I have an older medium size Tourmaster (now Cortech) tank bag that I used on my
10k mile loop around the US last summer. It has a cheapo coil type zipper that failed part way through the trip, and the top flap wouldn't reliably stay closed. This, even after trying to crimp the metal slide. I had to put the rain cover on the bag to prevent things from falling out at speed or in windy conditions. It was a PIA. I'm a paper map fan, and the rain cover obscured my DIY-larger-than-stock map case. After recently shopping online for an in-stock tank bag that has a big enough map case to handle a typical road map folded so 2 panels were visible, I gave up. Seems to me that modern tank bag map cases are now geared towards phones. I like the big picture. On paper. Hi rez. I'm not a fan of zippers now, and own an industrial sewing machine (Singer 111W155). So I decided to convert my old tank bag to a zipperless one with a new, big custom map case. Here's what I came up with:
Bag installed with map case on.
Side view, showing blue, overlapping lip with neoprene panel at the front to allow the lid to pivot easily.
Map case snaps on to front of tank bag. New blue strap for mounting bag around fork/head.
Nice, big map case that holds a map folded out to 2+ panels, and maybe 1.5 panels vertically. I actually made another map case that was even bigger, but it seemed outlandish.
Side view with the bag cover and map case tail velcro'd down snugly.
The map case pivoted up still attached by the 2 snaps in the front.
Close up of the blue lip that overlaps the bag so the contents are well protected. A 1/4" rope is sewn into the bottom edge so it's easy to grab.
The bag open showing the red, stuff sack like fabric with the drawstring opening. a 1/4" elastic shock cord is sewn into the edge of the tank bag walls so it tucks in under the cover.
The bag fully open.
The original bag's rain cover still fits over the new bag and map case.
It doesn't really take any more time to open or close this bag than it did with its original zipper. I suspect I'll have no problems with this bag on my next 10k mile trip. Even though this post is a show and tell thing, I wonder how many others wish they had bags without zippers, and tank bags with nice, big map cases.
