Product review: Snugpax vs. Stowaway saddle packs, and a life update

These are the two brands I know of who make saddle packs that I can use, because both companies are devout about comfort for the horse - that is, no slamming against the horse while trotting. They sit tight against the horse.

Are there good alternatives to Snugpax and Stowaway bags?  There must be more. Here in Germany, I shop the sites and find hardly any saddle pack at all, cuz of the intensive crewing I've mentioned before. I asked S1 and she said she's never put a saddle bag on her saddle, and wonders why I don't trust German brands. Which ones? I found none.

I need to have water on me at all times, in these awful Summers. In Winter I'll put tea in there. There are always cookies in there for the horse. For me, saddle packs are essential equipment.

I've never met anyone in Germany who carries water on board, not even the two endurance riders I crewed for, despite both being 160KM rides. 100 miles. 0 saddle packs.

But last week I discovered a German endurance online shop that sells Stowaways! Woo! I was starting to think I'd have to order from Riding Warehouse and then pay a big customs tax on arrival. Stupid lack of free trade!

I already have the deluxe Stowaway pommel bag, which holds 4 bottles of water. That is too much unless you are actually doing an endurance ride, or having a picnic. Overkill for anything else. (Hm, unless you're in Germany, riding with 3 other ladies who don't carry their own water.... *lol*)

I found out today that the "slim" version is also a bit of overkill. I am not sure what to do with such fancy stuff, please tell.

I'm totally happy to have a working pommel pack, even if it's overkill and in general, slightly larger than I need. I'll have to write an update about it after I've actually used it, but since I already have the deluxe version, I'm sure it's similar.


And get this - it has a Chapstick holder! Woo!


Speaking of updates, I have to tell you: My homemade fly mask fleece nose attachment is working just great! It is still fluffy and soft, cuz the fleece is on the inside. I have sewing skills! Mag's hair is not getting rubbed off his nose!


Now to compare Stowaway vs. Snugpax...





Oh you poor sad thing. This is my beloved Snugpax. Which I threw in the trash today, after 15? years of service. They cannot last forever. Broken zippers made it a pain to use. Wow my fingernails look clean.

I wish there was a Snugpax dealer in Germany.






Sniff, time to die.





I love how slim the design is, it's like carrying nothing. I love the thick foam inserts that protect your horse from your cargo. I hate the white fleece that was always filthy. If they'd make this exact pack with black fleece, I'd buy it again.





AND NOW......................... Stowaway comes to Europe! I've attached them, for illustration purposes, with both top fasteners, even though I'll only use the velcro in real life. Those other top straps are for attaching to Western saddles, I think, or if you like your pack up high. I don't, cuz I want to be able to see exactly where my saddle pad is (if it's making a "bid for freedom out the back" as Aurora says). The main thing I don't like about Stowaway is the enormous center pocket that sits right in front of you. It's big enough to hold an Easyboot, but I don't really need that there. As you can see the water bottle bags are also much more generous than the Snugpax.





The top pack has three separate compartments, and two of them have little snaps inside for...car keys? NO idea. What would I want to tie down inside my pack? J said, "Garmin?" But no, you'd want your Garmin tied to your D rings, why would you pack it away?

Supposedly this material is water proof, but we'll see. Also, what I didn't photograph, the underside is soft BLACK material. Only a little padding, not as much as the Snugpax, but adequate. Both companies don't want your horse grouchy from a hard item against their chests/withers.

Stowaway is proud of their zippers, with little attachments on each one that makes them easy to grab even with thick gloves on, they say.





I think you call this a photo bomb.





I'm still investigating that top, center pack, and there is a padded slot for credit cars or other precious items, I don't know! Seriously, why do I need...ok, probably a cell phone, but we all know not to attach our cell phones to our horses.





The "cell phone" pocket also had a stretch strap, again, no idea. Why so complex?





I'm a little disappointed at the overall hugeness in comparison to my Snugpax. I'd love it if there were a merging of all the features I love into a slim, all black pack.





I couldn't help it, I squealed when I found the renowned Chapstick holder. And I immediately stuck my Chapstick in, from my old Stowaway. The black, original version, cuz I like black. There is no Chapstick in Germany, so you can guess how old this is. When I told J, "There's a Chapstick holder!" He said, "What is Chap-stick?"





Ready and waiting for a desert sand blast! Which won't happen here. I wanted to illustrate how the velcro D-ring straps fit my Specialized Eurolight Saddle. They don't fit perfectly, but it's good enough. I prefer the velcro straps to the others cuz I always disconnect my pack from my saddle after every use, and velcro is faster. The Riding Warehouse video (below)  shows that you can also attach carabiner snaps for even more speedy application, wow. I never thought of that.





Shiny and new. (OH, you can see the black underside on the right side of this photo.




Your options are nearly endless for attachment to either Western or English. And who was it, Julie Suhr, who said your saddle bag should always contain lipstick, cuz you never know.....*lol*






This photo illustrates my new packs and the deluxe, much older, above. There is a slight amount of fading after 10 years, and the little D rings all around the pack are a little rusty. But I appreciate how many D rings there are, overall, they're everywhere.





Man they're big. Again, the slim pommel pack at the front, and the deluxe,  4 bottle pack behind.

Oh, I'd almost forgotten to mention, the side straps. These packs all come (Snugpax and Stowaway) with a girth attachment strap, to minimize movement of the packs during speed work. You can see both models' girth straps in this photo, that I've tucked into the pack itself, cuz I'm not going fast yet. Eventually....before the sun explodes, I will attach the girth straps and secure them even tighter, for  long trotting.

Please let me know what those little hooks could be for. I'm totally thrilled to finally have working zippers on a pommel pack, even if it's way more than I needed. Price in Europe: 75Euros. Price by Riding Warehouse: 57American dollars, in 7 colors.

This review would not be complete without me showing you the Stowaway video of how it attaches to various saddles types. Again, Riding Warehouse,  you are awesome. This video is great, and that lady sure knows her attachment points!




***

I was gone at First Aid training all day yesterday (more on that later), and had to go to Wuppertal to work at Opa's today, and had 2 days of poop to clean up all at once this morning. I was frantic cuz J said, "If you aren't quick, I won't be able to come with you, my school locks up at 13:00."

You might notice that TEACHERS NEVER GET A BREAK. It's Summer break now, 6 weeks, and my husband has spent 3 full days in the school so far, and has more planned. During his vacation.  If you like down time, don't become a teacher.

Back to this morning. I raced the wheelbarrow out there and started picking up poop as fast as I could, I could hear J playing Queen on the piano through the open windows. Mag came over and I felt a wave of peace as he approached. He was sort of beaming waves of calm at me. That felt good.

I worked as fast as I could, I didn't have time.

And then just like in Wuppertal, Mag started playing with the wheelbarrow. He likes to put his jaw underneath the handle and lightly rub the underside, his face twisted up sideways. I said, "No time today Mag, for your jokes. If you tip that thing over, today, I will be mad. I have no time."

So I moved it, repeatedly,  and tried to discourage him several times and he rubbed and chewed on it, and pushed on it, even though he could just go out to pasture.

At that moment I realized he was bored, he wants action, he knows I'm the only one who can give him action in his daily routine. And I'd been gone the entire day yesterday.  He looked at me like my cat slow blinking.

I have to GO!

He touched me softly with one nostril and I melted, "You missed me?"

Then I kept working, no time! and both donkey and horse went to pasture.

That was it.

***

Yesterday I took my first step to becoming a well, amateur medic. I took the mandatory first aid class.

Since I've performed CPR in real life with no panic, and since I never want to work in software again, I am looking in this new direction, that I think might fit with my personality.

The class was great, and although at times my hands were trembling in fear, I did the exercises better than most, I realized. I had studied the German Red Cross handbook in advance, so I was more than prepared. I was easily the teacher's pet, from my background.

He had an assistant, who works with him in rescue. She's a young blond, about 20, and hardened to the task of life-saving, already.

When she told us where to put our hands on the CPR dummy (Seriously, it was "Rescue Annie" just like in America 20 years ago!), she said, "We used to say 'between the nipples' but that's silly cuz older womens' nipples hang down to their knees, so that's not helpful for CPR!"

I was shocked that she said that, but I'd heard our instructor say the same thing, during his time talking. The breasts on women can hang down over the carpet, wherever, so you cannot use them to judge.."

I was a little insulted, but my buddy, the only person there older than me and female, spoke up.

"Hey, I find that insulting, the way you speak about the breasts of older women."

The intern said, "I learned it from my boss, so I'm not afraid to talk that way."

Indeed, she had.

My buddy said, "I insist that it's insulting, and wish you wouldn't do it."

I was amazed. How very German, to step up and say what you think when someone is doing something WRONG.

The girl would not acknowledge, she felt in the right, to disrespect people so.

I sat there in awe of the interaction.

Hrm!

But later I had the chance to pass her alone in the hallway, my buddy, though I'd never spoken to her before. I touched her elbow and said, "HEY. She won't always be young."

The lady said, "I know, thank you, you understand, how rude of her!"

I said, "Totally unacceptable."

I didn't say another word to her the entire course, but we smiled at each other from time to time, a secret understanding.

***

One more little thing about the course.

There were a few girls there taking the course because they were trying to get their drivers' licenses.

Anyway, what I noticed during the course was that one girl had a terrible time with the hands-on work, but was as lovely, she had the look of a fawn, huge eyes, hair in a bun, demure,  some sort of pure white tunic of a very thick material.

I found a kiosk to eat my Doener Teller and she walked in and ate  her lunch at a table behind me, cuz I was reading my Kindle, and totally needing a break from people.

Then when the hour was up, she rushed out, and I rushed after her, and she was gone. Where was fawn girl?? Where was I!? Then I saw her at the traffic light in the wrong direction from the First Aid class, waiting. I jogged over to her, "Hey, I thought I was lost!" She laughed and said,

"Your German is so good. I can't believe it. So many people come to Germany and don't bother to speak properly."

I held up my hands, fingers spread, showing 10, and said, "I have been here TEN YEARS!"

Also, "It's German law that foreigners must take German integration and language courses."

She said," Just lately."

"You're right, of course."

She was sweet, she actually said, "If it's not too personal for me to ask, may I please ask why you are taking the course?"

That's what I mean. Manners. 

I asked her about her dreaded driving exam tonight - do you know it costs between 2 and 3 thousand dollars to learn to drive? She was up to the 3K mark. She told me it's not fair, that in American we learn to drive for less than 3K, as I'd just explained.

***

I had a great time at that class.

I think I'm ready for something new.

We'll see.