# Saddle Bags for Trail/Camping



## RaigenB (Dec 12, 2012)

Hello, I plan to be getting a horse possibly sometime next year and plan to trail ride. I've seen saddles that have saddle bags on them and I assume those are attachments you can put on the saddle? They seem like they could be useful.

How much do they usually cost? Does anyone have one and a pic of it that they wouldn't mind sharing or any info at all about them? Thanks!


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

It varies, depending on many factors-size, material,insulation. You might want to take a walk around a tack store, check some things out on ebay. That will give you a feel for prices & what's out there. Don't get too far ahead of yourself on accessories until you have the riding down pat.Have you done much riding?


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## RaigenB (Dec 12, 2012)

Oh ok, will do. And I wasn't gonna buy any if that just yet, justwwanted some info about them.

And yes I've done some riding too, hopefully a little more once spring rolls around.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I'm not a big fan of large saddle bags, Especially those that flop when a horse is at a canter or trot. I prefer more the snug fitting type of cantle bags.

For most afternoon ride, I can easily fit enough stuff into a good secure cantle bag that has water holders on the two ends. You can put a baggy of basic 1st aid supplies, a few matches, a space blanket and several granola bars, jerky or even a can of peaches in the cantle area. Two water bottles on the ends and you are good to go and your horse will be happier with out the floppy bags bouncing on his kidneys.

When Hunting season comes around, I do use the traditional saddle bags. Mainly because I carrying so much more stuff for hunting. Knives, Binoculars, meat bags, extra clothing because of the fall weather, spare ammo for the guns, etc. But I rarely ask the horses for faster speeds during those rides. Because they are already being worked hard because of the extra weight.

When I go camping, I don't pack my camp gear on my riding horse. I'm a big guy and feel that I'm already pushing my horses limits to carry me across the mountains for 8 hours. So I bring along an extra pack horse and load the sleeping bags, tents, food, cooking equipment, spare cloths etc on the pack horse. You can usually get 2-3 peoples gear on 1 pack horse.

The traditional leather saddles bags look great. But I just don't find them as functional as some other choices. And they definitely are not cheap.









Look at the black horse, with the blue cantle bag. I have my lunch inside. Two water bottles and a rain slicker all tied to the back of the cantle. The look at the grey horse with the black corudra saddle bags that flop against the horses flanks.









There is a time and place for each product. You can not buy them all to start with ( unless you are richer than most of us). The cordura Nylon bags are cheaper. Very servicable, easy to clean and low maintenance. They don't offer the look that you probably want in the show ring or parade, But they work great for trail riding.


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## RaigenB (Dec 12, 2012)

Thanks! And I didn't know there were different types or names, saddle bag was the only one I knew of
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## jamesqf (Oct 5, 2009)

Painted Horse said:


> For most afternoon ride, I can easily fit enough stuff into a good secure cantle bag that has water holders on the two ends.


Don't suppose you'd know of a place on-line to buy such a bag? I've been looking for one, but can only find either the cheap sausage-style ones like I have, or too-large insulated things.



> When I go camping, I don't pack my camp gear on my riding horse. I'm a big guy and feel that I'm already pushing my horses limits to carry me across the mountains for 8 hours.


Yeah. Sometimes I look at her legs, and just can't understand how she manages to haul me around - and without much complaining, either


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I use one like this. I like the buckles and straps to attach a jacket or rain slicker
Wind Rider Tack - Endurance and Trail Tack Supply
EZ Ride Stowaway Saddle Sports Packs


Here is a different brand that I have no tried.

EasyCare Stowaway Western Cantle Saddlebag

Look at website that sell to the Endurance and CTR crowd, Those folks like this type of saddle bag because of all the trotting they do.


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## RaigenB (Dec 12, 2012)

Painted Horse said:


> I use one like this. I like the buckles and straps to attach a jacket or rain slicker
> Wind Rider Tack - Endurance and Trail Tack Supply
> EZ Ride Stowaway Saddle Sports Packs
> 
> ...


Thanks for these


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

I too use Stowaway packs on the pommels of both my saddles. I have found I like having the bag in front of me, as I am often not coordinated enough to turn around and ruffle thru bags at a trot on trail like I can if they are in front of me.


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## goneriding (Jun 6, 2011)

We have the junior set but hubby felt the need to also buy the original(larger)pommel bags. We rarely use the saddle bags. They are holding up well!

TrailMax Junior Saddlebag System-Outfitters Supply


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## thenrie (Sep 10, 2012)

Like has been said, a lot depends on what you're going to be doing. There are a lot of variations of what is commonly called "trail riding". For me, trail riding means a loooong ride in the mountains. That means I have to carry food, maybe for multiple days, flashlight, gloves, maybe a small first-aid kit, and any number of other odds and ends. While I love leather, leather saddle bags of any decent quality will set you back anywhere from $80-$150. I like canvas bags. They last forever and are very water resistant. I like a large set, in the 10X12" range. I don't do any cantering on the trial, so I don't worry about flopping against the horse's kidneys. I have had occasion, though, when a faster gait was necessary and the horse didn't seem to mind that much, for a short burst, but it is rather ungainly for a long canter.

My father tried one of those full-outfit cantle bags that has saddlebags and a large zippered bag for a sleeping bag or coat, etc. He really didn't like it much. Wasn't as versatile as our large canvas bags. Also, the canvas seems to be more durable than the nylon. Just my experience.

The canvas saddlebags in the photo are about 40 years old, and have suffered through hundreds, if not thousands, of trail miles. I have to admit, we don't take good care of them either. Tough bags.


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## TheOtherHorse (Aug 5, 2012)

I like the slim no-bounce type of saddle bags like Painted Horse mentioned. 

My favorite brand is Snug-Pax ( Search results for: Snug Pax,saddle packs and bags,horse,english saddle bag,english pommel bag. )
They offer so many different designs for different saddles, and they will customize packs to suit your needs or preferences.

I also like Stowaway bags from EasyCare.


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## goneriding (Jun 6, 2011)

Hey Raigen, you overwhelmed yet? Hahaha! A lot to take in for sure.


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## RaigenB (Dec 12, 2012)

goneriding said:


> Hey Raigen, you overwhelmed yet? Hahaha! A lot to take in for sure.


Haha just a little! But it's stuff I need to know so it's all good


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## RaigenB (Dec 12, 2012)

thenrie said:


> Like has been said, a lot depends on what you're going to be doing. There are a lot of variations of what is commonly called "trail riding". For me, trail riding means a loooong ride in the mountains. That means I have to carry food, maybe for multiple days, flashlight, gloves, maybe a small first-aid kit, and any number of other odds and ends. While I love leather, leather saddle bags of any decent quality will set you back anywhere from $80-$150. I like canvas bags. They last forever and are very water resistant. I like a large set, in the 10X12" range. I don't do any cantering on the trial, so I don't worry about flopping against the horse's kidneys. I have had occasion, though, when a faster gait was necessary and the horse didn't seem to mind that much, for a short burst, but it is rather ungainly for a long canter.
> 
> My father tried one of those full-outfit cantle bags that has saddlebags and a large zippered bag for a sleeping bag or coat, etc. He really didn't like it much. Wasn't as versatile as our large canvas bags. Also, the canvas seems to be more durable than the nylon. Just my experience.
> 
> The canvas saddlebags in the photo are about 40 years old, and have suffered through hundreds, if not thousands, of trail miles. I have to admit, we don't take good care of them either. Tough bags.


Do you have a website I could visit? sounds like a good bag! And also, when I said trail riding, I meant like maybe a walk through our woods, no long trips. At least not yet! A whole weekend of camping and trail riding with horses sounds amazing!


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## thenrie (Sep 10, 2012)

I think we bought ours through Colorado Saddlery, but that was about 40 years ago when we had a tack dealership in North Carolina and Colorado Saddlery was one of our suppliers. I haven't seen saddlebags like ours in many years, but there are some around that are similar. Most are a bit smaller than ours. You might query "canvas saddlebags" on Google and see what you get. 

I have seen a some with a single closure strap. I like bags with two straps, because I normally leave the front one loose. The rear strap keeps the bag closed - keeps sticks, pine needles, and water out - but I can still reach into it and grab a candy bar or what-not without having to mess with a buckle. That's handy when you have one hand on the reins and the other on a lead rope of your pack horse.

Also, I have found that some smaller bags hang a bit too high, making it tough to get into them when you have a coat and slicker tied behind the cantle. I never go out into the mountains without my coat tied on. You just never know what might happen. It's sure nice to have a coat if you get stranded overnight.

And yes, making a long pack trip is one of the best things in life...at least for me. Even an overnighter with horses is a wonderful thing. Head out, ride a while, find a nice camp, spend the night, and ride back the next day. You don't even need a pack horse for that...just big saddlebags!.


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## AnnaHalford (Mar 26, 2012)

We are doing the same kind of riding that thenrie is talking about. My boyfriend, who´s a big guy, uses the Stowaway set that Phantomhorse has in her photo. He gets in a water bottle, spare socks and t-shirt, snack, a waterproof, and ID. 
I use these ones : ORTLIEB Produkt-Details

Took a long time to find but they are working out very well. They sit over the saddle blanket so no rubbing. I changed the attachments from an ´X´of straps just behind the saddle to four small straps with clips that attach directly to the rings behind the cantle. There is a belly strap which virtually stops all flapping - if kept properly adjusted it´s no more cumbersome when moving through brush than the second cincha on a roping saddle. My mare, who is not the most level-headed at all times, doesn´t have any problem if she brushes the pack against a tree and it pulls against her belly. It´s attached by a clip to a ring on her girth. 
I carry a human and equine first aid kit, waterproof, our papers, our lunch for the day, my diary, the map when we´re not needing it, water bottle, and even a small computer. 
Quick photo of them on the horse, the first time out (the slack that you can see in the belly straps is now gone, since I adjusted it and sewed up the loose part) :


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## RaigenB (Dec 12, 2012)

How cool! 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## thenrie (Sep 10, 2012)

I like the look of that mare, Anna. I also like the look of that McClellan saddle. I have messaged you to try to find out who the maker is and about how much it set you back.


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

I like a cantle bag. Less bulk. But then I'm not out for a looooong ride. Really importand stuff, like the satellite emergency thingie, phone and ID and limited first aide items I carry in a very small fanny pack attached to me just in case horse and rider part company.
Thenrie...I was going to ask the same thing re: Anna's saddle as to where it came from.


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## RaigenB (Dec 12, 2012)

AnnaHalford said:


> We are doing the same kind of riding that thenrie is talking about. My boyfriend, who´s a big guy, uses the Stowaway set that Phantomhorse has in her photo. He gets in a water bottle, spare socks and t-shirt, snack, a waterproof, and ID.
> I use these ones : ORTLIEB Produkt-Details
> 
> Took a long time to find but they are working out very well. They sit over the saddle blanket so no rubbing. I changed the attachments from an ´X´of straps just behind the saddle to four small straps with clips that attach directly to the rings behind the cantle. There is a belly strap which virtually stops all flapping - if kept properly adjusted it´s no more cumbersome when moving through brush than the second cincha on a roping saddle. My mare, who is not the most level-headed at all times, doesn´t have any problem if she brushes the pack against a tree and it pulls against her belly. It´s attached by a clip to a ring on her girth.
> ...


I see you're going without a bit. I always thought that would be interesting to do. How do you teach your horse to go without one?


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## thenrie (Sep 10, 2012)

Ahhhh! Here you go. One of my favorite pictures of one of my favorite trips. This is lunch break at Big Lake up in the White Mountains of Arizona on the fifth day of a trip with my dad and oldest son. Elevation is 9,000 feet. This is how we celebrated my son's graduation from college, just before he entered med school.


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## RaigenB (Dec 12, 2012)

thenrie said:


> Ahhhh! Here you go. One of my favorite pictures of one of my favorite trips. This is lunch break at Big Lake up in the White Mountains of Arizona on the fifth day of a trip with my dad and oldest son. Elevation is 9,000 feet. This is how we celebrated my son's graduation from college, just before he entered med school.


What a cool pic! Sounds like a fun trip


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## AnnaHalford (Mar 26, 2012)

thenrie said:


> I like the look of that mare, Anna. I also like the look of that McClellan saddle. I have messaged you to try to find out who the maker is and about how much it set you back.


I did message you back with the details, thenrie. The saddle is by a French saddler, Malibaud. He makes about three models of saddle only, and offers a limited choice of rigging (double, v-adjustable, buckle, latigo etc.). They are really light, due in no small part to the tree, which is the same composite fibre that they make competition canoes out of. Ours set us back the best part of 2k euros, all included except stirrups because we had those. My boyfriend's saddle has a custom tree, too (larger). We are v happy with them.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## RaigenB (Dec 12, 2012)

AnnaHalford- Could those packs fit on a draft horse?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## thenrie (Sep 10, 2012)

I have a McClellan saddle that dates back to the mid 1860s, from what I have been able to find from several reliable sources. The leather was pretty bad in places and had stitching coming loose at seams. It was not an actual military saddle, but a commercial copy, so it had little actual historical or collector value (they were a dime-a-dozen, so to speak). I stripped it down and am in the process of reinforcing the tree and intend to restore it to as close to original as I can. 

I like the way your saddles look and like the way the accouterments fit to it (snaps on the saddle bags, etc). Looks very convenient and light for a long trip. I wonder whether they are better on the horse's back than a western saddle for a long ride. Good question for another thread, I suppose.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

When I rode on a cattle drive we used the pantleg from a pair of jeans. Tie one end shut, fill it then tie the other end shut. Worked for me. For shorter rides I'd turn a jacket inside out, tie one end, stuff a few things in there and tie the other end.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I use the pant legs for my rain jackets. Take an old jean pant leg, Pull your slicker inside the pant leg and then tie it on behind the saddle. The deniem protects the slicker from twigs and other grabby branches when you ride through the thick stuff.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

If you spray the pantleg with Scorchguard it will waterproof it as well.


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## AnnaHalford (Mar 26, 2012)

RaigenB said:


> AnnaHalford- Could those packs fit on a draft horse?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Yes. They come with many many different straps to fit on all kinds of saddles, and very detailed pictorial instructions (which somehow manage to be more complicated because they´re so detailed... :lol. 

They have a firm foam backing on the side which touches the horse, and as you can see I take care to make sure they´re on the blanket so as not to rub the flanks. I don´t exceed 5 or 6 pounds in each (and that gets lighter during the day) and since we move at a walk there´s no problems with bouncing and we haven´t had any lumps or bumps from pressure. They can also be used as pommel bags and go in front of the leg (yes, really) so it´s possible to change their position if they did rub or otherwise bother the horse). 

They are also pretty everything-proof (there´s an inner and an outer drawstring closure, plus the ´lid´part itself) and the material is very strong and hasn´t yet got the slightest nick on it from pushing brush or trees. 

If I do have one complaint, it´d be that there´s no little inner pocket (for small things which otherwise settle under everything else). But I´m sewing one in so this is really very minor...


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## AnnaHalford (Mar 26, 2012)

thenrie said:


> I have a McClellan saddle that dates back to the mid 1860s, from what I have been able to find from several reliable sources. The leather was pretty bad in places and had stitching coming loose at seams. It was not an actual military saddle, but a commercial copy, so it had little actual historical or collector value (they were a dime-a-dozen, so to speak). I stripped it down and am in the process of reinforcing the tree and intend to restore it to as close to original as I can.
> 
> I like the way your saddles look and like the way the accouterments fit to it (snaps on the saddle bags, etc). Looks very convenient and light for a long trip. I wonder whether they are better on the horse's back than a western saddle for a long ride. Good question for another thread, I suppose.


We looked at a lot of saddles for the trip. We wanted a decent surface contact with the horse to spread the weight out, but at the same time a lightish saddle not only because we´re lugging them a lot but also because my boyfriend is a big guy and anything we can do to reduce the weight his horse is carrying is great. The saddler worked off measures and photos to get a decent fit (Luna´s got a much more rounded back than Quillay, my boyfriend´s mare, who is older). They are very carefully made and much better than a lot of the McClellan copies we found on offer commercially. 

As with any saddle, we started small and worked up - our last trip was five days with between 6 and 11 hours in the saddle (which includes the time we were walking too...). We haven´t had any worries with their backs or girths, and although their comfort for the rider is minimal, we don´t have any problems with them either. 

If we hadn´t gone with those ones, we´d probably have gone with another French saddler, Guichard (plenty of stuff on his site if you google it) or with one of the trooper saddle-makers. But because we´re in Europe, it was finally easier to go with the former because we could see them.

Sorry for the thread hijack!


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## thenrie (Sep 10, 2012)

Sounds like you are doing things the smart way. Rather than take up space here on a saddlebags thread, I'll keep contact with you on your blog or facebook page. I'm getting the groundwork done to start a blog for my trip as well.

By the way, for the OP...was it Raigenp? There is a set of saddle paniers and saddlebag set being offered on ebay right now with a "buy it now" price of $189 for the whole set. Not a bad price if they are in the condition the seller indicates, although I don't think he'll get that much for them. They are florescent orange for safety in the woods during hunting season.

A saddle panier set is kind of nice for someone who would like to go horse camping, but doesn't want to go the expense of getting a pack saddle and panier set. With saddle paniers you can put a regular western saddle on the pack horse and throw the panier set over the saddle, then load the paniers with your camp gear. If you only have one horse, you can hike in to your camp leading the packed horse, set up camp, then ride the horse out on day rides, coming back to camp in the evenings, then pack back out when you're done. If you happen to have an extra horse, then you're set to ride in and out and have an extra saddle horse if needed.

They're nice for a hunter as well, because you can ride in on the saddle, then, if you are successful, you can pack your game out in the paniers and walk out leading the packed horse.

Food for thought.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Thats exactly why I use them Henrie.

Hunting we just tie them behind the cantle and unroll them if we shoot something.

Camping we will pack in and let a couple of folks hike in leading the horse. Once camp is set up, We can still all ride because we have saddle for the horses.

Yes there are better ways to pack, But for what I do they work out really sweet.


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## thenrie (Sep 10, 2012)

Painted Horse said:


> Thats exactly why I use them Henrie.
> 
> Hunting we just tie them behind the cantle and unroll them if we shoot something.
> 
> ...


Great way to go...unless you're the one on foot!:lol:


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I have a friend who has several teenage boys who go hunting with us in the fall. It takes all the horses several trips to haul camp up the canyon, So when we park the truck, we send the boys hiking on their way. It's 7 miles up a narrow canyon. We saddle up the horses and load the camp gear and then follow them up. Hiking up the canyon is a small price to pay for a wood stove and cots in a wall tent.

One year those boys got pretty nervous about 4 or 5 miles into their hike. It was black out, no stars or moon. We found them sitting on a rock waiting for us to catch up. They had heard something and it had spooked them badly and they didn't want to go any farther with out their dad. I think it was probably an old cow moseying toward the water. But in the minds of those boys, It was a bear or something.

One of my great memories is leading riding one horse with two pack horses while my young daughters hiked into the Uinta Wilderness. They probably were only 8-11 years old. If one of the girls got tired, I put them in the saddle. But they hiked most of them and next couple of days we had saddles for everybody.


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