Originally Posted by
Torrilin
Stuff that works:
Regular panniers tend to be easy-ish to carry off the bike, make good grocery bags, and can handle a good bit of weight. REI and most LBSes will have something inexpensive, small and reasonably sturdy. 30L will handle groceries for 2 people for an average week. (mine cry at the idea of 25lbs of rice tho) Most grocery panniers that I've looked at are not well made and would not hold up under a real world grocery load.
If your rear rack has a platform, get a cargo net. They're cheap, and they make it easy to carry weird stuff that won't fit.
It seems like the idea behind the grocery panniers is that you will buy exactly two paper grocery bags full of food and then slip them in. I will be using regular canvas grocery bags, or the pannier itself without any grocery bags, so I'm still looking at other options. Would you say 30L total, or per bag?