Manhattan Portage Harbor Bike Case review

Manhattan Portage has been designing and selling urban wear and bags since 1983. It originally catered for New Yorkers, turning outdoor wear and packs into fashionable items for city slickers.

>>>> Winter is here: flu fighting foods

I've been testing the Manhattan Portage Harbor Bike Case, which is a saddle pack. It is made using a TPU membrane and nylon fabric with welded seams and locking waterproof zipper, which actually does make it completely waterproof.

This means tools, tubes or whatever you want to store in there will remain dry. Something that many saddle pack struggle with – and it could take your money and keys, if needed.

This saddle pack is one of the best looking on the market and so from that point of view Manhattan Portage have done what they have set out to do – providing outdoor packs for the urban environment.

The Harbor Bike Case is big enough to house a medium sized Allen key set, gas canister (with valve), a tube and levers. The watertight zipper opens very wide in a clamshell design making access easy. Two mesh pockets allow you to keep the contents tidy, too.

It's held in place under the saddle by one long Velcro strap. This indeed is very secure, allows fit to most if not all saddle types and means it is quick and easy to swap between bikes. The problem with this system is that you'll need to take off the saddle bag to gain access to the contents, something many other seat packs do allow without a hindrance to overall space.

Finally, while I do like this saddle pack, the one-strap design means it tends to hit/rattle on the back of the seatpost on a bumpy road. It's noisy and annoying. A few small changes will make this a perfect pack.