Best cargo bags (panniers?) for groceries?

W

Wes Turner

Member
Region
USA
City
Silicon Valley, CA
I would appreciate recommendations for cargo bags, or what I understand are called panniers. On the one hand, I want something that is sturdy enough that I can carry some groceries, including some that are somewhat heavy (gallon of milk or OJ). On the other hand, I want something that will accommodate my tennis gear.

I want two bags -- one for each side. I went to the grocery store on the loaner bike that had just one bag on the left side. When I put several heavy items in it, on the way home I felt a little off balance.

Do I need two different sets of bags?

Maybe I just need some bungee cords or straps that I can use to tie my tennis bag to the rack.

Thanks
 
Wes, it all depends on the type of the rear rack on your future e-bike, and its weight limit. As long as the rear rack is sturdy enough, you cannot go wrong with Ortlieb. They have everything. Some Ortlieb panniers are sold in pairs.

Whenever you want to push your rear rack to its weight limits, it is good to spread the load over two panniers. And... neither the rack nor panniers like being overloaded.
 
North Street makes some good ones. You also have some options on the mounting hardware so you should be able to fit most any rear rack:

northstbags.com

Gladstone Grocery Pannier | North St Bags | Made in PDX

Looking for a grocery bag for your bike—perfect for packing produce or dry goods? Meet the Gladstone Grocery Pannier From North St. Shop our selection.
northstbags.com northstbags.com

northstbags.com

LTD Upcycled Gladstone Grocery Pannier

Perfect for packing produce or dry goods by bike. This Gladstone Grocery Pannier is made form upcycled banner material.
northstbags.com northstbags.com

I've got one of these open top panniers from Axiom that has done the job well on multiple bikes over the years:

www.nscycles.com

Axiom Hunter DLX Shopping Bag

You've got reusable grocery bags, now you can take your eco-friendly shopping to the next level with Axiom's Hunter DLX Shopping Bag. This 600-denier polyester bag easily attaches to a rear rack...
www.nscycles.com www.nscycles.com

All of the above are sold singly. So if you want one for each side you need to order that. For myself, 99 percent of the time I'm only grabbing one bag of groceries so I'll just bring one and put it on the drive side.

I have carried gallon jugs of cider and a half rack of Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale in the Axiom bag. The Axiom bag is nice because it folds flat when empty and also you can easily drop a reusable grocery bag/tote right into it. The downside is that your rack should have fairly skinny rails (less than 12mm) for the attachment hardware to work.

The North Street bags are very well made (likely to outlast your bike) and are made in America if you care about that.
 
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I had the Banjo Brothers grocery bag carriers. Those were very nice quality for a fair price. I gifted them to a friend who uses them regularly. WALD also makes those fold flat side baskets but quality can be suspect sometimes. I ordered some and the bottoms were installed upside down! The WALD fold flat side baskets on my old pedal start moped went thru a war and never wavered!
 
I just got a Como 4.0, take delivery in a couple of days. Now I’m looking at bags. I’m an artist, and want to be able to take supplies with me back and forth from a studio. (Paint tubes, brushes, small canvases) But also something versatile enough for around-town errands.
Just read this Wirecutter review which is very helpful: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-bike-rack-basket-panniers/The 5 Best Bike Panniers of 2025 | Reviews by Wirecutter

It seems like double panniers can carry a lot, but are hard to manage when off the bike. So a single bag, and maybe a basket when I have more stuff?

I’m also wondering if panniers are a target of theft. That would certainly reduce the usefulness of some options, because they can’t be left long with the bike unattended.

I love the look of the Basil Bloom Field bags - does anyone have experience with these?
 

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Susan in Toronto said:
I love the look of the Basil Bloom Field bags - does anyone have experience with these?
Click to expand...
These bags are not panniers in any sense.
Not sure how thieves work but it is very easy to remove a pannier without your permission.
You might want a MIK compatible trunk bag. Please do your own research (I do not own a MIK rear rack so cannot help you).
 
it all depends on the use case. We use a mix of Orlieb back rollers and Racktime (Vida?) panniers for hauling a lot of stuf, groceries etc. Ortliebs back- and frontrollers are favorite when we go full on bike-traveling with tent etc. For bikepacking I use lighter bags. I also have some Bontrager panniers from a few years back from my then employer.

Basil makes good bags, although I do not know this particular hook system. Looks a lot like the Rixen und Kaul Vario system. Would work fine.

For shopping etc 20 liters a bit on the small size. If you would use them in a pair that could work, or get a bigger one in the 25 liter range.

Rackpack's like the Topeak ones are great, for lighter traveling or hauling video gear. We use a few of thos, From 2 versions of Vaude, an old Agu one (stil is favorite) to a newe Topeak. They have their place in the line up, juist not for every day usage like shopping or get the office gear over. More a sport-bag.
 
Base said:
it all depends on the use case. We use a mix of Orlieb back rollers and Racktime (Vida?) panniers for hauling a lot of stuf, groceries etc. Ortliebs back- and frontrollers are favorite when we go full on bike-traveling with tent etc. For bikepacking I use lighter bags. I also have some Bontrager panniers from a few years back from my then employer.

Basil makes good bags, although I do not know this particular hook system. Looks a lot like the Rixen und Kaul Vario system. Would work fine.

For shopping etc 20 liters a bit on the small size. If you would use them in a pair that could work, or get a bigger one in the 25 liter range.

Rackpack's like the Topeak ones are great, for lighter traveling or hauling video gear. We use a few of thos, From 2 versions of Vaude, an old Agu one (stil is favorite) to a newe Topeak. They have their place in the line up, juist not for every day usage like shopping or get the office gear over. More a sport-bag.
Click to expand...
“For shopping etc 20 liters a bit on the small size. If you would use them in a pair that could work, or get a bigger one in the 25 liter range.” ah, yes. That is one of the things I have been wondering.
I get the feeling that this is going to be like my downhill skiing experience: there is always a need for more gear! 😁
 
DaveMatthews said:
I've had good luck with a Topeak bag on a Tetrarack rack. Nice thing is I can unclip the bag and take it into the store with me.







Click to expand...
I’ve been looking at that bag too. I have panniers (KotoMoto). The zippers are starting to fray, after almost 4 years. I like that you can drop the panniers down and fold them up as needed. Might be my next bag.

The one requirement I have is for the bag to have clips, instead of zippers. Zippers can be hard to pull when you are wearing gloves. I guess I can put a paper clip in the hole of the zipper, but clips seem more manageable. Zippers exposed to the elements don’t last long. We get dense fog, that sometimes doesn’t burn off, and direct sun on other days. Couple those days with constant wind and they get beat pretty bad.

Maybe I’m scarred from school, but jam enough things in the bag and you’ll have a hell of a time zipping them up.
 
This rear rack is ludicrously expensive but is known to work pretty well. It will work if your rear axle uses a QR skewer or most thru axles:

www.tailfin.cc

Pannier Rack

Tried & Tested Awards and Reviews from the people you trust the most. Additional product photography
www.tailfin.cc www.tailfin.cc

It installs easily (with a multi-tool) and is (in my opinion) much more secure and can carry more stuff than the Topeak Tetrarack. The only thing I'd wonder about is that the carbon fiber rails might not work great with a lot of panniers, and it is really designed for bikepacking-style panniers that attach to the rack with velcro. I do know several people who have this rack and love it.

If you are serious about hauling stuff, the racks from Tubus or Old Man Mountain are where you should start looking. But again expect to spend some money.

TUBUS CARRIER SYSTEMS GMBH, bicycle carriers

racktime is a brand of tubus carrier systems GmbH, the worldwide leading company for designing and producing high-quality carrier systems for transporting stuff on your bicycle. For more than 25 years tubus has built handmade bicycle carriers from special high strength steel tube with complex...
www.tubus.com www.tubus.com

oldmanmountain.com

Old Man Mountain | Bicycle Cargo Racks for All Bikes

Old Man Mountain cargo racks are the strongest bike racks available and backed by a lifetime warranty! Bike racks that fit any bike.
oldmanmountain.com oldmanmountain.com

And Tubus or OMM racks will likely outlast your bike...

A pet peeve and a note from someone who carries stuff great distances. The various Tubus "double decker" models are awesome, because you get a nice variable geometry effect where you can place your panniers low or high on the racks (which is great because it gives you more control over the center of gravity and can make your bike handle better when carrying heavy), with the added bonus that if you run your panniers low it is super easy to place a rack-top bag (although I use a nice dry bag with a daisy chain) on the rack as well.

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