This product is a net made out of 1/4" bungee cord, with four hooks. The hooks are rubber coated, so they don't scratch, and they have flared tip covers so they won't snag fabrics.
The whole assembly weighs just under 4 ounces, and it collapses to about the size of a medium size vitamin bottle, so it's easy to carry everywhere in a backpack without taking up too much room.
This net is absolutely ideal for carrying groceries using your mountain bike rack. After trying it with a grocery sack that was half full and seeing that it holds the sack absolutely rock steady, I was ready to put it to the ultimate test. I used it to return from the grocery store about 2 miles away carrying one large doubled (one inside the other) paper grocery sack that was filled right to the top with very heavy items. It held 3 half gallons of milk, two 4 lb steak packages, and two large frozen vegetable packages - 25 lbs worth of food. I put the grocery bag on the mountain rack that is mounted above the rear tire. The net went over it easily without crushing anything, but held it securely upright over every bump. The groceries never budged. After using it for a year, however, sometimes, a grocery bag will tip. The net will hold it in place, so nothing will fall out, but be prepared to stop and remount the thing. It seems to happen about one out of twenty uses.
Should you get this or panniers? (Panniers are bags or soft sided baskets that hook over the sides of your mountain bike rack) With this, everything sits in the center of the bike, perfectly balanced, and it doesn't interfere with pedaling like panniers sometimes do. And face it, the price is right - it's a real bargain, even with the shipping charges, and I received it in 3 days from Bike World USA. Coupled with a large backpack that I use to hold another grocery bag worth of lighter items, I've stopped using my car for grocery shopping in the city of San Francisco.
However, if I think about it in advance, I tend to use panniers over this net. I don't have the one in twenty tipping problems with panniers and they are a bit easier and faster to get on and off. The benefit to this cargo net is twofold, however: it's a low price starting point to seeing if you want to start shopping with your bike. But more importantly, you can keep it handy in the back of your backpack all the time. With panniers, you have to plan ahead and carry them around. It has saved my behind on more than one occasion, either because I was out without panniers, I ran out of room in the panniers, or I just needed to take a jacket off and strap it to the bike. So even if you end up using panniers like I did, this won't be a wasted purchase. I still use my cargo net all the time. I carry it with me everywhere and if I lost it, I'd buy another one.
UPDATE 3/28/11: After 2.5 years, I lost one of the hooks. If you pull hard enough the wrong way, they'll come off and somehow I must have done that and I couldn't find it. And true to my word, I ordered another one the next day. Can't live without it. Sunlite Bicycle Bungie Cargo Net, Black
Very simply, this bungie net does exactly what you'd think. It holds your stuff to the back rack on your bicycle without having to fuss with using multiple bungie cords. Since it's designed for a back rack on a bike, its shape is just what you need to secure your stuff at an excellent price. It works especially well for tying down oddly shaped loads.
The only thing I would change might be to add extra hooks to add more tie-down versatility and security.
I've owned this product for over two years. I'm writing this review because I just bought a second one.
Why I like it:
It's still completely intact. Nothing's ripped or torn yet. I use it to cover my groceries in a basket which sits on top of my rear rack.
It has 4 hooks that are permanently wrapped around the cords. The segments they wrap around are also double corded so there's more strength to prevent a cord break.
Why I don't like it:
There's nothing to put here.
This is a great item to have if you've got a backrack on your bike. I had been using bungee cords to try and rig groceries and other things to my backrack, but it was very difficult to keep everything stable. Not with this cargo net. Now I can load up on groceries and not have to worry about getting them home on my bike. The only slight negative is that the cargo net is big, so you really do need larger items to use it. This is well worth the money. - Bungee - Cycling - Bike Rack - Bicycle Accessories'
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