks!

[pilotintraining]

Hey guys! I am new to bikepacking but am an avid outdoor enthusiast as well as diy-er and seamstress.  This July, a group of 5 gals are bikepacking a remote area in the Northwest Territorries.  I am trying to figure out what kind of bags to carry on my person and bike? I found the pattern for the frame bag and will attempt to make that, but I'd love to get some more info and/or patterns and instructions for other bike bags!  Any suggestions?
Thanks!

Welcome Gabi! Not that I am an expert by any means, but having sewn a couple of bike bags, here's my take: If you just want a bikepacking setup, go buy some – yes, even if you are cheap (check out this list if you thought there weren't good options already). You can get the materials to make your own for less than you can buy pre-made bags for, but by the time you've factored in your time (not to mention blood, sweat, and tears), pre-made bags are a waaaay better deal.

But! If you aren't afraid of a challenge, you're okay with fiddling with gear, and putting lots of time into it, making your own bags can be super fun and rewarding. Plus, maybe your friends will want you to make them some too!

The Make Your Own Gear (MYOG) forum here has loads of helpful posts to get you started, and google is another good friend. Specifically related to your question, you might check out patterns for front and back bags. JerryW's post is the bible for both front and rear harness style bags (my favorite). 

Depending on the length of your trip and what you are carrying, your requirements will be different, but I've found that for 3-7 nights without resupply you can comfortably fit the necessities in a: frame bag(food, cooking, repair); handlebar roll(tent, sleeping bag, pad); seatpack(clothes); daypack(other items). You can squeeze a bit of extra volume out of feed bags or gas tanks, but in terms of your sewing time/usable space ratio, these are on the lower end (though the chalkbag->feedbag conversion is intriguing). If you need more storage, then you might be looking at panniers, and you're probably best off going commercial.

Fabrics are widely available. While not the cheapest, I've found that X-pac Vx21 works really well. Rockywoods is also a great place to stock up on buckles, velcro, webbing, zippers, needles, thread, and whatever else you might need.

Good luck on the sewing and the trip, sounds awesome!