The rain let up this morning, and it was nice and cool here in Virginia, so I took the opportunity to go for a short trail ride around home and take along my new big Smith and Edwards saddle bags for a test drive…er ride.

As I wrote in a previous post, the bags are made of woven nylon, a material sometimes known as “Iron Cloth”. This stuff has a reputation for being as close to indestructible as you can get. I have friends who have pack paniers made of this stuff. They tell me a horse can’t hurt it, you can’t stain it, and you can wash anything that gets on it away with plain old water, including blood. I have always been partial to canvas and leather, but I have to admit, this stuff is tougher, lasts longer, and stays cleaner. The only drawback I can find, is that it looks sort of “space-age” sitting there behind my saddle. Then again, I’ll bet any old cowboy back in the day would give his eyeteeth for a set of paniers made of this stuff.

I was a little concerned about the size, which is 12 X 12 X 6″. They are shown as “Extra Large” on the tag. The largest canvas saddle bags I have seen offered were 12 X 14 X 4, but I didn’t care for the nylon straps and plastic buckles they had.  I find the flat-braid nylon straps some other saddle bags have are too limp and hard to work with from the saddle or with gloved hands. As for plastic buckles, I simply don’t like them. I’ve had some break on other kinds of camping gear (and they normally can’t be replaced) and I also find them difficult to handle with gloved hands. These Smith and Edwards bags have heavy bridle leather straps and steel buckles, which I prefer.

As you can see from the pictures, These saddle bags hang well from the saddle. They have heavy grommets for saddle strings to pass through and tie behind the cantle. You have the choice of a D-ring or a grommet lower down, where the cantle meets the seat jockey. Once these saddle bags are tied in place, they will stay. You won’t have a problem with them sagging off to one side, although, if they aren’t balanced, they could pull your saddle off to the side.

Some folks prefer the nylon or cordura saddle bag outfits that have everything compartmented in zippered pockets and bags. My personal preference is simple, old fashioned, saddle bags. I find that with the zippered pockets, I tend to stuff too much stuff in them. Then when I need something, like, say, a jacket or a slicker, I have to unzip then rummage and pull, until I end up pulling a bunch of other stuff out with the jacket and it ends up on the ground. With regular saddle bags, I fill my bags with things like first-aid kits, lunch, snacks, hoof boots, binoculars, cameras, and light stuff I might need to have to hand while riding. I always tie my slicker and jacket on behind the cantle, easy to reach in time of need by simply pulling the bow on my saddle strings.

I have, on one occasion, tied my bedroll on behind my cantle. I don’t like to do that, but on a simple overnighter without a pack horse, it can be done. I would recommend a light summer sleeping bag for that, though, due to size. I can see where one of the cordura zippered compartment outfits might be nice in that case, where you could stuff the sleeping bag into the cantle bag portion. My preference, however, is to put the bedroll on a pack animal, even for short two-three day trips.

All-in-all I think these Smith and Edwards saddle bags I bought are going to do the trick just right for our Mexico-to-Canada trip, and many other pack trips.

I was able to test out another piece of new gear I bought while I was in Arizona. I bought a military surplus two-quart water bladder. These new-style military canteens looked like they might do well hanging on the side of a saddle for a pack trip or just for a day ride. I have used, as a matter of preference and availability (that’s what I had at hand), the old style round canteens with the indian blanket sides and metal band around them to protect the plastic canteen. I have had a number of them crushed and broken by horses rubbing them against trees. I have learned never to leave my canteen hanging on the saddle while the horse is standing tied. The last one I had, I removed the steel band and the indian blanket and wrapped it in rawhide. It lasted for many years, but recently sprung a leak. So, I decided I’d try something new.

As you can see, the military surplus canteen hangs well on the side of my saddle. Dad and I have found that a canteen hangs best by hooking the strap around the cantle, such that one sits on the strap, as you see in the photo. This places the canteen behind the leg and out of the way. It rides well on the horse and doesn’t get in the way up front or bang on your knee while trotting or climbing ascents. This canteen has a thin, but strong nylon webbing strap that cannot be felt while seated on it. The strap is adjustable and can be fit to hang the canteen exactly where you want it. I found I liked to hang it with the mouth pointing back. When I had it pointing forward I occasionally felt it contact the back of my thigh.

The one surprise I got with this canteen, which shouldn’t have been a surprise at all, was when I took my first drink. This is a soft canteen, a plastic bladder, and you can’t hold it like a regular canteen while removing the top. It will simply spill water all over you. You have to sit it on your hand, supporting it from the bottom, while opening it and drinking from it, like you would a water bag. As you use water, the bag becomes thinner. When empty it can be stuffed in a saddle bag, out of the way. Pretty handy.

One other little handy option these canteens offer, is that some have a fitting for a water tube, like a cammelback, in the lid. If you would like to buy or order one of these, decide first whether a water tube is an option you want, then make sure the one you get has a lid with the fitting. I don’t intend to use a water tube, but the fitting doesn’t get in the way at all and has its own tab to keep it covered.

 

The carry bag is made of nylon, like most modern military surplus bags of any kind. Tough, light, handy. The bag has a small pocket with a velcro closure for purification tablets, which I though was a handy thing. I normally have to dig through my saddle bag to find my small bottle of tablets. The strap, as I mentioned, is nylon webbing. It is adjustable and has a snap on one end. On the back of the bag are the military-style belt hooks, for hanging the canteen on a military-style belt. These hooks work equally well for hanging the canteen on any type of belt or strap, provided it isn’t too thick. You can get the bags and straps in tan, olive drab, or either color of camouflage, to suit your taste.

I found the military surplus canteen, at $15.00, including the carry bag and strap, to be a good value. The one shown on the saddle was bought from a military surplus store in Pinetop, Arizona. I ordered the green one from an on-line store on ebay and paid $7.99, but with shipping came out only little less than the store-bought one.

So, two more pieces of gear added to my outfit.

I just received a set of “Modified Arches” for my first effort at building a Decker-style pack saddle from Mr. Bork at Bork Saddlery Hardware, along with several antique saddle horns he threw in. Stay tuned for more on them.