Best way to carry stuff on your bike commute: Panniers, basket, backpack or milk crate?

Getting to work on a bike is only half the job. The tough part is figuring out how to get all of your stuff there too. Your lunchbag, your coffee, your hand sanitizer (c'mon, it's still Covid times), how do you carry it?

I decided to test four of the most popular methods to determine the most efficient and simple. I tested:

1:08 Panniers (or saddlebags)
3:33 Basket
6:11 Milk Crate
8:42 Backpack
10:55 My favourite

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[cz]

A good option is using a backpack and put it in the basket: great  capacity of loading because, if you need it, you can carry the backpack on you and have the aditional basket capacity for extra load, easy grab and go (more than paniers), isolation from elements if you use a water proof backpack.

[cycledublin]

Panniers on the back, crate on the front. Backpack goes everywhere with me.

And a step thru bike avoids the need to throw your leg over whatever you have on the back!

[davewade]

Back pack IN the milk crate!
Perfect!

[fearsomefawkes]

I think there are a couple factors that were missed. First, most people probably already own a backpack and/or milk crate. The convenience of already owning something is pretty high in my books.

Second, not everyone commutes to an office. As a student panniers make less sense because they still need to carry my gear around once I'm on campus. The backpack is the preferable method between classes. With those panniers in particular, they'd be a nightmare to try and fit them under a desk in a crowded lecture hall.

[coffeestainedwreck]

ah, my favourite lunch. 3 cans of beans.

[ndbaritone]

This video gives me the impression you have wonderfully smooth roads. Try it on Belgian cobbles and I fear the basket will be half empty and the milk crate may have fallen off. Moreover, with the latter stepping on and off the bike seems painstaking.
Good video, though.

[hjge]

#1 and #4 are clearly the best options. Secure, safe and convenient. #1 probably has more space and is more comfortable, and #4 is more versatile.
#2 could launch your laptop out onto the street if you hit a pothole. A basket like that also makes you very prone to theft.
#3 is basically just a big basket.

[didierpuzenat]

Fun fact, the word "panier" is French, it means... basket! What you call "pannier" is in French "sacoches". The word panier comes from the Latin "panarium" and it means a basket for bred.

[Self_Proppelled]

Watching you get on and off your bike made me glad I bought a bike with a step through frame.

[harkin]

I would use a permanently attached milk crate on my summer beater because an old crate would blend in perfectly with the rest of the bike.

[DeanPattrick]

Panniers all the way... easy to attach, waterproof, no sweaty back.!

[justinhagman]

Something not mentioned that most don't consider is a backpack will significantly lessen the shock of bumps. That is a big consideration when I am biking with my camera gear and/or electronics.

[innsj]

I like the working class aesthetic of the milk crate. Wouldn't be surprised if it became a fashion choice someday.

[explosivemallard]

I doubt this will be seen, but knots and lashings have earned great respect from me and are applicable in more ways than I can count. To secure the milk crate to the bike rack, I think the “taut-line hitch” and the “constrictor knot (or clove hitch)” with some creativity would work. They’re relatively simple knots many can learn here on youtube, just make sure you use a good rope with enough friction between itself. 550 paracord is the classic and quite available.

[chiscoruiz]

My favorite is a backpack in a kid's seat it works like a basket but has the added advantages that you can secure the backpack in place with the straps for the kid and if you're cycling in traffic cars give you all that extra space thinking you're carrying a child. It also has extra carrying space as the backpack can be hung by the straps at the back of the seat leaving room in the seating area for an actual kid or yet another backpack. The foot rests and the straps are also great for holding things like coffee thermos and water bottles.

[catrionatalbot]

When I was a student post-retirement I used a backpack in combination with an attached basket. Pack backpack with computer, books and lunch. Throw it in the basket. Have easy access to stuff all day around campus. Best of both worlds. Also: a step-through bike solves the leg-over problem.

[ronaldreid]

In the UK a bike commute is often combined with a train commute, in which case a backpack is most convenient because it makes the bike more portable up/down stairs & on/of trains. You also have a lower wind drag coefficient with a backpack than with panniers. That may not be an issue with a short commute, but you don't want to turn yourself into a parachute with a long commute. The real downside of a backpack is it's sweaty in summer.

[inspector]

If you ate all those beans for lunch...you would have turbo jet power for your ride home!

[stevec]

Decades ago when I rode an upright and didn't have a car I had a milk crate attached to the rack on the back. One time when I wanted to buy a tree for my yard I made sure the container fit in the crate and off I went. Everything was balanced so it went well. This was in warm weather so when I passed the fire house with the firemen out front sitting in their chairs it gave them a good laugh and shouted about how it was so hot I had to bring my own shade.
The tree was sitting so high that I had to ride far enough away from the curb so it wouldn't hit the small trees planted on the boulevard.
Now with my recumbent I just use a bag hanging off the back of my backrest.

[ashleighmason]

If your luggage is not super huge, my favourite option is a nice, waterproof messenger bag or backpack. You don't have to detach it from the bike every time and it doesn't compromise handling. On top of that you get extra style points 👩🏼‍🔧