I intensify my coverage of eco-friendly solutions until Earth Day. I will write an eco-friendly story every weekday until April 22nd.
I am starting the week with cool ultra compact shopping bags. The key is to carry your reusable shopping bags with you all the time. Since I live in the city, I do most of my shopping by foot. Therefore, I need bags that will fit into my purse.
I also prefer shoulder bags because they leave your hands free if you carry a small load. These are my favorites lately.
Flip & Tumble | First place
Flip & Tumble seduced me with their new summer colors and this catchy phrase:
A bag that’s designed for those of us who only seem to remember our reusable bags the moment we need them.
The 24-7 bag fits my lifestyle. The vibrant summer colors look amazing. Flip & Tumble will start shipping tomorrow, April 15th, 2008. Their Web site has a cool visual Add to my Shopping Card applet too. I just ordered three bags like in the picture: a raspberry, an aqua and a lime. I will tell more after a few shopping trips.
Flip & Tumble won because their bags look great and the handle is wide. It seems more comfortable for my shoulder. Hold the stretch pouch and roll the bag like rolling your socks into a ball. This translates in no need for attachment hardware.
Baggu | Runner Up
I like the fact that the Baggu bag has two handles to comfortably sit on your forearms. From the pictures, the Baggu bag does not feel as stylish as the Flip & Tumble. Baggu comes with a 5-inch square flat pouch. Depending on the shape of your purse, you may find the Baggu pouch format more useful.
Baggu target men too. Guys can fit the pouches in their jean back pockets. At last, something he can carry for me. Since the company highlights than men are also shoppers, Baggu won extra points. A cute fact: Baggu was designed in California by a mom and daughter team.
Reisenthel Mini Maxi Shopper | Third Place
This model has been around for a while. I own a few Reisenthel products that I adore. So I know the quality is excellent. Why I did not choose that Mini Maxi Shopper as my first place? I am under the impression that the pouch is bulky. The consumer reviews I read say otherwise.
One thing that I really like about the Reisenthel’s Mini Maxi Shopper is that you can securely close it. None of the others have that feature. For that reason alone, I will probably try a Mini Maxi Shopper bag soon. I am leaning towards the solid orange or the aqua. The neutral like gray is another option.
Envirosax | Four Place
There Envirosax bags are well known and appreciated by many. The new patterns of the Mikado set are adorable. They are several other pattern series to choose from. The individual rolled up bag size is 4″ x 1.5″ diameter. Pretty small! It is probably the smallest of the four reusable bags I introduced.
I met a woman the other day that was carrying a heavy look with the Envirosax. I asked her how she liked her Envirosax bag. She was delighted but she felt the need to reinforce the handle for heavier loads. I do not know if her concern was justified or not. Tell us what is your experience with Envirosax?
Do you have a favorite ultra compact reusable shopping bag? As a matter of fact, giving 2 or 3 reusable bags will make a great impression on the hostess. Select a bag that suits his or her style.
Sourcing:
Buy online: 24-7 Bag by Flip & Tumble – price: $12 USD
Buy online: Baggu Bag and Pouch – price: $8 each, $22 for 3, $38 for 5
Buy online: Reisenthel – Mini Maxi Shopper, Long Handle at Reusable Bags – price: $9.95 each, $7.95 each if buy 4 or more
Buy online: Envirosax – Set of 5 Mikado Pouch, Reusable Shopping Bags – price: $37.95 per set, $34.95 if buy 2 sets or more
Via: Flip and Tumble | New Colors on swissmiss
Samantha
April 14, 2008 at 12:15Great summary of reusable bags! I have to say that I have 2 sets of the Envirosax – the new Mikado and the original Flora, and I just LOVE both.
The woman’s concern is completely unjustified in my experience, as I routinely use mine for LOADS of books, as well as gallons of milk and 2 liter bottles of soda at the grocery store, plus lots of canned veggies and pounds of fresh fruit, and I’ve never had any issues.
It actually feels like you’re carrying a lot less weight than you are, mostly because the bags have super wide shoulder straps, so no digging into your shoulders.
Regarding pricing, though, I found mine for $34.95 per pouch which includes FREE SHIPPING, plus they have coupons and discounts beyond that for buying multiple sets, so it gets cheaper from there. I got mine at:
http://www.BrightandBold.com
I would definitely recommend them. I’ve also looked at the Flip & Tumble ones, and although I think the ball look is really fun, practically, I don’t want something that bulky in my purse or car… I could fit a couple of envirosax bags in the same amount of space in my glove compartment.
Now, if we were tailgating at the ballpark, the ball version might do double duty as fun playthings as well! 🙂
At Home with Kim Vallee
April 14, 2008 at 12:28Thank you Samantha for sharing your experience. The Envirosax bags sound great! I feel sad for giving them the 4th place 🙂
The fun factor of the Flip and Tumble is definitely there. It wins me over. I can always put it on my gift pantry if they do not fit well in my purse.
Paula
April 15, 2008 at 09:34I aggree the Flip & Tumble is so stylish and
friendly environmentally. Can’t wait to buy one.
Chica & Jo
April 16, 2008 at 00:46We also loved the Baggu bags and the Envirosax bags for different reasons. So, we decided to design our own bag combining our favorite aspects of those two bags. We made it roll up and snap like the Envirosax but used the ripstop nylon like the Baggu for a stronger bag. We also made the handle slightly longer to fit over our winter coats. Here’s how we did it: http://www.chicaandjo.com/2008/03/21/make-your-own-reusable-shopping-bags/
Jing
May 5, 2008 at 22:10I just got my stuff from Flip & Tumble today. The shipping was really fast (3 days to Canada) and the shipping cost was really reasonable too ($5.95 for shipping to Canada). The bags were as pretty and fuctional as they looked on the web, though the material is a bit thin.
P.S. my cat started rolling them around before I even got a chance to expand them!
At Home with Kim Vallee
May 5, 2008 at 23:58Jing: I used mine for a few days now. My mother used them when she visited me last week-end. She did my grocery and carried a lot of weight in each one. They look thin but they are strong. We were both happily surprised.
Jessica
May 21, 2008 at 11:08I love the Use It Again Sam bag, it’s light and compact and carries a lot, you can carry it over your shoulder or by the handle. They have great colors and are affordable. The designer donates a portion of her proceeds to Operation Homefront too.
http://www.useitagainsam.com/
At Home with Kim Vallee
May 23, 2008 at 14:10Reinventing the Shopping Trolley
Kandi
January 1, 2009 at 23:41Thanks for the link to Flip and Tumble bags. I just ordered 3.
At Home with Kim Vallee
January 2, 2009 at 14:32Kandi: You will not regret those. Everyone who sees mines asked me where I got them.