Many years ago, I featured a gent who refashioned his Filson Small Field Bag into a handlebar bag for his Rivendell Rambouillet road bike. Alex Forsythe, owner of Analog Records in Orange County, sent me photos of his own retrofit of an Archival Rolltop Messenger into motorcycle panniers for his Triumph Motorcycle. Read his project notes on the projects at the bottom of this post. Refrub photos by Stefan Junir.

Here are Alex’s notes on his Archival Rolltop Messenger refurb project: “I actually stole the idea of using a field type bag as a saddle bag from Blair of General Quarters in LA. He has a set of Filson field bags that he attaches to his bonnie sometimes. I rode up to his shop and got to talking with him about doing the same with my bike. The difference with his bike is a black seat versus the brown leather I have on mine. Your lager roll top bag matched much better with my seat and also seemed to be a better option for weather. The wax being a smart move with potential water hitting the bag and the roll top for protecting whats inside. Blair ordered the messenger roll top for me and took it to his (I think) shoe repair guy. He sewed two leather lash points on the back for me to attach leather straps and secure it to my bikes frame. I found 2 small leather straps with buckles and voila! I’m super happy with how it came out. The bag is perfect size for riding to work. I often carry my laptop and sometimes even records in it.”

If you have creatively carved up your own Archival bag for a unique use application, send us photos and we’ll feature you on the blog.