Living Car Free - new panniers

We desperately needed a grocery stockup run, so I finally got a chance to test out my new panniers. I'm thrilled to death :).

3 bottles of wine
1 sixpack of beer
5lbs frozen chicken
1lb ground beef
1 package hamburger buns
2lbs green beans
1lb broccoli
1lb artichoke hearts
2-3lbs corn
2lbs frozen peppers
1lb peas
1lb pita bread (one of the breads I really don't make well)
2lbs sugar
1lb cheddar cheese
4lbs peaches
2lbs tomatoes
1 can refried beans (I'm usually to lazy/hungry to do homemade refrieds... if I make beans at home they tend to get devoured before I have a chance to do refrieds)
1.25 lbs chocolate
1 jar mustard

It was definitely a hugely bulky grocery run, but I got it all to fit. By eyeball, it was around a 40lb load. I still need to restock rice, but after that run, I'm pretty sure it's worth trying to do 2 25lb bags, one in each pannier. That should be enough rice that I won't need to go out for it all winter :D.

Now I need to get going on enchilada filling and making peach cobbler. Yum.

So what time should we show up for dinner?

We desperately needed a grocery stockup run, so I finally got a chance to test out my new panniers. I'm thrilled to death :).

3 bottles of wine
1 sixpack of beer
5lbs frozen chicken
1lb ground beef
1 package hamburger buns
2lbs green beans
1lb broccoli
1lb artichoke hearts
2-3lbs corn
2lbs frozen peppers
1lb peas
1lb pita bread (one of the breads I really don't make well)
2lbs sugar
1lb cheddar cheese
4lbs peaches
2lbs tomatoes
1 can refried beans (I'm usually to lazy/hungry to do homemade refrieds... if I make beans at home they tend to get devoured before I have a chance to do refrieds)
1.25 lbs chocolate
1 jar mustard

It was definitely a hugely bulky grocery run, but I got it all to fit. By eyeball, it was around a 40lb load. I still need to restock rice, but after that run, I'm pretty sure it's worth trying to do 2 25lb bags, one in each pannier. That should be enough rice that I won't need to go out for it all winter :D.

Now I need to get going on enchilada filling and making peach cobbler. Yum.

Pictures or it didn't happen.. :p

Already put away sadly... And chunk of it is now eaten. I should do the rice run today, so maybe I can get pictures.

Dinner is at 7pm, like always. There will not be kosher or vegetarian food available til the enchiladas are gone, so please let me know in advance if you are showing up and keep kosher. (my emergency feed people kosher stash is all vegan)

We desperately needed a grocery stockup run, so I finally got a chance to test out my new panniers. I'm thrilled to death :).

3 bottles of wine
1 sixpack of beer
5lbs frozen chicken
1lb ground beef
1 package hamburger buns
2lbs green beans
1lb broccoli
1lb artichoke hearts
2-3lbs corn
2lbs frozen peppers
1lb peas
1lb pita bread (one of the breads I really don't make well)
2lbs sugar
1lb cheddar cheese
4lbs peaches
2lbs tomatoes
1 can refried beans (I'm usually to lazy/hungry to do homemade refrieds... if I make beans at home they tend to get devoured before I have a chance to do refrieds)
1.25 lbs chocolate
1 jar mustard

It was definitely a hugely bulky grocery run, but I got it all to fit. By eyeball, it was around a 40lb load. I still need to restock rice, but after that run, I'm pretty sure it's worth trying to do 2 25lb bags, one in each pannier. That should be enough rice that I won't need to go out for it all winter :D.

Now I need to get going on enchilada filling and making peach cobbler. Yum.

What panniers did you get because I would love to make grocery runs like that:)

TIA

what kind of wine? :D

What panniers did you get because I would love to make grocery runs like that:)

TIA

Novara Safari rear panniers (http://www.rei.com/product/780452). They're about 45L, and they're by no means the only 40-45L panniers available. Basil, Arkel, Lone Peak, Axiom, Ortleib, Minnehaha... There are a lot of options. We have an REI membership, and often we'll ask for REI gift cards if we don't have any obvious needs for Christmas or birthday presents. We had some present money saved, which made them a very good deal for us. I also have a detachable front basket (Topeak, not Wald... don't make my mistake) that adds a bit of extra volume (say, 8L or so?).

My old panniers were 27L for a pair. Perfectly serviceable for most trips, but the quality of materials wasn't anywhere near as good, and the attachment system did not work well with my new rack. If you're buying a first set of panniers and have had a durable backpack or durable camping gear, look the panniers over carefully. Some kinds of cheap panniers are well made, others are just cheap. The folks in the touring forum tend to have good advice on which cheapies are good and hold up to hard use.

The front basket alone lets me handle a lot of shopping trips. It will hold enough food to make a meal for about 6 people. Since we're just two, it's incredibly useful.

what kind of wine? :D

Prosecco mostly :). Too hot for anything that's best served at room temperature. I'm hoping I can manage to fit a case of wine in 'em before winter hits... it's a *long* walk to Trader Joe's and Barriques when there's a foot of snow on the ground. My snow biking skills aren't up to snuff yet.