Ron Hardin wrote:

The Queen of Cans and Jars wrote:

Ron Hardin wrote:

Trailers slow you down a lot. Factor that in to your desires.

An empty trailer isn't bad, and carrying lots of weight on the bike
isn't bad, but the combination of wind resistance from the trailer
and from the weight it carries tips the impression over the top that
you're really being slowed down.

So if you need gear, put a milk crate on a sturdy rear luggage rack
and do it that way. (I recommend a conventional rack with legs
PLUS the core innards of a seat-post rack under it, so it's stabilized
as firmly to the frame as possible; the latter prevents sway and the
former bears the weight.)

why on earth would you put a milk crate on your rack instead of pannier
bags?

It holds more, you can hang excess on the side, or drape over the thing;
when not in use it's out of the wind and rigid on the frame.

I've never bought more than I could carry, ever, using one. The extreme
is using my 6' cable lock as a 3' loop looped through shopping bags, and
sling the whole thing over the top of what's in the milk crate.

It's completely waterproof if you simply put everything in a garbage bag
and twisty tie it shut, on days when you want it waterproof.

It beats panniers by so far that it's not even on the same planet.

i've never had any problem fitting everything i needed to fit into my
pannier bags. and, as an added bonus, i don't have to ride around with
a friggin' milk crate on my rack.

don't get me wrong - if it works for you, okey doke. i'm not interested
in arguing with you about it. but i think that it's aesthetically and
functionally inferior, and that even if you don't want to use panniers
there are far better solutions.

you go on with your bad milk crate, though. have fun with it.