Jul 18, 2009
How To: Grocery Carrying the LongTail Way
We recently asked our twitter friends:
What tips would you recommend for carrying groceries in your #xtracycle? Bags to use, packing styles, glass awareness, etc.
They don't make pack cats, so an Xtracycle will have to do
Get a glint of LongTail knowledge below:
For big trips here in rainy Portland I use a pair of B.O.B. Trailer bags, for smaller/dry trips I just use reusable canvas bags.
Don’t tighten the straps down all the way when chips and bread are involved!!!! :)
pack your own bags at store (dense). Mix glass with bulk bags on the bottom. mini soft sided cooler for hot days & ice cream… don’t forget straps for TP on snapdeck. Turn bags sideways to fit 4+, longways to fit 3-. don’t put 6 packs on top-can pop out
heavies: rear axle, forward & low; delicates & smooshables: wayback & up; breakables: dubbawrapped , tucked in & around; leave gaps for access 2 flaps oh, and kid on SnapDeck-up top :-)
If you bag your own groceries, don’t put all the canned goods in one bag! Give each bag a mix of heavy and light items.
Thanks to Nate, Dave, Shane, Large Fella on a Bike and Kathleen for their tweets.
Comment on this post to share your grocery packing tips!
My wife and I use my big dummy to shop for food. We put all of our food in Chico bags. I think you can get them at Chicobags.com and they are amazing. We also purchased a hot/cold bag at our grocery store. They are supposed to keep things hot or cold for hours. We put the frozen stuff/vegetables in these. I attach a rubvermaid box to the side for my dog. I am thinking if cutting up some of the hot/cold bags and using them as a inside liner to the rubbermaid and using that on hot days instead of an ice chest. I think the rubbermaid will have a better volume to weight ratio and since I just need it to keep thongs insulated for 20 minutes it should work fine.
I am almost convinced that tw easiest thing to do for shopping would be putting one rubbermaid box on each side on a wide loader. This way you can just toss your food in and snap on the lid, it would even be great while it is raining.
You can see a photo and video of my dummy and food at http://www.flickr.com/wakenstrum
take it easy.
-Ryan
Folsom, CA
Sorry about the spelling errors……I don’t ride around keeping thongs cool….. iPhone auto input mistakes.
Chico bags (in black and red, to match the X) live in the Freeloader inside pockets for shopping anytime. Fill one up with cans & jars, tie the handles, and balance it low in front with juice or milk jugs on the other side. Trader Joe’s gives away wine boxes which fit perfectly and make great containers for groceries too. Farmer’s market flowers stand up at the back with their feet in the cylinder of the self-coiling cable lock. Looks so nice with the TP strapped on top.
I’m in the UK and i find that the IKEA shopping bags work well , they fit snugly into the freeloader allowing you shop wherever a,d just plop them into the freeloaders and when you get to your final destination just a clean lift out , Simples. No stress
Same here in Portugal: IKEA BAGS are cheap, strong, small when folded and fit perfect on the free loaders…..no problemo at all…Keep it simple.
peace
Bring some string or bungee. The bike will still take more weight when free-loaders are filled. I can get three shopping bags per side, and gently lash fruit, veggies and lighter stuff to the top. Any supermarket should be happy to give you a spare cardboard box if needed. I can do this and still put my two year old daughter in her seat.
Full disclosure I live in New Orleans so no hills, but it works great.
-Eli
Thanks for all the additional comments, rock on guys and gals! Am compiling all the info for an easy to digest content piece. Cheers!
In the summer I just toss my collection of Chicobags and one big canvas tote into the freeloaders. Looping the handles of the bags through the freeloader straps seems to prevent escapees from overstuffed grocery bags.
An apple box fits the freeloaders perfectly as I found when I was toting a case of cheap apples back from farmers market. Sometimes I just toss the empty box in with the expectation of hauling things on the return trip. You can beg an apple box at most grocery stores if you’re already there.
In the winter I’ll use an 18 gallon rubbermaid-type crate; usually just one. I almost always have something to ballast the other side with. Weight is more important than windage.
I also keep 1-inch, spring-cam, web strapping on the bike. The piece I use is about 6 feet long but there have been a few occasions when what I really wanted was a 10 foot piece. Bungies bounce loose and I ride by them in the middle of the street.
John in Chico, CA.
I’m still figuring out what works for me, with less than a month on my Xtracycle. So far it seems like long skinny bags (ala the Ikea bag) work better than the square grocery-style bags. Today I picked up an insulated shopping tote – http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=2000001827&categoryid=8515&brand= – which I’m pretty excited about using to carry the cold stuff.
Definitely discovering that the “load kickstand side 1st” advice is for real!
Had my first super-load last Saturday, which included a 6-pack of bottled cider and a roast chicken. :) Still have yet to make a trip with the big bag of cat food, which is my personal goal. (Will be waiting for temps to drop down below 90 before I tackle that.)