Hauling, Moving, and Shopping Issues

The topics on this page deal with getting stuff where you need it, primarily on buses, foot, trains, and bikes. Subsections relate to special problems such as carrying your cat to the vet and getting that big plant home. I have not ordered from most of the vendors mentioned on these pages. I tried to pick a representative sample or a nonprofit vendor when possible. Buyer beware.

Carrying really big or awkward stuff home

Things they usually won't let you carry on the bus include large containers of toxic stuff like paint thinner, sharp or tall things like bamboo fence stakes, or a step ladder. Then there are the things you probably don't want to carry, such as garden flats, especially if you have more than one, breakables like aquaria, or your boa constrictor or Malamute. By the way, the strategy "don't ask, don't tell" applies here; if you ask if you can carry it on the bus or train, they may have to say no.

Home and gardening projects present special challenges. How did I replant my garden and remodel my kitchen without a car? The short answer is one small step at a time, combined with occasional car sharing and some developed triceps. Sometimes, if you ask nicely, stores will help you cut that tile backer board down (bring tools) or sell you a remnant piece so you can carry it or fit it in a sedan. It is much easier if you have someone helping you do the work; that way, they can pick up much of the stuff involved in a job. With home remodeling projects in particular, the cost and time involved in moving stuff around is minor compared to all the stresses and headaches that come with the project.

Your options, in order of ease for noncyclists, are direct delivery, taxicabs, delivery services, car sharing both formal and informal, various people-powered carriers, and car rental. For cyclists, add bike trailers and carriers. For regular shopping, such as grocery shopping, the easiest option is a carrying aid of some kind.

For most needs, shopping more often makes like simpler. This is especially true with food. It sometimes takes more time, but your food is fresher, you get more exercise, you may get to know your vendors, and you could begin to see every outing as a chance to pick up a few items. Ultimately, this makes those big aggravating trips to the supermarket less necessary.

Direct delivery involves shopping online, through catalogs, or at your local stores. It is amazing what UPS and the like will deliver. I personally had a huge piece of cat furniture delivered by UPS after discovering my rental car (or most any car smaller than a truck) would not carry one of these pieces. Watch out though, as UPS (and I assume FedEx centers) are often very hard to access without a car. You could face a big cab fare getting stuff home from a delivery center if you were not at home to receive it. I have solved this problem myself sometimes by calling to have big things delivered at work. UPS Store retailers can accept delivery for you for a small fee. In my case, the UPS Store is a 10-block walk from my house vs. over an hour on transit to get to the main delivery center.

Shop near your home, work, or school and look for small businesses. These kind of shops often offer the best advice and merchandise anyway. This is the only way to buy garden and pet supplies, in my humble opinion. For example, real nurseries—those with trained nursery staff—usually deliver for orders over a certain amount (usually $50 or $75). It is also a good strategy with living purchases such as plants to buy young and in small amounts. I bought most of my plants one or two at a time at plant shows or good nurseries, such as the one around the corner from my old workplace, then carried them home on public transit or on foot.

Lumber yards, rock suppliers, and mulch companies also deliver. Although there is usually a charge for this service, keep in mind that they can dump things in your driveway or other off-street spot, while you might spend an hour unloading and cleaning out a pickup, or worse, put stuff temporarily on the street and get ticketed because storing construction supplies on streets is illegal in your town.

Though I don't often shop there, some big Home Depots have pickup trucks available free for customers. They require customers to have full motorist insurance and a credit card, so this is an option only if you have just gotten rid of your car or if you share a family car.

Taxicabs are one obvious choice. They are not always that expensive, especially if you shop with a friend and you consider how infrequently you probably need to use them. Most stores are happy to help you call a cab. Cab drivers expect to help you carry things (for a bigger tip of course). Many transit districts also offer paratransit services that may help disabled or elderly shoppers carry their things home or at least drop them much closer to their doors. Many agencies and cab companies offer disabled/senior discounts. Taxis are an especially good choice for moving breakables; many can also fit a bike in their trunk if you get inspired to buy something big while out for a ride.

Delivery services include rent-a-van businesses and general haulers and movers. Professional movers are a good choice for really nice furniture. Haulers are handy when cleaning out the garage, which you can now use for something fun. They do require a lot of planning and sometimes waiting a while for your delivery, and they can be expensive.

Another option offered in a few choice locales are bicycle-based delivery services. They are a pollution-free option. The PedalExpress service, which started in the Berkeley area but inspired similar businesses elsewhere, offers special services such as discounts when delivering items from partner businesses and catering-approved insulated carriers for carrying that huge birthday cake or the Christmas party trays home; since they use open trailers, they can also cart that 13-foot high cactus or ficus home for you. They never get stuck in freeway tie-ups either.

Nonbike carrying aids

For walk-in shopping, the best tool depends on the size of your load. For small trips, I use my own canvas bag or an old glove to make carrying the store's plastic grocery bags easier. Without padding of some kind, carrying grocery bags can cut into your fingers. (There is a bag carrier out there but I am not listing it here because the site plays really annoying ads.) I also put a few items in my backpack-style purse (at the checkstand, of course) to get some of the weight off my shoulders and arms. For larger trips, I use a folding shopping cart, and occasionally, a luggage rack/bungie-cord carrier for awkward items like computer parts that won't fit in a shopping cart. Shopping carts are offered in lightweight (about $30) and heavy duty (about $50) models. When considering which type to buy, keep in mind how awkward it would be to carry empty. The lightweight models can be easily carried under your arm when empty. A problem with any shopping cart is that if you fill it completely, you will probably not be able to get it up the stairs on the bus. A curb-climbing cart may help. Stairs are not a problem with trains and buses that have low floors. You may also be entitled to use a ramp or enter through the back door if your local transit vehicle is hard to use. I must rail a bit here: what else is transit for if not to serve people who really need it and support it? Make sure your transit service doesn't make it impossible for you to shop; check out any new bus/rail designs (the multilevel Belgian buses are abominable) before they are foisted on the public.

The old-fashioned farmer's market baskets were designed for carrying flowers, eggs, and other delicate items. (Egg baskets are smaller and more boat-shaped.) These and picnic baskets are useful for short trips to the produce store or farmer's market and for buying little plants, as their stiffness is an advantage because it helps you keep your items upright. Those cute boxes in the nurseries are pretty much only good for cars or wagons; you cannot carry anything in them far on a bike or on foot without them collapsing. Hardware stores sell easier to carry and roomier plastic baskets like the ones grocery stores offer for in-store shopping. These larger baskets are also useful for carrying project stuff around and for getting food to potlucks (using towels for insulation and padding).

Backpacks have the advantage of putting the weight where it is safer to carry, which may be especially important for those with physical limitations. (Well, actually that is all of us.) However, your backpack has to fit you correctly. There are different sizes and even different designs for men and women. I use my backpack for carrying stuff on trips, not generally for shopping. People putting items in backpacks unfortunately makes shopkeepers uncomfortable. You can leave the pack at the front of the store and load it up from a basket after paying. It is then harder to know how well stuff will fit in a backpack when you have to do this. A full backpack can be hard to carry and store on a bus, but of course shopping carts can be difficult too. I am very fond of mine and am reluctant to leave it anywhere it could be stolen. Of course, you can try to find a cheap one at a thrift store.

A dolly is great for carrying heavy stuff such as paper or liquids or tall items if you have room to store one; I like the ones that can carry items both upright and sideways. However, dollys are heavy and noisy even when empty and not usually very compatible with stairs, taxis, or public transit. A kid's wagon is a smaller version of a flat dolly; it is cheaper, cuter, and usually red! Any open upright cart such as a wagon can work well with a crate.

Carrying straps are invaluable for moving big and awkward items without handles, like boxed furniture or that huge bag of compost or dog kibble. Mine is a large Velcro© strap that can cinch around a box. There is a handle or two built into these straps, or you can just pull things by the end of the strap. These are useful even for people with cars or bike trailers because they help you drag things from your trunk or trailer to your house. Carrying straps are sold at a few old-fashioned hardware or houseware (read: neighborhood) stores.

This Abledata site offers practical products primarily for people with disabilities.

Bike carriers and trailers

Bike owners can choose from many types of bike add-ons such as panniers, baskets, and racks (which hold panniers). These sites offer some of these products: Jacksbikes, Sportsbay, Panniers, and Circlecity. There are safety and other specialized issues to consider when carrying things on bikes. Unfortunately, my favorite resource on the subject seems to have left the Web. Bicyclists may be more comfortable using backpacks; these can be easier to balance, which is an important safety concern, and they can hold a lot.

Bike trailers are trailers hauled by bikes. Unfortunately, "bicycle trailer" also refers to trailers used for shuttling bikes behind motorcycles or cars. They are designed for specific purposes such as carrying heavy loads, carrying kids or pets, or pulling awkwardly shaped items (check out the bike kayak trailer). Bicycle trailers can be expensive and bulky, which makes them a good candidate for sharing among a group; some bike groups loan these out. Some of the better trailers fold up and store easily. If you are handy, it is probably not to hard to design or modify a trailer. Some links for bike trailers: Trailer Comparison and Sportsbay.

Community supported agriculture

A CSA involves a type of subscription, usually to an organic farm. The farm delivers boxes of produce (and sometimes recipés) at set times. These are then usually delivered by subscriber-volunteers to subscribers' houses. You probably need at least three people per box to use all this good produce up. You also need to live near other subscribers. I prefer grocery markets or growing my own so I have not tried this option. It does seem like a good option for those who dislike food shopping and want to support farmers. The CSA farms in Northern California also sell at farmer's markets, which makes it easy to pick out a favorite grower before subscribing.

Car sharing

Formal car sharing involves a large group of members who share vehicles such as nonprofit City Carshare or a group of friends or neighbors who get together, buy a car, and set up their own systems and rules for sharing it. Car sharing is a great tool for getting stuff home or for donating unwanted stuff. It allows you to shop at your own pace and at your preferred times, combine many errands/shopping tasks in one session, and get almost anything home. Some organizations offer pickup trucks, vans, and station wagons. The disadvantages of car sharing for hauling are the pet limitation (see below), its limited geographic availability, and the requirement that you be a good driver with good credit. If you are on a leisurely shopping trip in which you spend hours finding one item, a taxi ride home combined with public transit/bike to the store is probably a cheaper choice. However, a car-sharing rental will be faster (assuming you don't get lost a lot). My average car-sharing rental cost between $25 and $35, but this included gas and insurance charges.

Car sharing is such a good fit for shopping that members say a car share day is hard on your wallet and your back (--.

Informal car sharing means many things. Many people trade rides for work they do for their neighbors. Community-money and other bartering networks, cohousing projects, and similar groups can make it easier for nondrivers, particularly seniors, to stay independent. Virtual communities such as local Craigslists, parents' and other support groups, and community bulletin boards are all potential sources for rides. Just be careful about getting into cars with strangers (as Mom and Dad said).

Car rental

Car rental can be similar to car sharing. Its advantages include that it is available almost everywhere and there are no pet limitations. If you live near a downtown or an airport, you may be able to rent a car for as little as 24 hours, with pickup and return on any day of the week. A few locations (Portland, Oregon, of course, is one) have microrentals of as little as 4 hours; this is essentially a private-company version of car sharing. These shorter rentals can be devoted mainly to errands. Although pickup trucks can be hard to find at traditional rental agencies, many car rental companies now offer mini-SUVs; these get reasonable gas mileage (trust me) and hold a lot. Another option is renting a truck from an equipment/moving truck rental company, but they have a lot of restrictions, and well, a bad reputation (where I am at least). They do offer longer hours than many small-town rental agencies. They also sometimes offer a lower minimum driver age.

However, I usually do longer rentals, combining one or two errands with, for example, a trip out to the great outdoors or to a family event. Before car sharing came to my area, I kept a list of places I might want to visit in a car. As my next car rental trip approached, I would research these places (look them up on a map, check out their hours, etc.) or even visit them on the bus (I call this preshopping) in order to minimize actual shopping, driving, and carrying time. After all, the point of the car rental was to get somewhere special or just explore a little, not haul stuff or get stuck in traffic. People who own cars who do this type of trip planning and combining, called trip chaining in transportation-speak, can cut driving costs. Keeping maps, business lists, and an extra phonebook in your personal car makes it easy to trip-chain.

Car rental, including insurance issues, is also covered on the Busgrrrl Selling Page. When car sharing or renting a vehicle for errands and hauling, remember that you need to allow time to drop stuff off at home and drive back to the rental location.

If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.—James Thurber

Transporting pets

Check out your local transit agency's policies on pets on board transit. You may be surprised at how liberal they are. Where I have lived while car-free, small pets in carriers are allowed on all vehicles. The Amtrak rail system, however, allows only seeing-eye dogs. The CarShare car-sharing organization does not allow any pets in their cars due to concerns about allergens. On the other hand, San Francisco Muni (bus and light rail) allows even large dogs to ride sans-carriers if they wear a muzzle and their guardian buys them a ticket. Ferries, being open-air modes of transport, are also pretty tolerant of doggies; the feeling is mutual because most dogs love riding on the top deck of a boat.

Some dog owners let their pets help them carry things home. There are even little backpacks available for dogs. Cute, but I am not so sure hauling is good for pets, unless you own a dog sled and trained team, or a horse.

A safety note on transporting new pets: tell the pet shop or adoption center if it will take you a while to get your new pet home, as they may assume everyone gets home in 20 minutes and not set up your pet well otherwise; a new fish on a long ride, for example, should be put in a bag with more air, and any young or cold-blooded pet needs insulation. A taxi is your best bet.

Pet health

Another issue with pets is getting them to the veterinarian. One increasingly common choice is a mobile veterinarian. These can sometimes upset pets, especially cats, since someone scary is coming into their safe place. However, some docs will see animals outside in their van, or you can set up a special area with a crate away from their usual living area. I still use a mobile vet now, despite getting a car, because it is less traumatic than a car ride for everyone involved. You do usually have to be willing to assist the veterinarian if they work in your house. Some offer services more like mobile clinics, with large well equipped vans. Many pet-sitters have veterinary-assistant training, so they can also administer medications in your home. Pet stores, which are often in convenient locations, sometimes offer regular low-cost vaccination clinics.

Pet taxi services are offered by some pet-sitters. They can pick up your pet and take it to a vet or grooming appointment if you cannot make it. Cabs will often carry a pet (they may be used to carrying seeing-eye dogs), but you need to ask the company and driver first.

I knew someone once who regularly took two squirming bunnies to their vet in a backpack on her bike: a strange sight that could have caused a wreck but didn't! Pet carriers for bikes are offered by some of the sites listed in the carrying aid section (above).

In larger towns, there are also pet ambulance services (check your local business listings). I must admit here that the pet-emergency issue is my biggest worry about not owning a car. I waited to get rid of my old car until I had settled my then-newest pet (a frog) into his home and had done some research and thinking on the issue. After moving, I started to worry about it again. However, my pets are now kept indoors and I spend a lot of time with them, so a sudden emergency is not likely. I also try to keep in mind the unpleasant experiences of people I know whose pet went into a crisis while they are away at work, in other words, bad stuff sometimes happens to good pets and pet owners, even those with cars.

Dogs do like riding in cars and getting out in the country. Your car-free dog may not get enough doggy exercise if you give up a car without planning for your dog's needs. A dog walker can help; some even take groups of well behaved dogs to a big park, which is what your dog wants you to do. If dogs could write, you would see "Take dog to the park" on your to-do list every day. Aha, a cartoon idea...The Sierra Club offers group canine hikes (no dog required on these hikes). These may be hard to get to the first time because even the Sierra Club doesn't consider the possibility of car-free hikers, but if you can figure out how to get to the first one, you may meet a hiker who can get you to and from future starting points. I recommend canine hikes for all beginning and out-of-shape hikers, even those without dogs: they are slow, you get to smell (or is it sniff?) the flowers more than you would on the average group hike, and hanging out with a motley collection of dogs and their people is fun.

Of course, you can always take your dog with you on most of your errands. You may want to try a retractable leash or a double, tangle-proof leash for two dogs, as these are better for people who are preoccupied or carrying stuff, in other words, shoppers. One older woman in my old neighborhood starts out walking her little dogs and trailing her dolly-style carrier, does some errands on foot, puts her tired dogs in their twin crates, then piles on her groceries and straps everything together, then takes the bus home. Now that's creative transit!

I do realize cats, birds, and other pets, though certainly not snakes, need exercise too, but you should be able to accommodate them without a car, right?

Athletic dogs may even want to race along with you on your bike, skis, skates, or skateboard. The people whom I have met who do this say it requires a lot of practice and care by both athletes, especially when moving in or near traffic. Whoa, Rover!