Milk crate bag holder

I read somewhere a while back someone suggesting the use of a milk crate cut in half and attached to the side of the rear rack. I was intrigued by the idea but was unable to find any pictures of anyone actually using it. I’ve installed it on my once-a-week commuter and just got home from my first commute using it. It was sturdy enough to survive the first day. At the start of the trip, I also had a voile rack strap, but it fell off somewhere 🙁 As I don’t feel safe relying on just one flimsy strap, I’ll experiment with nylon webbing or paracord.

The crate is temporarily attached to the rack using plastic ties that came with Cateye lights (they are sturdy and super useful). I’ll be replacing them with hose clamps.

Cutting the crate was easier than expected. I used a saw, but you could just use any utility knife as the material is soft. I sanded and melted the edges to remove burrs.

Why I did this:
1. Most panniers are expensive and aren’t designed well for off-the-bike carrying. This ruled out panniers.
2. I wanted an option that would let me use a few different bags. So, something like a basket or bucket was desired.
3. Any front rack bag/basket larger than what’s currently on it interfered with the brake/shift cables.
4. Wanted to keep the center of mass low.
5. I’m not particularly fond of the look of the crate/basket on top of the rear rack.
6. Considered the Fjallraven Cool Cave as I really liked the posh trash can look. But I missed the $45 sale, and I couldn’t justify the $80 price tag. A Target trash bin that looked similar was a bit too flimsy.

[Additional note on my commute and my bike setup]
My commute is 20 miles round trip through mostly well-paved hike/bike trails in a DFW suburb.
The black vertical tote bag is my main work bag. The frame bag holds the e-bike battery for when I feel lazy and decide to put on the hub-motor wheel. The front rack bag holds extras that don’t fit in the main bag, like a jacket, lunch, lock.

So, there you go. This is my first ever post, so I’m not sure if I did it right. I hope someone finds this helpful.