Rucksack?

I'm just home from a biggish shop at Lidl.
It's 5 minutes walk away so I often take my shopper on wheels.
However it is a bit like a military operation!

I take a metal store trolley and put my wheeled bag inside it. Then I go round the shop filling it and go through the self service till.

I then have to unpack the store's trolley and put the shopping into my own trolley because it's far too heavy to lift out.

Other days I use a small rucksack and a nylon carrier bag.
I'm nothing if not glamorous 😅😆😂

I recently bought a rucksack so that I could go for regular walks and food shop at the same time. Having camped/hiked in the past, I bought a rucksack, which was properly designed to carry weight in comfort. The rucksack sits on a lightweight, mesh covered frame that allows air to circulate round my back, has wide padded shoulder straps, a chest strap and deep, built-up belt straps that grip round my waist. I was surprised by how much weight I could carry this way.

I have used a pull-along trolley but seem to clip my heels with it as I’m walking. I find I can stride out better carrying a rucksack!

A bike with two panniers for me.

We don’t all have cars Nana8
I have a Hoppa too chestnut I was resistant to trollies at first but I see all sorts with them now even men use them round here ( well not fit young men 🤣🤣🤣)

You need to try several rucksacks to get one to fit properly. Ideally needs a waist strap too.

I still say a trolley is best. With the weight all on the wheels you'd be surprised how light and easy it is to pull the Hoppa. I never had any trouble pulling it and I sometimes had a full load of a weeks shopping. I could never have managed to carry that much in a bag or a rucksack.

I think there's probably a place for both, depending on how much you're buying, whether you're going somewhere else before or after shopping, transport issues, terrain. I guess every trip is different and has different needs. All I know is I can't use a rucksack.

ROKA have a sale on at the moment. Great quality bags.

Primrose53

Roka do a fantastic range of rucksacks/back packs in a huge range of colours. They are made from recycled plastic bottles and they have big chunky zips and are strong and indestructible.

Thanks I’m looking at these for a small rucksack instead of everything in my handbag. Then I will have hands free for the dog, children etc. They have some fabulous colour combinations.

While staying with my mother several times last year, before she went into a care home, I used my rucksack when walking to and from the supermarket for her - about a mile each way.

It worked very well for me, and i was definitely able to carry a heavier load that way than I could in carrier bags, though I appreciate that not everyone could do that for various reasons.

In fact I was still able to carry a bag as well, in which I put the lighter things.

In that area, a trolley wouldn't have worked well at all, as apart from half of the route including steep hills, the pavements were in a poor condition, and im sure the wheels on a trolley would have kept catching on the broken-up parts and possibly tipped it over too.

Letnus knoe whst you do! OP

The Hoppa trolleys look good as well and cheaper than the Rolser. Also I spy a brolly holder on one of the Hoppas which my Rolser doesnt have which would be useful. As would be a holder for a coffee cup or water bottle. Not sure if the Hoppa has that.

Basically though my choice for what you need would be a trolley not a rucksack. Can you borrow one from a friend who may have one to do a test run?

They are easy to get on and off a bus and if you have supermarket delivery of heavy stuff, the trolley will be fine to lift on a bus and then pull up a hill.

I too have a Rolser trolley. Mine is black, very smart. The handle is a good length, which is an important factor when choosing a trolley. If the handle is too short for your height it will cause neck and shoulder pain.

Sorry my trolley is Rolser not Rolster cost about 55.00. John Lewis stock them and of course Amazon. I have a black and white stripe. Love it.

NittWitt - if you get a trolley like the Hoppa I mentioned you'll wonder how you every managed without it. Plenty of room for everything in there, and so easy to use. Let the wheels take the weight. I have never been happy using a rucksack, awkward, uncomfortable things. They hurt my shoulders, although maybe it's just me.

Roka do a fantastic range of rucksacks/back packs in a huge range of colours. They are made from recycled plastic bottles and they have big chunky zips and are strong and indestructible.

And the rucksacks suggested!

Thanks for the replies.
I should have said I don't have a car.
I can carry 2 reasonably full carriers on flat ground quite well but after I get off the bus it's a long, steep road up to my house.
I've just started getting supermarket deliveries which is wonderful - stuff I want appears in my kitchen like magic! But of course I want to buy from other shops too.
I'll have a look at the trolleys suggested here.

My rucksack's a Jansport, a brand my children used at school. Mine's smaller than the ones they had back then.

I always struggle to get a rucksack on. I get one arm in but just cannot get the other in, especially when I am on my own. I wouldn't want to carry heavy shopping on my back either.
I have a folding trundle. It fold flat and lives in my car boot. Lots online to choose from and very reasonable.

I sometimes take a small black rucksack when I can't get everything in my across body bags. Once upon a time such items would be accommodated in one of my larger handbags, but I rarely use those these days.

I am another advocate for trolleys. There is such an immense range to choose from and they are not expensive.

I use my rucksack, not for shopping, but to carry items needed for one of my u3a groups. The only problem is I sometimes have difficulty getting it off my back..

Rucksacks are good for carrying heavier items I guess. The problem arises when the user is in a close environment or a crowded area……nothing worse than someone turning round with a loaded rucksack on their back, whacking you in the face and knocking your spectacles off!

I use a Rollster shopping trolley and have done for 6 years now. I was spending much money at an osteopath for painful shoulders, neck and back and she recommended using a trolley. I didnt for a long time...silly vain me....but once I did I haven't looked back.
I use a small leather rucksack for days out, but it is not very big.

I opened a thread a while back about choice of rucksack and several GNs recommended Roka which look really good. However I wanted to look at them and my nearest John Lewis didnt stock them sadly.
I don't think I would want to use one for food shopping as I always end up with more than I could easily carry.

I sometimes use a rucksack to carry home bits and pieces from our local supermarket. It saves having to swap a bag from hand to hand and helps my balance. If I need more than a rucksack full I take the car.