Bungee Cord Power

A bungee cord has to be one of a bicyclist's most liberating and useful gadgets. I always have one with me as it can make the difference between running one more errand or returning home earlier that I would've wanted.

On my work commute I can add a few more things to the top of the rack. I've stopped at "FREE" piles and brought home four white 5-foot lengths of plastic fencing to use in my garden. I rescued and secured (rather dangerously, I admit), a blue recycle bin on the rear rack just because I could and needed an extra one at our house.

Lugging paper towel cores home for our animals.

For those unexpected trips to the grocery store (where I spend minutes in the frozen food aisle to cool off) I tend to buy more items than I might have intended. One time I stacked plastic and paper picnic goodies on the rear rack only to find a few moments later that the paper plates cartwheeled in the road.  I retold this story to my son as I was carrying two dozen bagels in the same fashion. The bags were similarly tossed in the grass next to us where, fortunately, the ties held the plastic bags closed. We laughed about that one as my boy said, "Mom, you jinxed yourself." I guess my bungee fastening skills could use some practice...

Carrying a watermelon two miles to camp. And, yes, it did not fall!

On a multi-day tour, an extra bungee is as invaluable as an adjustable wrench. It comes in handy to fasten broken panniers together or to the rack, or lug the extra grocery sack to the campsite, even as a replacement to a tent cord. It can also double as a laundry line.

Don't laugh - I like to coordinate bungee colors with my bikes. Now, why doesn't someone produce bungees in leopard print, zebra stripes, or flower patterns?

What ways have you used a bungee cord?