surplus m90 saddle bags. cheap and very water proof
Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 1:59 pm
I needed some soft bags for this coming rally season and didn't want to spend a small fortune like I did on the aluminum boxes that work so well for comuting and general riding. The boxes ar enice but in hard off road and at speed they are a great way to snap an ankle. I am gonna go hammer through the forest a few times and commute with them for a few months to see how they work out but I think I have them pretty well sorted now. I have no idea what the Swiss need such heavy duty mega water proof backpacks for if they are all "neutral" but they are serious about not getting their stuff wet. If you need a pair of saddle bags once in a while this is a good cheapo option.
The pictures start with how they come. I hacked the shoulder strap off and put two 1 inch web straps though the fittings. Looped it through several times and adjusted it to the seat width. I hooked the rear strap though the tool case strap although your means of locking them in place will vary. Last shots show them full and being closed as well as how they sit on the saddle bag frames. Not shown is the bits of velcro strapped around the lower frame and through the lower buckles on the bags. There are lots of buckle things on them.
These bags have roll up closures and are very sturdy for $18 a piece. They are very thick Nylon with a rubbery PVC coating. I suspect I have some stuff to cut off still but they seem to fit the bike perfectly. They are exactly the right height and length.
http://www.majorsurplus.com/Swiss-M90-Rubber-Rucksack-P16072.aspx
If you want to see the bags up close the first link to the gallery. That should allow you to pull the full resolution images. It may be easier than individualy opening the images below.
http://skypilot.smugmug.com/Other/cheapo-saddlebags/
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