Best saddle bags for your road bike: Essential luggage to free up your pockets

The best saddle bag is all about reducing stress; work ran late and the group said they roll out on schedule, no waiting. Your friend sent a route via one of the best cycling apps but you can't remember which one they used and although you've got one of the best bike computers charged and ready to go, the route isn't loaded. The last thing you want to deal with is running around the house grabbing everything you need and stuffing them hurriedly into your back pockets.

You'll want to make sure you have everything you need for self-sufficiency. That means grabbing a mini-pump from our list of the best bike pumps. You'll also want a tool from our list of the best bike multi-tools. Add to those staples a tyre boot, a spare tube, a patch kit, tyre plugs if you are using tubeless tyres, and latex gloves are a good idea in case you have to grab the chain. Having a bike saddle bag lets you keep all that organised and ready to go so you never forget something. 

Life is hard enough and having one of the best saddle bags is one easy way you can simplify. You'll have everything you need ready to go at a moment's notice and you can leave the stress for any number of other pre-ride considerations. Keep reading to see our list of what we think are the best bike saddle bags covering a wide range of use cases. 

The best saddle bags you can buy today

While a single Voile strap allows a hyper-minimalist setup, it does leave scope for things still being jettisoned onto the road or trail if it goes wrong. 

The Orucase Saddle Bag combines the security of a Voile strap, swapping it in in place of traditional velcro, and combining it with a simple pouch. It's an extremely simple setup, and some riders may bemoan the lack of internal organisation, but it is extremely effective.

Check out our Orucase Saddle Bag review to see why we rate it.

Available in a few different sizes, the Evoc Saddle Bag is the middle-volume version with 0.65L of internal capacity. The exterior is made from the same PU coated ripstop nylon used in the brand's backpacks, which is durable and has a bit of weather resistance, too.

Inside, there are mesh pockets to keep your gear organised, and the bag is held in place with three velcro straps, making for faff-free mounting. Beyond the quality finishing, we love the Evoc seat pack because it comes in bright colours rather than the stock standard black or flash yellow.

Scicon’s Roller 2.0 system uses a bracket attached to your saddle rails and the bag clips on with a quarter-turn mount - similar to your cycling computer. The hold is secure, provided the bracket is tight, and the Phantom 230 Roller 2.0 is one of the easiest bags to swap between bikes. To free up a bit of space inside the bag, the Phantom 230 features mounts for two tyre levers on the exterior of the pack.

A zip runs two-thirds of the way around the bag so you don’t have to pull everything out in search of a quick link, though the interior doesn't feature any pockets to keep things separate. The majority of the bag is made from nylon, while the mounting base is 'carbon optic'.

Silca is known for its extremely high-quality gear and the Seat Roll Premio is no exception. Made from waxed canvas, the Silca seat roll has three internal pockets, with enough room for a tube, tyre levers, a multi-tool and a small patch kit - even with that amount you’ll have to pack carefully to make it all fit. 

The pack rolls up and is attached to your bike using a Boa dial, with the cable looping through the seat rails - Silca has included a rail guard to protect lightweight carbon rails. 

Lezyne offers a couple of different seatpack options but if you are looking for a complete set the Lezyne Loaded Caddy Saddle Bag comes with a multi-tool, tyre levers, patches and a tyre boot. Pop a pump in your pocket and you are ready to go.

The pack itself attaches to the saddle rails and seatpost using velcro straps. The pack uses a woven nylon construction and a water-resistant zip to keep wheel spray at bay. Reflective logos add a visibility detail for when being used on dusky rides or commutes.

Arundel calls this bag the Dual because it’s designed to carry two tubes, in addition to the other essentials you need to fix a flat. A single strap loops around the saddle rails and the bag without needing to be anchored to the seatpost.

The zip runs up the middle of the bag and the carrier sits up almost underneath the saddle to offer a small degree of protection from water and grit being flung off your rear wheel. That said, the bag could benefit from a DWR coating or a waterproof exterior fabric. 

The Speedsleev Seatsleev is not your traditional saddle bag; instead, it's a velcro compression strap with slots for all your essentials. It’s actually made up of three velcro straps, with the innermost used to create a pocket for a tube, the middle strap has sleeves for tyre levers, CO2 canisters and the like and the outermost hook and loop secures the whole thing to your saddle rails.

It all lays out flat for easy access to everything and comes with a rain cover to keep your spare tube grit-free. Even though it only attaches to your saddle rails it hangs on tight and is swing free - even over rough terrain. 

Voile is actually a ski brand based in Utah and its trademark orange straps were invented more than thirty years ago as a unique way to keep skis together and attach glueless climbing skins. They are also this writer's preferred way to attach a spare tyre kit to his bikes. 

Traditionally, roadies have used a toe strap to attach spares to the underside of their saddle; a Voile strap performs the same task but does the job better - they work so well in fact that many brands now sell copycat/logo licensed versions. Made from UV-resistance tested rubber these things are tough and neither the strap nor the glass-filled nylon buckle scratch carbon components, meaning they can be used to strap things to your frame, too. 

They come in lengths from six to 32-inches, two widths and enough colours to match any bike.

Brooks is a storied British brand that has quietly made high quality leather goods since the late 1800s. Then a few years ago they came out with the Cambium all-weather saddle and all of a sudden they were almost the definition of hard-wearing gravel cycling. Building off that new brand excitement, Brooks brought the Scape line of bikepacking bags to market and along with it was a little saddle bag. What's interesting about the Brooks Scape Pocket saddle bag is that it's part of a bigger ecosystem. You can strap it to your saddle and leave it there for every ride, just like any other saddle bag, but they've considered more than that. When it's time to go for the bigger rides, you'll need to swap a small saddle bag for something bigger. The Brooks Scape system allows you to strap the pocket bag to other packs in the system with no repacking necessary. 

Ortlieb is all about waterproof performance and the Micro Two is no exception. There is more than one waterproof bag on this list but the Ortlieb Micro Two takes that up another level with an actual IP rating. It's a dry bag style closure that rolls closed and secures. Make sure it makes at least 3 folds and you'll have an IP64 rating that will definitely keep your gear safe. It also manages to achieve this impressive level of protection without using PVC in the design. The only downside you'll want to think about is that the hard mount isn't suitable for a carbon railed saddle. It's a design that keeps velcro away from expensive bib shorts but it's not without drawbacks.  

There's a school of thought that says a road bike should not have anything extra on it ruining the clean and gorgeous aesthetics. It might be silly but if you frequently change bikes, it does actually make sense not to depend on a bike mounted bag. If that's how you feel it doesn't mean you don't have a need for a bike saddle bag it just means you need something that doesn't mount to the bike. That's where the Rapha Essentials case comes in. It does the exact same job as a saddle bag but it goes in your jersey instead of on the bike. Inside there's a zippered pocket on one side plus a bit of inspirational text and an open pocket on the other side. 

There are two sizes but the larger size works best since it extends farther out of the jersey into space you wouldn't otherwise be able to use. You don't save space with the smaller option and things are a little less crowded in the bigger one.  

What should I look for in a saddle bag?