No pannier rack? No problem! You can still carry your commuting luggage on your bike. All you need is a big enough bag under your saddle.

It’s more comfortable to carry commuting luggage on your bike than your back, and you don’t sweat as much either. If you can’t fit a pannier rack to your bike – or don’t want to – you can use a large saddlebag or seatpack instead. Note that we’re using saddlebag to refer to traditional bags and seatpack to describe modern bikepacking bags but manufacturers may use different terms.

Whatever you call them, these bags fit underneath your saddle, like those little ones for carrying a spare tube and tyres levers, but are much bigger. They can be fitted to almost bike, including road bikes, mountain bikes and small-wheeled folders. The only proviso is that there’s enough space between the saddle and the rear tyre or rear mudguard.

The bags here are all at least 6 litres in volume, which is about the size of a shoebox. Some are traditional, transverse saddlebags but most are bikepacking seatpacks that fit lengthwise and stick out beyond the back of the saddle. Both types work well. Bags that attach with straps are fine if you’re riding between home and work but are fiddly if you make stops in between, as it takes longer to fit and remove them. Quick-release bags are more convenient.

As with any cycling luggage, waterproofing is worth having for UK conditions. Other useful features include reflectivity, a rear light mount and a bungee cord for strapping, say, a jacket to the outside. Larger bags benefit from a support or stiffener to stop them sagging, especially when carrying anything heavier than clothes.

Prices listed are RRP; don’t forget your Cyclescheme savings.

Podsacs Waterproof Saddle Pack – Small £34.99

Not just an inexpensive seatpack but an inexpensive seatpack that’s also waterproof, this has a vinyl tarpaulin liner inside the ripstop outer shell. It comes in two sizes: a 9-litre small and an 11-litre large, which costs a fiver more. Both of them have an external bungee strap, reflective strips and a mount for a rear light. Like most bikepacking seatpacks, the Podsacs bag straps to the saddle rails and seatpost so fitting and removal takes longer than it would with a pannier.

Oxford Aqua Evo Adventure Seat Pack £54.99

As you might expect from the word ‘aqua’ in the name, this is another waterproof seatpack. Made from a lightweight, ripstop TPU fabric with welded seams, it’s rated to IPX6, which means it will withstand powerful water jets as well as rain – handy for shrugging off wheel spray if you’re bikepacking without mudguards. Internal capacity is 10 litres and there’s a bungee for carrying something on the top. When strapped securely to the bike, there’s relatively little side-to-side sway. It has a rear light mount.

Altura Vortex Waterproof Compact Cycling Seat Pack £70

Altura’s Vortex seatpack comes in three sizes: 17 litres, 12 litres and a compact 6-litre size that might be just enough for commuters who pack lightly. The fabric for all of them is ripstop nylon with a TPU coating and welded seams, which is waterproof. The 6-litre pack lacks the external bungee cord of the bigger bags but has the same reflectives and light-attachment loop. The front end of the bag is reinforced so won’t get crushed against the seatpost and squash contents such as your packed lunch.

Lezyne XL Caddy £70

Lezyne’s Caddy range of seatpacks are all little bags for tools and spares – except this one. The XL Caddy is a 7.5-litre bag designed for adventures and big enough for a commuting load. Like most bikepacking seatpacks it has a roll closure, so you can compress the volume when it’s not completely full, making it more stable on the bike. It has the usual bungee cord on the top and light mount on the back. It’s water resistant rather than completely waterproof, however, so you’ll definitely need mudguards and may want to put vulnerable items in a plastic bag.

Carradice Barley Animal Friendly Saddlebag – 9L £94.95

Carradice has a whole range of traditional saddlebags, many of them made from indestructible and waterproof cotton duck. The smaller ones can hang from saddle loops, if your bike has them, while larger ones like the mighty 24-litre Camper Longflap benefit from Carradice’s Seatpost Quick Release system or Bagman support racks. Being traditional, many of the bags have leather straps. In recent years, however, Carradice has launched-animal friendly options, with recycled fire hose fabric instead of leather. The 9-litre Barley is an ideal size for commuting.

Restrap Saddle Bag – 8L £114.99

Restrap uses a two-part system for its bikepacking seatpacks. A holster straps to the saddle rails and seatpost, and a separate dry-bag slots into this and is held in place with compression straps and a Fidlock magnetic buckle. It’s more convenient for commuting as you can leave the holster attached to your bike and take only the dry-bag with you. There are three sizes: 8, 14 and 18 litres. All are waterproof to IP6K, which means that even higher-pressure water jets won’t penetrate. There’s reflective detailing but no dedicated light mount or bungee.

Apidura Expedition Saddle Pack 9L £125

This seatpack comes in three sizes: 9, 14 and 17 litres. Bikepackers may want one of the bigger ones but for commuting the smallest should be sufficient. All the bags are waterproof, being made from a lightweight laminate fabric with welded seams, and they all have a bungee and rear light mount. The seatpost straps are wide and are reinforced with Hypalon, a synthetic rubber. Done up properly, they limit bag sway very effectively.

Brooks Scape Seat Bag £139.99

Brooks is best known for its leather saddles but also makes luggage. The Scape Seat Bag is a holster-and-dry-bag setup, like Restrap’s. The dry-bag is completely waterproof, shrugging off water jets as well as rain, and it has an air-release valve so that you can compress it if you don’t need the full 10-litre volume. The dry-bag has reflective print on it, while the holster has a loop for a rear light and a hook to keep the dry-bag in place. There’s no bungee but there is a daisy chain of mounting points on the top for your own straps (toe straps, Voile straps, etc).

Ortlieb Seat-Pack QR £168.50

Unlike most bikepacking seatpacks – including others in the Ortlieb range – the Seat-Pack QR doesn’t strap to the seat rails. There’s a bracket on top of the bag that fixes it more firmly and more quickly in place, while a single strap goes around the seatpost. (An adapter is available for dropper seatposts.) Fitting and removal is therefore more convenient. The bag itself has a 13-litre capacity and the usual features: bungee, light mount and reflectives. Like all Ortlieb luggage, it’s durable and waterproof.

Wizardworks Shazam Bar & Saddle Bag Mini £200

Designed to fit to the front or rear of the bike, as the name says, the Wizardworks Shazam is a modern take on the classic, big British saddlebag. Like Carradice bags it’s made in the UK, in this case from abrasion-resistant Cordura with a waterproof lining. The two side pockets are useful for odds and ends, and other stuff can be strapped to the top. There are two sizes: Large (22.5 litres) and Mini (16.6 litres). The latter is ample for commuting. Even the smaller Mini would benefit from one of Carradice’s Bagman support racks, however.