[Land O Aches]

Purchased two British military musette bags from The Reclamation Department on Etsy. After carefully mounting the bags by closing the mounting loops with screws, it hit me - all I really need are a few self tapping screws and a little luck.

https://plus.google.com/photos/117993022672620207514/albums/5932865555389867153?authkey=CP3yh8qCqNfyPg1

as you can see in the photographs, the 5/8" #8 black self tapping screws worked fine. The bags are solid.

Lando

[tooseevee]

Purchased two British military musette bags from The Reclamation Department on Etsy. After carefully mounting the bags by closing the mounting loops with screws, it hit me - all I really need are a few self tapping screws and a little luck.

https://plus.google.com/photos/117993022672620207514/albums/5932865555389867153?authkey=CP3yh8qCqNfyPg1

as you can see in the photographs, the 5/8" #8 black self tapping screws worked fine. The bags are solid.

Lando

           I'd love to see your bags (I use a set of black musette bags once in a while), but, alas, boo hoo    I need a Google account & don't want one       

[Land O Aches]

Let's see if I can upload a picture...

[tooseevee]

Let's see if I can upload a picture...

            Ahright! Those look very cool. Perfect color for a military 350 & a clever way to mount them.

            I just hold the straps tightly to the fender stay with a really tightly pulled Ty-Wrap around the strap. Then I adjust the length of the straps so I can take a turn around the lower fender stay & then bring the straps around & clip the clips together across the front of the bag. They hold the bags tightly to the bike.

        I built rigid boxes that fit tightly inside the bags; didn't like the way they looked empty. Used very strong, rigid, thin foam poster board & Gorilla Glue (wonderful stuff for certain jobs).

 

[Land O Aches]

Stuffed 'em with bubble wrap...

[Catbird]

I found some canvas/leather messenger bags on ebay that looked like they'd suit my needs and not detract too much from the overall military look. 

I'd like to figure out a semi-permanent internal frame to keep them from collapsing when empty.  I thought about trying some small diameter wooden dowels on the inside glued along each seam.  I just haven't decided yet.

Anyway, here's a couple of pics... one using flash, the other without.

[baird4444]

I really like the looks of that.
how bout a boxlike framework of 1/2" pvc to
hold the shape?

           - Mike

[Arizoni]

If he's got the tools and lives somewhere around a Home Depot, Lowes or similar place he could buy a piece of mahogany  plywood that's made for flooring.  It's only about 5mm (.200 inch) thick and comes in a 2 ft X 4 ft piece and costs about $11.

http://www.homedepot.com/b/Lumber-Composites-Plywood-Sheathing-Subfloor/1-4-in/Mahogany/N-5yc1vZbqm7Z1z0z6i6Z1z11xlt

With that and about 6 feet of 1" X 1" pine board cut into 9 inch long pieces to reinforce the corners a hollow boxlike shell with both ends open could be built to slip down inside the bags.  The 1" X 1" X 9" pieces go on the inside of the corners with the face and side panals glued and screwed or nailed to them.)

Something like this wouldn't weigh much at all and would leave a lot of room inside.

[tooseevee]

The boxes I built for my musette bags weigh literally nothing, come out & go in easily & cost $3.00 for the thin, rigid foam board. The foam board is very strong & Gorilla Glue is forever. They carry metal or canned goods type stuff without it banging on the bike & come out easily if you want to stuff them more fully with like a sleeping bag or clothes.

        (There's another picture earlier in the thread with the flaps closed).

[mplayle]

I picked up a couple of bags similar to what tooseevee has.  I was planning to do similar liners but out of coroplast (corrugated plastic) for a bit more rigidity and weather resistance.

[Catbird]

One idea I had that I may try is to find a generic/cheap tupperware-type container of the correct dimensions and stuff that down into the canvas saddlebags.  You could use (or not) the snap on lid if you need protection from the elements.  The basic point of the container is to provide shape and structure to the bags.

[tooseevee]

I don't want to beat a dead horse - I just want to help those who might still be deciding about how to make "hard bags" out of their canvas bags.

I've read all the ideas & just want to add this:
          The foam posterboard I used is VERY strong & rigid especially with the small pieces used. It's not like open cell packing foam that breaks. It's totally weatherproof & very thin. It subtracts literally no interior space & weighs nothing. It's only a few dollars at Staples.

           Gorilla Glue welds it all together as strong as J-B Weld on metal. You do have to wait for it to set up, but I don't mind that. I'm old & patient. You can go in later & reinforce any areas with more GG.

            All you need is a straight edge & a razor knife. No wood, screws, nails, hammers, saws, PVC adhesive etc..

          I (OCD) put a bottom in mine, of course. Do the bottom last (obvious) so you can trace the piece exactly to size after the 4 sides are set up solid.
 

[Catbird]

tooseevee -

Thank you for that information. 

I know you provided a good picture showing the end result, but it would help me a lot if you had a closeup of the posterboard showing thickness and texture.  I would also be interested in seeing how you connected the sides with the GG.  I presume you ran a bead all along the edges and then assembled.  How much flex is there in the completed "box" ? 
"Pictures speak..." you know the rest.

[tooseevee]

tooseevee -

Thank you for that information. 

I know you provided a good picture showing the end result, but it would help me a lot if you had a closeup of the posterboard showing thickness and texture.  I would also be interested in seeing how you connected the sides with the GG.  I presume you ran a bead all along the edges and then assembled.  How much flex is there in the completed "box" ? 
"Pictures speak..." you know the rest.

     I'll get some pictures later.

     The poster board is standard stuff at Staples or office supply stores. It's about 5/16" thick. Very tough, shiny surface both sides meant to magic marker or paint on. If you find an opened package as I did - very cheap.

     Can't show you pictures of building them. Measuring is the most important.

     Cut your back & two sides to size, very square layout. Butt the sides up to the back & duct tape them together (like a hinge), the full length, at 90 degrees. Then lay the three pieces down flat. The hinge then gives you a space between the butts to lay a bead of GG. Then bring your sides up to 90 & prop them to dry overnight. Your duct tape must hold the butts together tightly to keep the GG from spreading the connections all out of whack.

           Now you can lay your 3-sided box down on top of a new piece (open face down) & trace a perfect shape for your fourth side. Lay a bead on the two edges, have your duct tape already on, lay the piece onto its GG bead & bring your tape around completing the joint. Dry overnight.

           Duct tape the whole length of the butts because the GG will expand & push the connection apart if you don't.

           Now all you have to do is lay your 4-sided box on top of a new piece & pencil your cuts on the 4th piece on the INSIDE. Your bottom can then be GGed & fit inside the box. Tape these 4 butts also so the GG doesn't push the sides out.  Dry overnight.

           Next day you can add more GG where needed.

           There is very little flex to these boxes. They're plenty tough; I'm not hauling bricks  I just left all the duct tape on & painted the top edges black so you don't see white with the flaps closed. Pictures later.

[tooseevee]

     I'll get some pictures later.
           There is very little flex to these boxes. They're plenty tough; I'm not hauling bricks  I just left all the duct tape on & painted the top edges black so you don't see white with the flaps closed. Pictures later.

            Here are the boxes out of the bags. They're not pretty, but they work.