Fabric Contain Large Saddle Bag

The expansion zip under the Fabric Contain Large saddlebag – waterproof like the main zip – frees up serious extra space to create a very versatile pack. It mounts securely, doesn't rattle and looks as good as a large bag can, thanks to that satin/matt black finish. The only niggles are the price and the way it interferes with post-mount lights.

• Pros: Expands a lot, versatile, low-key, silent
• Cons: Expensive, clashes with post-mount lights

Inside the Contain you find a tough lining, a large mesh pocket and twin elasticated pouches: they're perfect for stashing tyre levers/CO2 canisters on one side and an inflator/multitool on the other. There's a secure hook for latching keys stitched just inside the opening, too.

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Add a spare tube and there's still easily space for a second; I fully expected the pack to rattle like this, but happily even the most frostbitten roads didn't shake it out of silence. The pockets, stiff zips and the natural damping of the folded-in expansion keep it quiet.

That's lucky, as the saddle rail straps don't wrap all the way round, so there's no way of cinching the bag up tighter. They also look perilously narrow, but in use they were nothing but secure – the third fixing around the seatpost keeps it on the bike even if they fail.

There's no reason to think they will, though you may forget to do them up post-puncture – the Contain is not easy to unzip when snugged up against the saddle. Still, it's best to have the zip on top and out of the firing line of the back wheel, so it's hard to call that a negative. The whole thing is sturdy and well made.

Unzip that expansion (which appears the only real difference between this and the Contain Medium) and impressive extra volume appears – enough to take a jacket or, say, a delicious Cornish pasty (don't judge me). Fabric claims a total of 1.3L. There are also loops for tying yet more gear/pasties underneath, though with two at the rear and none at the front you'd have to bodge up any lashing.

Run wide open, the pack interferes even more with long, post-mount-only rear lights, which – although not a problem unique to the Contain – is worth bearing in mind. It just doesn't leave much space. There's a reflective strap for smaller, clip-on lights, and it's tight enough to keep them pretty secure.

The zips aren't 100 per cent waterproof if really hosed by heavy surface water or, erm, hoses, but they're good enough to keep out general splashing. It's worth leaving it open to air after a downpour/cleaning to avoid orange tools, especially as the main body is fairly splashproof but not waterproof, and eventually becomes sodden. Note that I only found tiny scattered droplets inside rather than pools.

The Contain is stylish in a very low-key way, and as stealthy as such a capacious pack can hope to be, which will please many. If you don't carry more than two tubes and associated fixings, there's the 1L Medium for £5 less (at 0.4L the Small, which Stu tested, only takes one tube).

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It's not hard to find saddlebags for significantly less than £30. The Zefal Iron Pack XL-DS holds 2 litres, for instance, and is just £17 (though it is twice the weight). Also easily sportive-capable is the Passport Frequent Flyer Seat Pack at £12.99, though it lacks the expanding versatility of the Contain.

Meanwhile, if it's style you're after, there are still options, such as the unusual Upso Stirling at £25 – a recycled, British-made roll that's sure to get you noticed.

Yes, the Fabric Contain is a good and useful pack that performs just as you'd hope, but it's not doing anything exceptional to justify that high price.

Verdict

A stylish expanding pack that securely carries the essentials and lots more besides, but it could be cheaper.