So I decided to visit the folks this past weekend and I found an old sewing machine in the garage. Having lusted for some of the bags on the Riv site, I decided to try and make my own because the Sacksville bags are waaaaay out of my budget. So, with 2 hours of lessons on how to use a sewing machine, and $20 in materials, I had everything needed to create my own bicycle bag (on the cheap, of course).

Here's a shot of the bag on my bike.


Here's a closer look of the inside (tons of extra space for other items):


Now, I know this is nowhere near the quality of the Riv bags, but I had fun designing and sewing the bag. The fabric is a duck canvas, but it's pretty flimsy. I'm going to look for some heavier material in the future....perhaps there is a better grade of canvas that I didn't see. I'm really pleased with the outcome, even though there are some major problem areas. And, I also have enough material to make about 5 more of these bags, or maybe a seat bag and some panniers instead.