It’s fun to thumb through bike catalogs that come through the mail. What’s new and shiny in the shoppe is always of interest, but I also take heart when I see old stand-bys for sale—freewheels to replace the ones I wear out in the gritty saline slush of winter, reasonably priced lycra shorts for everyday rides, and inexpensive fingerless gloves. And of course, good, solid, shopping panniers like my favorite Nashbar Townies. That’s them in the catalog picture to the right. I’ve been using the same pair of Townie panniers for seven years now—that’s probably about 7,000 miles of shopping wear-and-tear—and they are still going strong. I’ve had to patch pinholes in the neon yellow rain covers from having scraped against the rough sides of buildings where I lean the bike, or from dragging the pannier against concrete sidewalks when loading and unloading. But the Townie panniers themselves are in fine fettle. They’re rugged, very well designed, keep the dust and rain out of your groceries, and fold flat when you’re finished unloading. I’ve never seen a better pannier for shopping, and best of all, they’re reasonably priced. I strongly recommend them to anyone who is taking up utility cycling.

However, novices looking at the catalog photo will be deceived. You won’t get ten yards from the grocery store with your goods intact if they’re stashed the way the catalog photo depicts. I don’t dispute that you can get a bag-full of stuff into your pannier, because the Townies DO hold a great deal, especially after you’ve learned how to pack efficiently. But no groceries loaded like in that photo will stay put, especially if one of the items is a glass bottle.

 
Here’s how to stuff a Townie pannier:

 
The photo to the left above is equivalent to one brown bag of groceries, yet I got more under the rain cover (shown to the right). After shooting the photo on the left I put a long Italian loaf of bread on top, then covered the pannier. The rain cover keeps food in, and keeps dust, rain, and snow off. And the bright color of the rain cover is an eye-catcher for motorists.

Don’t be deterred from carrying heavy items. Distribute the weight so it’s concentrated on the bottom and rack-side of the pannier, if at all possible. Here’s how a box of wine is stowed:

 
A five liter box of wine is heavy, but it fits just right into the Townie, and lighter items on the outside half of the pannier keep the wine from shifting, thus keeping me on an even keel when riding.

 
Whatever panniers you buy for shopping, know how to pack’em. Don’t be fooled by the catalog pictures showing groceries sticking up out of an open bag. Keep your load securely-contained, balanced, and protected from the elements. Read more on shopping with panniers.

 
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Just as with bikes, boats are like potato chips—it’s mighty hard to stop with one. Sometimes the home fleet expands to meet the needs of a growing family. At other times a lone enthusiast simply can’t resist acquiring a different boat for every type of water she paddles, in much the same way that golfers fill bulging bags with different clubs—yet never seem to have the right one for the lie they’re on. Most often, though, paddlers collect boats for the same reason that hunters collect guns and anglers collect rods: the best boats embody an elegant synthesis of form and function. Good boats look good, in other words, and we feel good whenever we look at them.

But that’s where the comparison breaks down. Boats aren’t golf clubs, rods, or guns, are they? Unless your fleet is limited to “boats in bags,” it’s not very likely you’ll be able to house your collection in a closet. That said, you can’t simply toss canoes and kayaks willy-nilly into the backyard. Boats need to be stored someplace that’s safe and secure whenever they’re out of the water. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate, however. Modern materials will withstand most extremes of weather. A sheltered outside berth is just fine. For example, here’s our faithful whitewater workhorse, an Old Town Tripper, doing double duty as a cover for the kitchen woodpile:

 
Simple lashings hold the Tripper in place in the fiercest gales, while the shed roof’s overhang protects the boat’s hull from snow and sun. The locals like it, too. Birds, squirrels, and chipmunks all enjoy sitting under the hull. It’s a snug spot from which they can survey their world.

So far, so good. But suppose we had nine boats? What then? Well, one In the Same Boat reader, Dave Birren, doesn’t have to suppose. He’s got nine—yep, you heard that right, nine—canoes in his home fleet. And he’s found a place for every one.

Outside Up North readers have already seen some photos of Dave’s fresh air canoe shelter. But there’s more. Dave’s designed a clever way to store a lot of boats in a small space—in his garage. Read how…

 
The Internet is a wonderful invention. It’s allowed people from around the world to meet, get to know one another, and to communicate with the click of a mouse. At least that’s how it’s supposed to work. Sometimes, though, there are glitches, and recently we had one such glitch here.

If you’ve sent email or comments to us here at Outside Up North and haven’t received a reply, it’s not that your correspondence is being ignored. Gremlins have been at work, but the problem has been repaired and business can return to normal.

The upshot? If you’ve written to us using the online submission form or sent email directly and haven’t gotten an answer, please try again and your mail will be answered ASAP.

 
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