saddle bag recommendations

[balakai]

I have only been riding around our property and neighboring farms for the past few years, but my BF’s daughter is getting older and now wants to trail ride more. We trailered to a local place yesterday and I quickly realized that I had no way to carry water, phone, keys, etc. Luckily my BF stayed at the trailhead with the trailer.

I ride in a Sensation dressage trail saddle. It has plenty of D-rings for attaching stuff, but I have no idea what type/size of pack to buy.

Recommendations? I don’t want to carry tons of stuff, just a little for shorter, 3-4 hour rides at the most.

Is it okay for cantle bags to rest directly on the horse’s back? My saddle pad doesn’t extend more than an inch or so behind my saddle.

~Kristin
Hillsboro, OH
Rivas Andalusians

[JollyBadger]

Hi neighbor - I just drove through Hillsboro, OH on the way to Paint Creek State Park to ride today.:yes:

As far as trail/saddle bags, the Stowaway bags for English-type saddles are great for day rides. It fits more “snug” around the shape of the saddle rather than draping across the sides of the horse, so there is minimal bouncing or shifting during the ride. Lots of pockets, room for water bottles and other things - plenty for a 2-4 hour ride.

Happy trails!

[callidorre]

Action Rider Tack sells some English saddle bags. They’ve got the stowaway ones mentioned above.

http://www.actionridertack.com/c-250-english-saddle-bags.aspx

One of these days I’ll buy some english saddle bags, but I have a trail pad for my english saddle and it works great. It has deep pockets on both sides that buckle shut with seperate pockets on top of the deeper pocket for drinks. I think the pad is actually shaped for a dressage saddle but I use it just fine with my close contact.

I’m pretty sure this is the pad I have.
http://jtidist.com/product_info.php?cPath=2_11353&products_id=13117

[sonata]

I use a fanny pack for my phone and keys along with my ID. I bought an insulated lunch bag from Wal Mart for around $4. It is about 8 inches high and 4 inches wide, large enough for a drink and sandwich. It has a handle on it to put over your saddle horn or a clip to attach to your english saddle. I also have a pocket saddle pad for things like my camera and some first aid stuff.

[PletchersMom]

I use a stowaway brand easy boot bag to put stuff in and clip to my saddle. It was $15 at equine affair. And my phone goes on me.

[JollyBadger]

[QUOTE=PletchersMom;6495442]
I use a stowaway brand easy boot bag to put stuff in and clip to my saddle. It was $15 at equine affair. And my phone goes on me.[/QUOTE]

Yep - anything you may need in case you and your horse accidentally “part company” while on the trail - things like a cell phone, keys to your truck, etc. - should be on you somewhere.

I’ve seen some people use fanny packs. In cooler weather, I wear a fleece vest with zippered pockets for my phone.

There is also the “ankle safe,” which (I think) is made by Cashel. It’s just a little pouch that wraps around your ankle and has plenty of room for phone, keys, pocket knife, etc.

I used to have one, and it worked out pretty well, but it wore out kind of quickly.

[GotMyPony]

For the “on your body” equipment I highly recommend the “travel vest” by Magellan.com. It weighs only 6 ounces so it’s comfortable even on the hottest days. It has lots of pockets, most with zippers or velcro. You can fit a lot of stuff in it and it still looks “sleek,” not puffed up like the fisherman style vests. Plenty of room for phone, keys, granola bar, horse treats, chapstick, trail maps, etc. It’s sized unisex so order smaller than you think.

FWIW I’ve used both cantle bags and pommel bags - I find the pommel bags more convenient for finding and removing what you’re looking while still moving forward vs. having to twist around in the saddle. My brand is Snugpax and I got them from Running Bear Tack http://www.runningbear.com

Enjoy the trails!

[tabula_rashah]

I have the Snugpax Camera Bag for my black forest and barefoot saddles. Although it says camera bag, it actually holds quite a bit more without being big and bulky and is really nice for having maps handy. I keep a knife, a hoof pick, a piece of baling twine, chapstick, a roll of vet wrap, a little first aid kit, some horse treats and a snack for me in mine. Then I have my truck key and my cell phone in a leg holder that’s on me and I have a insulated water bottle holder that hangs off my saddle.

[candysgirl]

I do endurance rides with my Snugpax. They’re well made and I abuse mine pretty regularly. I usually just use a pommel one with the two water bottle holders, but I have a cantle one as well. My short backed Arab isn’t a huge fan of cantle bags since they rest on his flanks so I don’t use that one as often.

[Hawleyite]

Another vote for Snugpax. Lots of different styles and extremely well made!!!

[spookhorse]

Snugpax here, too! I have both cantle and pommel bags and use one or both depending on length and location of the ride

[sophie]

They do look interesting. But are they really sturdy?
I had a nylon front pak for my English saddle, that attached with a clip to the D-rings of the saddle, had many zippered pockets and held my camera, sunscreen etc., and a water bottle as well. It was very convenient…until the clip broke on the 2nd day of our trek.

Now I’d like to find a genuine LEATHER front pack…but so far, no luck.

For all papers and essential things such as a cell phone, I use a fanny pack in summer, otherwise it goes in my jacket / vest.

[spookhorse]

I’ve put several hundred miles on mine since I bought them several years ago. I throw them in the washer about once a year and they still look pretty good.

You can respray them with Camp Dry every so often if you want to keep some of the water out if you are prone to getting rained on in your travels. I think they are waterproof to a point when you get them

[candysgirl]

I beat the snot out of my Snugpax. They still look nearly new.