Carradice Safari Barley 9L Saddlebag

The Carradice Safari Barley 9L Saddlebag is a limited edition release of a much-loved bag, designed with long distance routes in mind. It’s durable, weatherproof, can carry enough for a two-day audax and its look plays to the brand’s ‘rich history in cycle travel’.

> Buy now: Carradice Safari Barley 9L Saddlebag for £99.95 from Carradice

If you want to really immerse yourself in the safari aesthetic on offer here, you can pair the Barley with Carradice’s Earby Safari Handlebar Bag (full review to come). Load both of them onto a suitably retro steel bike and the look positively hollers ‘heritage’.

They are both being offered as a limited edition release, and Carradice says it has made around 70-80 of each model. You would presume this is a market test and if it proves popular it might be rolled out as a permanent offering. There is no limit on how many Carradice plans to produce, according to its head of business development.

If you’re familiar with the existing Barley range then there is not a lot to surprise you here. The price is the same as the cotton-duck model, but this Safari doesn’t come with an identical 100 per cent waterproof promise.

You do get the same array of D-rings for extra luggage and the leather loop for an LED light. The only noticeable variation I can see are the poppers instead of buckles used to fasten pockets, and the fabric liner inside.

I’m not a big fan of the illustrated mapping liner but you can see the pictures and make up your own mind. I’d rather have a plain fabric and ditch the sketchy illustration.

Surfing Safari

Before you head out with the Barley, you need to get it mounted on your bike. One option is to use the three leather straps to secure this to your saddle and seatpost. It is much easier to do this if you have saddle loops, but if you don’t, Carradice sells a set that will attach to most saddles for £14.95.

I moved my old Brooks saddle onto a steel bike and gave the Barley an evening run to the coast with no support rack. It proved to be way more stable than I expected with a moderate load. There was not a hint of wobble, and no knocking whatsoever at the back of my legs.

It’s not all good news. Attaching the bag this way does hold it at a strange angle that makes it less easy to view and access kit. And it also rendered the leather light loop slightly redundant. It left my rear light pointing at the road rather than at approaching cars.

After almost 10 years of riding with a Carradice Super C, I wouldn’t dream of using this kind of saddle bag without a saddle support. The standard Carradice Bagman Sport will cost you an additional £49.95, while the Carradice Bagman Quick Release Saddle Bag Support comes with a £79.95 price tag.

If you don’t have saddle loops, I would budget for the more expensive option. I struggled to loop the newer leather straps around my saddle rails on my Condor Fratello and had to use older, more flexible straps taken from my elderly Super C.

I am a big fan of the Quick Release system because it makes it so much easier to take all your kit with you when you make a cafe or overnight stop.

First ride out

“Nice bags, man,” came the voice from behind me. I was over halfway through a 200k ride through the lanes of Somerset and Dorset, and who should overtake me but road.cc’s Dave Atkinson. You can see that encounter here at 5:50.

As I told Dave before he vanished into the distance, there’s more than just heritage aesthetic with this bag. It is a great piece of kit that allows you to access everything easily. And those side pockets really help with organisation: I use one for repair kit and the other for snacks and first aid.

The inner compartment is impressively large and could easily carry all the kit I need for a two-day, 600k ride. There is an internal support system here that keeps its shape on the bike and gives your kit an added level of protection from water splashing up from the road.

I’ve used this in very rainy conditions and while it might not come with Carradice’s ‘100% Waterproof’ rating, I didn’t notice any water ingress whatsoever, even after a solid hour’s downpour on one particularly stormy night ride.

I’m less of a fan of the side pocket studs. I much prefer straps that give you a little more flexibility with how much you can store inside each one.

And the main buckles to close the lid feel just a little flimsy to me. I’m used to the super-tough straps that you get on a Super C that allow you to overfill a bag and cinch everything in tightly. This can can be really useful when you’re dealing with wet kit or trying to stash a few layers of clothing. I get that leather buckles are a different proposition, but these also don’t seem quite as robust as those on older Carradice models I have inspected.

Would I buy this?

I would absolutely buy a Barley. This is one of Carradice’s most-loved products. The number of ancient Carradice bags I see on rides is testament to the length of service you can expect from one of its products.

I also love the look of the Barley paired with the Earby bar bag. I’ve mounted them on my traditional steel audax bike and they’ve had plenty of comments.

But if I was in the market for a Barley by itself, I would opt for the more traditional green or black models that come with straps on the pockets and a 100 per cent waterproof promise.

Value for money

I personally think that the traditional Barley bag is a marginally better product for the reasons outlined above. It comes at the same price, and for that reason I think it offers slightly better value for money. You can also find a cheaper vegan-friendly version for £94.99.

There are plenty of cheaper saddlebag options that do not require an additional support system, like the Zefal Z Adventure R11 at £67.99. These can work really well but they do make it harder to find kit that you stored at the very bottom of these bags and, for that reason, I tend to avoid using them.

> Easy and effective ways to carry stuff on your bike

And there are a number of options that require their own carrying system. You could opt for the ‘beautifully made’ but hugely expensive Tailfin Carbon AeroPack (£299) that Dave reviewed in 2022. Or you could look at more affordable models such as the Topeak DryBag that I tested at £89.99. Its support system costs an extra £56.99.

For real alternatives, I would turn to Carradice’s own products. If you are in the market for a saddlebag for long distance cycling then its Super C Audax bags are slightly cheaper at £89.95. I’ve been using one for most of my audax career in conjunction with a Bagman Support Rack and I couldn’t recommend them highly enough. It is super robust, weatherproof and incredibly stable on the bike. It’s a perfect option for long distance day rides.

For other luggage options, check out our guide to the best racks and panniers.

Conclusion

The Safari Barley is a great piece of kit with a really striking look that performs very well on long day rides. It promises years of good service, and at this price point and niche, I feel it is bettered only by Carradice’s existing products in terms of both functionality and value for money. It’s a great product, if not quite as good as the original Barley, for the reasons outlined above.

But if the heritage look is for you then this bag will not disappoint, and it holds the promise of a lifetime of great cycling adventures.

> Buy now: Carradice Safari Barley 9L Saddlebag for £99.95 from Carradice

Verdict

Fantastic piece of kit that is durable, weatherproof and built to deliver on long distance rides

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