Every rider who owns their own riding gear and needs to transport it has faced the same problem: we carry around a lot of stuff, and the saddle is the biggest piece of it all. It’s relatively heavy, bulky, and it can’t just be placed anywhere. It’s also the most expensive item in our riding kit. In a car, the challenge is: how do you keep the saddle from moving around and becoming a hazard while driving, how do you protect it from scratches, and how do you place it to avoid stressing the panels?
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The saddle bag
For a relatively modest investment, you can get covers that protect the saddle and sometimes let you carry it on your back. This helps prevent scratches on the leather, but that’s about it. It doesn’t really secure the saddle in the car or protect it from shocks and deformation. And the biggest drawback with these covers is how tedious it is to put the saddle away each time — you usually have to remove the stirrups every time.
The metal saddle holder attached to the front seat headrest
Sold under various brands, this is a clever idea. However, with only a single mounting point and a long overhang, stability is average at best. Installation takes a few minutes, so you might be tempted to leave it folded up when not in use. Bad idea for two reasons: 1) the noise — every bump in the road turns it into a bell; 2) safety — having a metal object at face height is especially dangerous in a hard brake or front collision.
The wooden or plastic box
This can be improvised or bought, made of wood or plastic. The idea is to have a support in the trunk where you can place the saddle and possibly store other gear inside it. Stability is achieved, but unless you want to turn your car into a mobile tack room, it takes quite a bit of effort to install and store it in the trunk.
The Caval’Hamac
The Caval’Hamac is CavalSud’s answer to the saddle transport issue. The concept uses the headrests as mounting points but distributes the weight between the front and back seats for extra stability, creating a hammock for the saddle. Super stable, installed and removed in seconds, and your car looks normal again as soon as you get home.
Image credit: Unsplash
