Why one $67 leg bag ended four years of borrowed pockets
My Instructor Asked Where I Got My Bag. I'd Been Hiding It Under My Jacket For A Year.
Six things a rider's leg bag gets right that a backpack, a bum bag, and four years of pinned-on pockets got wrong, written down by a customer, not a saddler.
Nancy Brooks · Customer · Melbourne, VIC · 5 min read
I did not buy this because I needed it. I bought it because my phone had slid out of my jacket pocket at the trot for the third time that month, and I was tired of stopping to check the arena fence line for it.
Then in April my instructor pulled me up at the mounting block and asked where I'd gotten "the leg thing." I heard myself explaining it before I'd decided whether I even liked it enough to recommend it. I'd had it six weeks by then and hadn't told a soul.
It's called the Ridebag, made by a small outfit that started in Germany before setting up here in Melbourne. I wrote to them about the conversation at the mounting block, which isn't something I do, and they asked if they could share it. So here it is — the six things this bag gets right.
The buckles sit on your leg, not on your saddle
I learned this the slow way. My last bag had a metal clasp that sat right where my leg meets the saddle flap, and after a season there was a pale scuff mark on the leather that hasn't come out since. The Ridebag's buckles are set higher, along the top of the thigh, so they never once touch the saddle. My tack still looks the way it did the day I bought it.
"I've had this bag catch on my saddle exactly zero times, and I used to expect it every single ride."
Sarah T., Ballina, NSWCanvas that doesn't shine or crinkle
The body is a cotton-and-polyester canvas rather than a shiny synthetic, and the difference matters more than it sounds. It doesn't catch the light at a canter, it doesn't crinkle against your leg at a walk, and it doesn't go stiff and squeaky the way cheap PU does after a few wet rides. It just sits there, quietly, doing its job.
"No shine, no crinkle, and my horse has genuinely stopped side-eyeing it at the mounting block."
Megan H., Bendigo, VICIt doesn't argue with your tack
I wasn't sure about coffee-brown at first — I'd assumed I'd need black to match everything. It turns out the neutral tones go with almost any leather: it doesn't fight with a black saddle, it doesn't look wrong against a natural hide, and it works whether I'm in the english tack or borrowing my sister's western saddle for a trail day.
"It sits right against my coffee-brown saddle like it was made to match it."
Claire D., Toowoomba, QLDYou genuinely stop noticing it's there
It weighs almost nothing empty, and even loaded with a phone, a wallet, and a folded five, it doesn't bounce at rising trot the way a backpack does. By the second ride I'd stopped thinking about it entirely, which for me is the highest compliment a piece of riding gear can earn. I only take it off to shower.
"I forgot I was wearing it until I needed my phone. That has never once happened with a backpack."
Priya K., Perth, WAStraps that adjust to your actual leg
This surprised me most. Most leg bags I'd tried came in one size that assumed a thigh smaller than mine, and rode up over jodhpurs within ten minutes. The Ridebag's straps adjust properly — I've since fitted it on my own leg and my broader-built husband's without buying a second one, and neither of us has had it slip.
"Finally a bag that fits over jodhpurs without cutting off circulation to my knee by the second lap."
Louise M., Geelong, VICIt's become my go-to gift for every rider I know
I've since bought one for my daughter's sixteenth and one for the woman who half-leases my mare on weekends. Here's why it works as a gift in a way most riding gear doesn't: you don't have to explain it or hope it's the right size. It fits, it's obviously useful, and it's under seventy dollars, so it doesn't become an occasion.
"Bought one for myself and one for my daughter's 16th. She wears it to every single lesson now."
Ellie R., Warwick, QLDOne Honest Note Before The Price
This is not full-grain saddle leather, and I wouldn't want you to expect it to be. It's a canvas-and-synthetic-leather blend — not something you'd hand down. Keep the standard version out of heavy rain (there's a water-resistant nylon version if that's what you actually need) and it will be fine for years. If what you want is a lifetime piece of tack, this isn't it. If what you want is something you actually reach for before every ride, it is.
The Ridebag, Against The Bags You've Been Riding With
You can strap almost anything to your leg for under seventy dollars. I know, because my tack room has tried most of them. Here's the difference, laid out plainly.
Backpacks & Bum Bags
- Bounces against your back at rising trot
- Straps or buckles catch on the saddle
- Nothing reachable without dismounting
- Sits wrong once you're actually mounted
- One size that fits nobody's thigh properly
The Ridebag
- Sits flat against your thigh, clear of the saddle
- Buckles positioned away from the leather
- Phone, wallet, and water within arm's reach
- Comfortable in the saddle, not just out of it
- Adjustable straps for any leg size
About The Price
I'll be straightforward, because the price is what made me suspicious in the first place. It's $66.95, down from $98.95. I fully expected it to feel flimsy the moment it came out of the packet, and it didn't — the canvas has real weight to it and the seams are properly finished rather than glued.
Cute Home say the sale pricing is about selling direct with no middleman taking a cut. That's their arithmetic, not mine. Mine is simpler: I paid roughly the same for a belt bag that scuffed my saddle within a fortnight, and this one hasn't left my leg since April.
If you've been riding without knowing where to keep your phone, your wallet, or your water bottle, this is the one I'd actually recommend to the woman standing next to me at the mounting block.
— Nancy
Ridebag© – Classic V.2
- ✓ Saddle-safe buckle system, positioned clear of the leather
- ✓ Lightweight canvas, 100% vegan, unisex fit
- ✓ Adjustable straps — fits up to 80cm leg circumference
- ✓ Water-resistant versions available
- ✓ Free Australia-wide delivery with tracking
- ✓ 30-day money-back guarantee · Afterpay available
The 32% sale is running now. Once this batch is gone, it is gone.
About the writer. Nancy Brooks lives in Melbourne, VIC. She rides on weekends and writes occasionally about the gear she's actually used. She is not affiliated with Cute Home beyond being a customer.
This page is an advertisement for Cute Home. Nancy's letter is shared with her permission. Cute Home · An Australian start-up from Melbourne · Free Australia-wide delivery · 30-day money-back guarantee.