Buckets as emergency bags.

[zerodish]

I needed some temporary bags while I made repairs on my regular bags. I used one of those square buckets that are sold as bike buckets. Rather than use steel hardware I drilled holes in the plastic and fixed it to the rack using a shoe string. I was amazed at how easy and quick this was. Some one should go ahead and make purpose made buckets for bicycles. Samsonite has done a lot of work on their suitcase designs. Basically these are woven plastic embedded in plastic. So if the plastic turns brittle a crack will not spread. 

[Westinghouse]

I have seen photos and videos of cat litter boxes used as panniers. People have bicycle across the continent using them. I thought about it. I went around to pet stores. I could not find the cat litter boxes anywhere. The problem was they sold the litter with the containers. They had none. Where in the hell do you get a cat litter box ? Of all my extensive bicycle touring worldwide, I always used panniers.

[John Nettles]

I always worry about buckets catastrophically breaking if I crashed, especially after it has been in the sun while on tour for a couple of months.  But I agree, as an emergency bag, your solution was great.