Durable! Reusable Shopping Bags

Vune

My most convenient grocery store switched over to paper bags without handles, and I've spent the last 15 years carrying groceries home by hand or on the bus. This is inconvenient. I could just buy their "reusable" bags, but they shred to pieces under any stress. They're definitely made for people who drive. Bad investment for me. I can fit most of my stuff into my backpack, but I still need a separate bag for fragile items, like eggs and bananas. What do you use?

DancingMoosie

My husband bought me a couple bags from Tractor Supply. It seems like a funny gift, but they have lasted several years now! They are large and durable. We also found an insulated Olivet brand bag at Walmart. It came in a large grocery or storage size and a smaller one I use as a large lunch bag. Both have lasted years.

DancingMoosie

Walmart also sells reusable egg crates in the camping section.

apullum

We live in California, so we haven’t used a plastic single use bag in years. My Trader Joe’s 99 cent reusable bags are both roomy and durable; I also have a Marshall’s bag that’s huge. It is by far the best one I have. Cloth tote bags are sturdy but tend to be small. They may be good for your small, fragile items. Some canvas bags are very thin and tear easily—not recommended at all. We also have a small cooler with a handle and wheels for transporting home cold groceries, and an insulated tote from Ikea.

missysippy930

Most of the grocery stores here have cloth ones you can purchase that are pretty inexpensive plus you get a credit for reusing them. Aldi’s has a heavy duty plastic one that I use for cold items that sweat. Barnes and Nobles sells them too. I got a “Gone With the Wind” one years ago for my birthday that I’m still using. They also have bags with pro sports team’s logos. All have handles for easy carrying.

LyndaBSS

I have a lot of cloth or canvas bags with handles. I've picked them up all over the place.

Katmary71

I have some insulated and regular cloth ones from Trader Joe's. In CA you have to pay for bags, I see a lot of people with the same bags.

trailrunner64

This is not an inconvenice - it is thinking differently - I have brought my own bags for years. I keep them handy and pick them up - when I go to the store. If I am out and about - I also have some in the car. - I the cloth ones I wash from time to time and the ones made out of recyclable material are wiped down with a disinfectant.

If you were in certain parts of Europe - they charge for your plastic bags

MikePTY

My country (Panama) recently banned the use of single use plastic bags. So we use reusable bags quite frequently. It helps that the grocery stores are required to sell them at cost (29 cents usually). I walk home with my groceries as well, and I find that the bags generally hold up pretty well as long as they are not over packed. It's better to comfortably fit your grocery in 3 bags instead of overstuff them into 2, where they are more likely to break from the weight. But as long as they are packed reasonably, they should hold up fine.

acpgee

I do most of my shopping on my daily walk home from the gym so just dump things in my gym bag. When we get heavy items delivered such as wine, the bottles arrive in those single use plastic bags. I re-use them once in the kitchen for marinating meat or shaking food to douse in flour or bread crumbs.

littlegreenparrot1

I recently came across a company called Rare form that make bags out of billboard vinyl.

They look cool and very robust.

OldHobo

I have a backpack with three very durable cloth bags with handles in a small pocket. The bulk of the weight goes in the backpack and the bags are for fragile items like eggs, bread, and produce.

ktekc

I was recently at a local fair that was kind of like a craft fair wrapped in a farmers market.. awesome food and bunnies to pet! There was a lady there selling reusable bags made from old grain bags. All different logos and colors, if they hadn't been $10 i would have bought some. Guess I will stick to my 50 cent Hannaford bags for now.

Vune

Thank you for all the suggestions! Some are out of my price range (homeless disabled student), but I have a better idea of what materials to search for.

And *sigh* yes, I reuse my plastics. They're incredibly useful, and easy to return to the store when they're no longer so.

trailrunner64 wrote: »

This is not an inconvenice - it is thinking differently - I have brought my own bags for years. I keep them handy and pick them up - when I go to the store. If I am out and about - I also have some in the car. - I the cloth ones I wash from time to time and the ones made out of recyclable material are wiped down with a disinfectant.

If you were in certain parts of Europe - they charge for your plastic bags

You misunderstand me. It is inconvenient to lug a handleless bag on the bus with a full backpack and purse strapped to my ailing body. It is not inconvenient to find another way. I asked for suggestions for bags better than the reusable bags carried by my local grocery store because it is inconvenient for one's bag to break no matter how environmentally friendly it is. I don't have a car, and I've had bags break while crossing busy streets. Maybe you can't imagine that being so bad, but after a long day, it can reduce me to tears.

If I was in certain parts of Europe, I'd live closer to the store, which would likely carry better quality reusable bags.

DarkTwain

I started using home delivery. Or if I'm grabbing something for the day I just throw in my backpack, I dont really like carrying things.

moonangel12

DancingMoosie wrote: »

My husband bought me a couple bags from Tractor Supply. It seems like a funny gift, but they have lasted several years now! They are large and durable. We also found an insulated Olivet brand bag at Walmart. It came in a large grocery or storage size and a smaller one I use as a large lunch bag. Both have lasted years.

Sadly the quality of Tractor Supply bags has gone down... they are more of a plastic now and the seams are poorly stitched. The prints are cute, but they definitely don’t hold up like the old ones...

canadjineh

I have about twenty canvas bags and a few plastic coated fabric ones and 3 (dollar store) insulated 'takeout pizza' style bags . They are divided between the car, truck and house so we are always prepared. Our town passed a no single use plastic bag law here early this year so you can tell all the locals by the pile of bags they bring in with them to the stores. If you are a magazine reader, often they give away beautiful heavy duty canvas bags with your subscription. When you go on vacation, often you can get a cheap deal on coated 'beach bags' that can come in handy too. In the summer it's quite hot here and I live 20 minutes out of town so I pack the dairy products, meat, and fish in the 'pizza' cooler bags for the trip home.

sarko15

I LIVE for my blue IKEA bag. Groceries, laundry, etc etc. It's huge.

The reusable bags I get from the store last forever, but I don't usually take my groceries on the bus. What about a backpack? Can you invest/thrift/ebay a good sized one meant for backpacking? When I used to volunteer at my local food pantry I saw all sorts of creative ways people transported their groceries, because most people were also on foot. They also sell carts now that are kinda like vertical baskets and you can load things right in which are neat. (This one is a bit spendy, but they might have them elsewhere too!) https://www.amazon.com/Folding-Shopping-Basket-Laundry-Grocery/dp/B0767N986Q

srsteinb

I too carry groceries home using public transportation! I have a couple of this type of bag: https://rockflowerpaper.com/collections/blu-bags. I think one of mine is this exact brand, and one is a similar thing from a different brand, also good. I like these because they fold up very small so I can keep one in my purse and have it ready for any spontaneous shopping. I don't remember how long I've had them but they are holding up very well.

Edit: Just saw that you mentioned in another post that some of these options are out of your price range. If the one I linked to is too much, here is a 3-pack for a slightly lower price- I can't vouch for quality but they at least look like they'll get the job done! https://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Grocery-Friendly-Foldable-Shopping/dp/B07D283CKP/ref=sr_1_19?keywords=blu+bag&qid=1570347189&sr=8-19

bethannien

My sister in law always gifts me these at Christmas and birthdays and they’re my favorite. I can shove it into my purse or a pocket when I’m heading to the store and they’re very sturdy.

https://baggu.com/collections/reusable-bags?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI8sbesaaL5QIVguNkCh0nygDEEAAYASAAEgJhYfD_BwE#standard?cmp_id=2031198171&adg_id=73504416644&kwd=baggu&device=m