saddlebags

The saddlebags They are bags or sacks that are used in pairs and that, due to their arrangement, allow the weight to be distributed. The usual thing is that they tie themselves to a bike, a motorcycle or a horse to carry luggage.

When used in pairs, they allow a balance of the weightas the load is divided. For example: "We travel with saddlebags full of gifts for the children", "Do not neglect your saddlebags, this is a very unsafe area", "The young man went out to travel the world with few belongings in his saddlebags".

In the case of bicycles, saddlebags are usually tied under the seat or saddle. The cyclist can use them to carry drinks, food, first aid items or tools, to name a few possibilities.

Saddlebags are also the rigid suitcases that are located on the side of the wheel from behind a motorcycle. In this case, they are usually fastened with screws.

In this context, saddlebags come in various sizes and designs, as they are manufactured to meet a large number of needs: not all motorcycles fulfill the same function, but they can be used for sport, to make extensive trips along and width of a country, or simply as half of transport daily, among other possibilities.

Since the saddlebags are constantly exposed to the open air, it is very important that the saddlebags are materials chosen for their manufacture are resistant, waterproof and easy to clean. In addition, as the motorcycle can reach high speeds and cross unstable terrain, such as rocky sections, they must have straps that grip them properly, to prevent them from swinging abruptly, putting their content at risk.

As for horse saddlebags, they can be installed in different ways. Many times they are tied with ropes or belts to the saddle so that they hang on the sides of the saddle. animal. The most popular saddlebags are made of leather.

There are also saddlebags that people carry clinging to their waist or hanging from their shoulders. The former are usually made of leather and are smaller in size, as they are used to transport small tools for very specific purposes. The others require greater flexibility, and that is why it is common to find them in wool; In addition, they are much larger, and can have pockets both in the part front and rear.

In the video game series The Legend of ZeldaDeveloped and published by Nintendo, the main character, Link, usually carries most of his tools and weapons in small saddlebags that cling to his belt; Since it would be impossible in real life to store so many objects in such pockets of these characteristics, this detail is part of the internal logic of the story, and gives it a very particular charm.

By extension to these meanings, the notion of saddlebag is often used in a symbolic sense to name what someone keeps, gets or takes. Suppose a team of football participate in a continental tournament that is qualifying for a world championship. If the team achieves its objective, it could be said that they carry the classification in their saddlebags.

In Spain there is a municipality called Alforja, which is located in a mountainous area of ​​the province of Tarragona, Catalonia. Its origins go back to an old Arab farmhouse that was dedicated to the exploitation of certain silver mines. The oldest written document in which we find references to the municipality with this name dates from the year 1152. Its urban nucleus is around a church, something very common in the European continent. The castle, of which only a few remains remain, originated from a Roman fortification.