homemade saddle bags

robtaylor · Post by **robtaylor** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 4:21 am

sorry for the huge size

read more on my website

KRUSTYburger · Post by **KRUSTYburger** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 4:31 pm

sweet... I like the reflective stripes, where'd you get those? I had to buy one of those reflective vests & cut them off of it. It is kinda hard to see cuz the pics are very large, but if you have a PC you can right click and select view image to see 'em better.

Quo Vadimus · Post by **Quo Vadimus** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 5:25 pm

And where'd you get the heat-resistant material?

Post by **ericalm** » Sat Mar 29, 2008 10:03 pm

I've been saying for 2 years I was going to design and make my own saddlebags. So far, I've made a cup holder and nothing else.

Great job! And congrats! I'm sure you'll be getting requests for some custom-made bags soon.

Can you give some idea about the materials, time and so on that went into making these?

robtaylor · Post by **robtaylor** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 3:11 am

hey eric thanks, i made them out of duck cloth sort of like canvas. i wanted a material that was easy to work with and not cost prohibitive. i knew if i added the nikwax in the wash then i wouldn't have to worry about a water-proof material.
I just kind of made up the dimensions before i did it which pretty much told me what my pattern was going to be like.
i'd say i spent 8-10 hrs max on them all together. there are some parts that i need to do over again and i've probably got another hour of work. of course there was a learning curve as i am fairly new to sewing stuff.

we have 2 fabric stores around here hancock's and joann
in addition to the duck cloth (from joann*) my main material
i used nylon webbing (hancock's is higher quality heavier stuff)
i used a reflective ribbon(also from hancock's and come in yellow and silver also)
i used ironing board cover for the heat resistant parts (joann*)
i used plastic cam buckles with reflectors in them (joann)
i used zipper chain (joann)
the asterisks are things i could have gotten at either store.

i have found that wal mart sells a canvas with pvc backing i've found it easy to sew and for plain black or a few other colors that would have been my choice for the main material as it is stronger and waterproof but it is a little heavier also.

does that help?

not a whole lot of thought went into these it was really a trial and error type thing.

Post by **ericalm** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 6:03 am

Ironing board cover material—brilliant!

My problem with many of my projects is that I over-design them far beyond my ability to actually produce them. My saddlebag designs are pretty ambitious and my wife doesn't seem too inclined to do all the sewing for me. I used the sewing machine... once... didn't go as planned.

robtaylor · Post by **robtaylor** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 7:18 pm

yeah i really had to look at this as a tutorial more than anything else, i knew no matter how bad the bags turned out i was learning a lot and having a good time seeing my design come to life.

start with something simple then when you have more confidence you can do the more complex projects with more expensive materials like cordura and neoprene etc. (though i've noticed when you start using the expensive materials you aren't saving a lot of money in fact sometimes it costs more to make it than to buy something pre-made. it depends on how custom you want it.

Post by **ericalm** » Sun Mar 30, 2008 8:43 pm

robonz23 wrote:yeah i really had to look at this as a tutorial more than anything else, i knew no matter how bad the bags turned out i was learning a lot and having a good time seeing my design come to life.

start with something simple then when you have more confidence you can do the more complex projects with more expensive materials like cordura and neoprene etc. (though i've noticed when you start using the expensive materials you aren't saving a lot of money in fact sometimes it costs more to make it than to buy something pre-made. it depends on how custom you want it.

Yeah, my whole thing, more than the expense, is that no one makes the bags I would want. I did get the cheapie $10 bags someone posted—the ATV bags which can be joined as saddle bags. I plan on customizing those with reflective tape, etc.