I am a great fan of Carradice bags and have several… a bit of a collection, even.

This is my favourite, made sometime from the late 1940s to 1960, when they moved from Leeds Road to North Street:[IMG] Carradice saddlebag - mid-1940s to 1960 / Leeds Road works by Dawes-man, on Flickr[/IMG]

Then this one, from the early to mid-60s, after they moved to North Street:
[IMG] Carradice saddlebag - early to mid-1960s, North Street works. by Dawes-man, on Flickr[/IMG]

Then this one, from the late 60s, early 70s:
[IMG] Carradice saddlebag - late 1960s to mid-1970s, North Street works. by Dawes-man, on Flickr[/IMG]

This is a late 70s bag:
[IMG] Carradice saddlebag - late 1970s, North Street works. by Dawes-man, on Flickr[/IMG]

And my newest one, bought new in Tokyo about 8 years ago:
[IMG] Peugeot PX60 by Dawes-man, on Flickr[/IMG]

Some people like using them without any support but you will find them easier to load with. I've used the old Brooks support, like this:
[IMG] IMG_7648 by Dawes-man, on Flickr[/IMG]

… but it twists and you need something to stop it gouging the metal. The present day Carradice support, the Bagman, works very well but is really heavy. My favourite support is the Lloyd, like this one on eBay (don't take any notice of the stupid price - they typically go for around £20). They're simple and effective.

If I was buying a new Carradice today, the first thing I would do is remove the ugly leather patch with the metal badge on it. Otherwise, they are excellent bags and last forever. They're really cheap 2nd hand, too.

The green bags look great when they get older.