Commuting - Coffee drinking commuters -- need advice on thermos transportation!

Hey, with fall not too far off now I was thinking about transporting a large stanley thermos (or something similar) on my commutes.

I ride a Surly LHT with a wald front basket where I usuall stuff my backpack and strap it down with bungee cords. I'm thinking I could squeeze one in there, but it would rattle like a shopping cart.

Just wondering if anyone has found a creative solution :thumb:

First, you'll have to consider a new route which has a good patch of woods roughly every two miles, depending on the size of your thermos.

I use a stanley vacuum mug, it is similar in size and construction to the thermos, but I can drink directly from the lid. I started with an old aluminum bottle cage in my garage, then heated it up and bent it to the shape that I could cram my mug into. Its not a perfect fit, but its mounted on the seat tube so its vertical and hasn't fallen out yet. Works great, even in winter the vacuum mug keeps coffee hot even after a 30 minute commute in subfreezing temps.

One of my ex coworker carries a square shape ice chest which he slide it on to his topeak rack. It look like he took one of those Topeak fixer stuff like the one that came with their rear removeable rear basket and bolt it to his ice chest so he can slide it on and off his rack. The ice chest has a flat cover lid where you can lay a full size Thermos on top of it. On rainy days, he stuff his dry stuff inside the ice chest to keep dry during his ride.

Sorry, I'm caffeine free, can't help ya :D

http://www.thebikebiz.com/Ibera_Thermos_Bottle_p/trk-acc-cyclone01.htm

I actually use one of those beefy green "retro" stanley thermoses on occasion. Usually it just goes in my pannier, or back pack depending on what I'm using that day. I've also just strapped it to my rear rack, it rattled a bit but not too much. Maybe you could strap it down in your basket, or wrap it in a dish towel and strap it down to prevent it from rattling? Also, if you haven't already purchased one, they do sell tall thin thermoses that can fit in regular water bottle holders.

Soma has a dedicated thermos/holder:
http://www.somafab.com/morningrush.html

Performance Bikes has a coffee cup and holder for $10.

Hey, with fall not too far off now I was thinking about transporting a large stanley thermos (or something similar) on my commutes.

I ride a Surly LHT with a wald front basket where I usuall stuff my backpack and strap it down with bungee cords. I'm thinking I could squeeze one in there, but it would rattle like a shopping cart.

Just wondering if anyone has found a creative solution :thumb:

Could you wrap it in a sheet of packing foam? We even have some foam around here in our office that's open only on side, forming sort of a pocket. I think these pocket like pieces of foam are also available as packing/moving materials (for glasses and plates, etc.) Not sure where you can buy it, but it seems like a Thermos wrapped in one of those pockets wouldn't rattle against the basket, and I assume the foam is cheap.

Similarly, a pocket like object made of thicker fabric (sewed from the leg of an old pair of jeans, a big sock, etc.) would probably have a similar effect.

I have a few rotating travel cups, 12", rotating lid. I have a stainless bottle cage that I can bend to fit whatever is the cup I am using at the time.

My current main one is coke-bottle-y like this one:

http://www.chinatraderonline.com/Files/Gifts-and-Crafts/Cup/Travel-Mug/Travel-Mug-23355814713.jpg

Actually it's more hour-glass than coke bottle, but whatever.

When that's done I switch to tea that I make at the office.

Soma has a dedicated thermos/holder:
http://www.somafab.com/morningrush.html

My wife has one of these on her cruiser bike, and carries an insulated coffee mug in it. She loves it.

I drink a lot of coffee. I make a full ten-cup pot, and put it in my large Thermos. I strap that and my large insulated lunch bag on the rear rack with bungie straps. Look at the last two pictures here (http://fatguy.org/2010/08/17/my-morning-commute-for-sanity/).

If the bungies are tight, I don't get any rattle, unless I hit a pothole.

Sorry, I'm caffeine free, can't help ya :D
No such thing as caffeine free, only caffeine deprived. :p

My thermos rides in one of the panniers.

...I was thinking about transporting a large stanley thermos...I'm thinking I could squeeze one in there, but it would rattle like a shopping cart.

Slip it into a sock or two. Or make a sleeve for it out of an old sweater arm or similar such thing.

I use a 20oz insulated Klean Kanteen. It fits perfectly in your standard bicycle bottle cage.

http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy124/Almost_Green_Guy/Water%20Bottles/Dunkin.jpg
http://i784.photobucket.com/albums/yy124/Almost_Green_Guy/Water%20Bottles/KleanInsulated.jpg

Thermos Backpack (http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-JMW500P6-16-Ounce-Stainless-Steel-Backpack/dp/B000K604P0) obviously.

http://www.thebikebiz.com/Ibera_Thermos_Bottle_p/trk-acc-cyclone01.htm

That's pretty freaking cool.

Jerry H

Thermos Backpack (http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-JMW500P6-16-Ounce-Stainless-Steel-Backpack/dp/B000K604P0) obviously.

This is the one you want.
One-handed operation
Keeps coffee hot for HOURS. No exaggeration.
Doesn't leak no matter how you toss it around.

Thermos Backpack (http://www.amazon.com/Thermos-JMW500P6-16-Ounce-Stainless-Steel-Backpack/dp/B000K604P0) obviously.

I was really hoping when I clicked that link to find an insulated Camelbak like product specifically for carrying and dispensing hot coffee while engaged in sports like activities. Not that the bottle on the link is bad. It just crushed my dreams of coffee Nirvana.

I think you're getting a lot of good suggestions for a mid-ride drinkable coffee mug, but it doesn't sound like that's what you're after. I'm a fan of expeditionary coffee in the manly Stanley bottle myself, and I think you want to transport a large coffee supply for consumption at the destination. I'd go with the wrap it & basket route. You might be able to find or fashion a nice neoprene or similar padded slip case for it, or a dish towel as suggested would probably work to eliminate the rattle.

That Ibera thing does look pretty cool; a) if it works well (anyone used it vs. just saw on web?), and b) you can get by with only 500cc rather than the 1 Qt Stanley.

One of my ex coworker carries a square shape ice chest which he slide it on to his topeak rack. It look like he took one of those Topeak fixer stuff like the one that came with their rear removeable rear basket and bolt it to his ice chest so he can slide it on and off his rack. The ice chest has a flat cover lid where you can lay a full size Thermos on top of it. On rainy days, he stuff his dry stuff inside the ice chest to keep dry during his ride.

That's just excellent - great idea! :thumb:

For transporting coffee to work, I've got two of the Stanley "classic" looking green vacuum bottles that I either throw in one of the panniers on my bike, or if those are full (quite the feat.) I strap them to the top of my rack with bungee cords. I've only ever filled Both panniers on a commute to work once. :)

Oops, I have not read carefully the original post, you need a Bike Buddy (http://www.bikebuddy.co.uk/).

Great ideas folks! Thanks for posting!

If you have a friend who's handy with a sewing machine, he or she could fabricate a neoprene/elastic case which could attach to the bars of your Wald basket in one of the corners. It would take someone who knew what they were doing about two hours, and it would be a "fun" project that they might enjoy taking on.

There are lots of good suggestions here. However, this is the only GREAT answer. It's cheap. A broken spoke bent to shape, a little water, some coffee, a small cone filter, and your STOVE! Lol. I did this most of the way to GA.

Sorry, couldn't help myself. :D

Jerry H

I use a Primus coffee mug with a vacuum lid. It fits perfectly in my standard bottle cage and I can drink while I ride. Coffee is still hot even by the time I get off of work.

Here----> http://www.backcountry.com/store/review/96469/Primus-Commuter-Mug-The-Ferrari-of-Coffee.html

Camelback?

No such thing as caffeine free, only caffeine deprived. :p
No kidding. Nothing like a good cup of java to get me going faster on 2 wheels. It keeps that "is the parking brake on" question from popping up too. There's a reason they refer to coffee as the jet fuel of the business world.


I was really hoping when I clicked that link to find an insulated Camelbak like product specifically for carrying and dispensing hot coffee while engaged in sports like activities. Not that the bottle on the link is bad. It just crushed my dreams of coffee Nirvana. Mine too.

I usually have my cup of coffee in the morning before I leave, and am good until lunch. But when I want to take some with me, I use a cheap 2 cup thermos was regifted to me by a friend who won it at a golf outing. It fits in a regular water bottle holder or my rack trunk, and doesn't rattle too much.

Briefcase thermos $10 at wally world. Keeps coffee HOT for about 4 hours very warm for about another 5. Yesterday I only got to drink half my thermos that I filled at 7:30am. It was still pleasantly war at 7pm. Fits a standard bottle cage.