WaterField Designs Jersey Pocket Tool Case

The WaterField Designs Jersey Pocket Tool Case is ideal if you want to get rid of your saddle bag and have all of your essentials stored together in an organised wallet, sitting snuggly in your jersey pocket. It's expensive, though, and too wide for some pockets.

It's stylish, well constructed, and has plenty of compartments to separate valuables from tools – so both practical and something I'd be incredibly happy whipping out of my pocket at the café stop. With so much capacity for all the essentials on a ride, it's on the large side, so doesn't fit in all jersey pockets – and then there's the price.

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The smaller Pro option is plenty big enough for my Xiaomi Pocophone F1 (15.5cm tall x 7.5cm wide), while the larger Pro Max is only ever so slightly bigger and can hold up to an iPhone Pro Max.

Size-wise, I had the problem that quite a few of my small ladies' sized jersey pockets are not wide enough for even the smaller of the two cases. With the pockets that were sufficiently wide, the top of the case still poked out.

That said, I've had no concerns of the case popping out, as the Lycra does hold it securely in the pockets. But this does make it harder to pull out on the move. Fixing this, WaterField Designs has included an easy grab finger loop at the top, which has been incredibly useful for hooking the case out.

Handcrafted in San Francisco, a full-grain leather panel is included on the front, for a touch of premium-ness. The rest of the tool case is made of a heavy-duty-feeling ballistic nylon that is said to be water-resistant and has proven to keep my contents dry so far on rides with consistent rain.

The case is designed so that the more robust nylon side sits softly and comfortably against your back, while the leather front has a waterproof zippered pocket. I used this for keeping spare cash, my ID and a set of relatively slim house keys. It could also take a multi-tool but I chose not to put one there as I prefer the extra wiggle room to take the cash out.

Inside, there's a soft-lined pocket that is sized for slipping your phone into. This is well designed so that your device, which is flat, is what sits against your back, rather than awkwardly placed tools digging in. But this inner sleeve doesn't rise to the top of the case, so I quickly realised it's best to have the screen side facing outwards, so that tools don't scratch it up.

On the opposite side there are another two smaller pockets, which are useful for storing a multi-tool, tube patches and tyre levers that could get lost in the main section. A spare inner tube and CO2 cartridges then fit nicely in the middle compartment.

The gold lining inside is said to make it easier to find tools, and although I was dubious as to whether it would make a difference, I was surprised to find that it did help. I could see everything in the case easily.

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Even full of all these valuables and tools, the case isn't exploding and keeps its shape. That said, when stuffing it with all the tools that you'd usually store in a saddle bag, along with a phone, it does make for a fairly heavy load, so I found placing the case in the middle pocket best to balance the weight.

I tested the 'grizzly leather' edition, but the leather panel of stylish case is also available in crimson, blue and black – the rest of the case remains black nylon.

Price…

With both sizes currently costing £50.40 (converted from $69), the tool case is definitely not cheap. On top of the price of the case itself you then have delivery charges... delivery to the road.cc office would incur $34 shipping costs, working out to just over £75 in total at the current exchange rate. Muc-Off's Essentials Case is only £15 and can hold almost the same amount, though it has no padding and the camo exterior isn't anywhere near as stylish as the leather on the WaterField Designs' case. The VeloPac RidePac Allez! Girl (£32) is a better looking case with artwork by illustrator Spencer Wilson, but it doesn't have space to hold tools.

Silca's Borsa is very similarly priced at £49, but shipping is free…

Overall, I would happily use this case for storing my valuables and tools together on a bike ride so I can leave my saddle bag behind. The construction feels very high quality, so it's nice knowing that it would last as a regularly used riding accessory. That said, I was limited with what kit I could wear that would have pockets big enough to fit the case, and it is pricey.

Verdict

Well-thought-out and constructed case for tools and valuables but be aware it is too wide for some pockets