Plastic Bags

Plastic Bags.

What have plastic bags got to do with cycling?

    When it rains, and there is no shelter, a plastic bag can be placed over the saddle to keep it dry, OR use a plastic shower-cap to achieve the same end (and they look neater).

    When touring we install a heavy-duty plastic sack in each of our pannier bags.   Each item that is needed for the journey, is first placed into a clear plastic bag before then placing it into a pannier bag.   Being clear plastic, one can easily see what a bag contains.  By doing so, even old pannier bags can be relied upon to be completely waterproof.

    Every item that might have been in a box when it was purchased (like teabags, and cuppa-soups etc.), should be removed from its box and placed in a clear plastic bag or two.  Thereby taking up less space, being easier to accommodate in your bag, and still remain dry.

    Despite cycling through some heavy rain storms we haven’t had anything get wet yet.

    Keeping oneself dry.

    In my younger days I swore by a cape and a Souwester, but we think that Capes are less practical when not actually riding, and when you are, they maybe more subject to a cross wind.  It remains a matter of choice.

     If you wear shorts, then it really doesn’t matter that much if your legs and feet get wet, however what about shoes and socks (if worn).  On the odd occasion we have placed out feet in plastic shopping-bags, and tied around the leg above the ankle.  That does keep the feet and shoes dry, but I have a pair of grey ‘self-draining’ plastic sandals and if I wear those in the wet, then I have no need to use plastic shopping bags.  Wet socks (if worn) soon dry out. 

    I suppose one could wear a shower-cap under a helmet. 

    Plastic bags weight next to nothing.

    You can re-use plastic shopping bags when shopping.