dwellman

Weird that shopping decisions are now based on what will and will not fit in my pack.

So chocolate cake didn't fit. Maybe that's a good thing.

Anyway, I always had a car to transport things (shelves, sacks of flour, disk golf discs, ect). I figure I can deal with not doing those things, but I do have one thing I have yet to deal with: laundry.

Those of you that don't have laundry appliances in home. . how to transport laundry to the laundromat? Trailer? If so, what am I looking for exactly.

JeanSeb

I have a rear rack on my bike and would just strap down a Rubbermaid plastic bin on it, but then it depends what your bike or set-up is.

dwellman

No rack. Man. Is it possible to over think these things?

dcrowell

If you're going to use your bike as primary transportation, you may want to buy a rack. There are inexpensive ones available.

If you can get a used kid-trailer for cheap (that's what I did), it'll haul most anything you need on a regular basis. I hate laundromats, but I have a washer and dryer.

NormDeplume

Our kids are too old for the trailer (cheapo from Nashbar) but we still use it all the time. I should have gotten a picture of the time Mr Deplume filled it with trail marking supplies for a race that we put on. He had a branch lopper, a bunch of posts and marking tape and flags and stuff all in the trailer. It's surprising how much crap you can haul with those things.

tsl

I've been car-free since 1999, and I've always made sure there's laundry in my building. Everything thing else works for me with a rack and panniers. Sometimes a backpack and a little creativity, (that's how I transport bikes).

Laundry would be thing that would justify a trailer for me.

Roody

That's nice. You ask for help, then you're rude to those who try to help. Do you expect us to read your mind as to whether you have a rack or not?

Or am I reading this post incorrectly?

jdswitters

if you are not going to rack then you need a surplus sea bag. Put up a craigslist request, several old codgers like me out there with one in the closet that hasn't moved in 20 years.

CarFreeFam4

When I was in college I had a large canvas laundry bag with a shoulder strap. If you ride isn't too far that would work. However, I would much prefer to get either a rack or a trailer. They are each infinitely useful when transporting things by bike.

dwellman

Incorrectly. It should have read as rhetorical / introspective.

The rack + bin (first reply) is such an wonderfully inelegant, K.I.S.S. solution to my problem.

My sense of humor is very droll.

Roody

As long as it isn't very troll....

A rack with a bin will carry only small or moderate loads of laundry. (Check the weight capacity of the rack before you buy it.) Go with the trailer if you need to carry huge loads--especially comforters, baby diapers, or towels for your entire water polo team.

lubes17319

Alice pack, large, green

Used to get a week's worth of clothing jammed in there.

dwellman

The laundromat is less than 3 miles away. . . I'm thinking since I don't have a commute or anything like that any excuse to get out is a good thing. . .

I mostly wear lightweight synthetics (or blends). . . don't take up much space. Everything else is dry clean only. Meh.

Cheshire

Yup...if you don't have a rack, how big is your backpack? (Assuming you have one.)
Possibly look into handwashing for some stuff. That's something I'm wanting to learn more about.

Hippiebrian

+1

I used my old sea bag (the Army calls them duffel bags) before I got the washer/drier and they hold a ton of laundry!

Denelle

I couldn't function without my rack.

smithsmith

This is what I use for laundry, as of the next load, anyway...washer died yesterday! Anyway, got the trailer for $99, Amazon.com :-)

KDC1956

Sounds like to me you need a Surly Big Dummy bicycle that's what I would do.My 2 cents on this matter.

bragi

I've carried surprisingly large loads with a duffel bag with shoulder straps. I'm pretty sure a week's worth of laundry would be a piece of cake with one of those. That said, I really do think the kid trailer idea might work for you, and for a lot more than just laundry. (I've actually hauled an outboard motor using a trailer, a feat of which I'm endlessly proud....)

Sixty Fiver

Trailer ftw... being car free for nearly 4 years has convinced me that this is the best way to haul large bulky items... and I can tow it behind my extrabike which makes for some impressive hauling capacity.

My usual tow vehicles are my regular commuter and my folder because of their great gearing.

Artkansas 

That just amplifies the idea that a little planning goes a long way when it comes to being car free. I have racks and a trailer. But my laundry is just 50 yards away in the apartment complex. That sure makes it easier than having to leave the premises to do laundry.

dwellman

Those are some great solutions to my. . . er. . . laundry quandry.

Ok, so if you were to buy ice cream or something what are you doing to keep it from melting on the way home?

bragi

Ride fast, and buy the ice cream after the sun goes down.

Bikepacker67

Carfree going on 6 years, the first 6 months of which was with racks/panniers.
Thank goodness for trailers!

I own a burley nomad, and B.O.B, and can't recommend them high enough.

SparkyGA

After spending some serious time in Asia, I've learned an important lesson: You don't need a washer or dryer.

Buy a bucket* and wash your clothes by hand. Get a clothing rack or just hang up your clothes in the bathroom to dry. It's really cheap**, easy and requires no more time in the end than doing it in a machine once you've had some practice doing so. You also realize that you can get away wearing a lot less clothes too.

I haven't used a machine in 3 years. My clothes look fine, I smell fine and I nobody knows the difference.

*Toilet can be used to wash things up to a shorts or tshirts. Kitchen sinks work well for larger loads, just make sure there it's clean or your clothes will smell like supper. Bathtubs can work for really big items, but if the clothes are dirty, it will leave some dirt lines in the tub if it's a white one.

**Cheap= Damn near free once you figure in buying the machine (or spending money at the laundry places), electricity, maintenance etc. The only costs are still just water and soap with bucket.....