downhillmaster

I am looking for a small to medium saddle bag with a built in light.
Preferrably one with replaceable batteries but if anyone has experience with something else that they recommend I am open to suggestions.
Thanks in advance!

Milton Keynes

I've never seen any, but these days with the availability of LED lights it wouldn't be hard to add one.

Tourist in MSN

They make small lights that you can clip onto a book to read it. If you had one of those, perhaps you could clip it onto something to hold it?

ADDENDUM.

After seeing the comment in post 4 below by Noglider, I realized you meant taillight. I assumed you wanted a light to look inside the bag. My mistake.

I have never seen a saddle bag with a built in taillight. But I am a bit concerned about bags that just have a loop as the lights are often aimed poorly. I used to commute through a university campus daily to and from work, I often saw bikers with taillights on bags or backpacks that were aimed so poorly you could hardly tell the light was lit.

I think a frame or rack or seatpost mounted taillight is best because you can aim it straight back and it keeps its aim better than a light hanging on a piece of fabric.

noglider 

My saddle bag has a loop onto which I hang my tail light.

pdlamb

Two of my saddle bags have such a loop. Tail light blinkies are almost consumable items, they seem to last up to two or three years (regular commuter through the winter, so hard use). Bags last a lot longer. Why buy a bag that will need to be replaced when the light wears out?

downhillmaster

angerdan

Like tom i do suggest an Topeak Saddlebag with taillight. So you can choose an AA/AAA taillight with replacable batteries, preferably rechargable like eneloop.

fietsbob

+1, A lot of Bags to modify , I took a strip of metal bent it , stitched it to the underside of the flap of my British saddle bag ..

Then screwed on one of the rack mount T shaped Clips* , which the curved strip points backwards so the battery light clipped in is seen from the rear, adequately.. ...

*planet bike grateful red includes one, PDW has the same T clip available...

downhillmaster

JasonD67

I gave up trying to have a light attached to a saddle bag. Over time, the fabric stretches or the bag moves around and the light ends up pointed at the ground or off into the woods, making it more or less useless. I would add things behind the light or re-adjust the straps to try to prop up the light up so it would face in the right direction. It would work for a while, but it never lasted it seems.

Now, I attach my light to the seatpost with a rubber strap mount with an adjustable screw that lets you point the light where you want. It's also a much cleaner look on the bike. I carry all my stuff in my jersey or use an old water bottle in a cage.

canklecat

Get a Cygolite Hotshot. Skip all the experiments that other folks have tried and finally realized didn't work -- me included.

The Cygolite Hotshots are the lightest and brightest cost effective taillights. The clips hold stubbornly onto seat bag fabric loops, even on gravel and rough pavement. I've never had one pop loose, even when I crashed or was hit by a car. But they're easy for the user to remove. The plastic clip is very well engineered, the best I've seen.

Ditto the Blackburn 2'Fer, although the 2'Fer isn't as bright and doesn't last as long per charge. But it's also very good and holds securely while weighing very little.

Save the AA and AAA battery powered lights for plastic and metal mounts attached directly to the frame, seat post or handlebar.

noglider 

Yeah, Cygolite products are excellent and well priced. They are also made in the USA, and their customer service is top notch.

fietsbob

Have you visited the factory? A see no address on the website ..only "engineered and assembled in our California headquarters. "

https://cygolite.com/product/hotrod-50-usb/ this one looks like it can be attached to a bag sewing or Zip tie to a bag,
onto those ears that are used to rubber band fit them onto seat posts .. that rubber strip approach ?



...

noglider 

Yes I have that light, and I attach it to the fabric loop on the back of my bag. It works well.

Final assembly is usually where it is "made in" even if the components are from overseas. It's good enough for me, because it means they do their final QC here, they know what they're shipping out.