Bike bag

I've been biking to work - 6 blocks, not a bad commute - but the transportation of things to and from work was a problem. I don't have a rack or basket or panniers or even so much as a milk crate for my bike, so everything had to go in the backpack strapped to my back. That gets to be a pain after awhile (at least I thought so).

So what's homesteader to do? Fall back on my sewing skills of course!

I took my beloved backpack, which I've probably had over 10 years, and made some modifications. It was an ideal candidate since both the zippers were broken and half the seams were falling out. (Hey! It was my beloved backpack!)


My beloved backpack - the front pocket has been removed. I took off all the patches and sewed them back on the smaller, new bag.



I cut the seams apart at the front and back, on either side of the zipper, half-way down the bag. I also sewed on these little velcro straps.



I sewed the zipper part closed all the way around the bag - don't need that broken zipper any more!



Now you can start to see it... the top half of the back of the bag became the flap and the zipper part was sewn together to be a carrying strap.



I think this was a sheet. I used it to make the lining for the bag.




Voila! When I'm riding I stick the strap inside the bag, then I can take the bag off and carry it by the strap. I think I want a better way to attach the bag to the handlebars, but the velcro is fine for now.

This has worked out pretty well ... though there are still times I wish I had a nice big milk crate on the back of my bike instead. =)