Flip & Tumble Bag easy to stash
Just yesterday a friend and I were mentioning how often we find ourselves without a reusable bag when shopping, leaving us little choice but to bring home more plastic bags from the grocery store. These new scruntch-up bags from Flip & Tumble can be stashed inside the integrated stretchy pouch, smooshing the whole thing into something only about 3-inches in diameter. Not quite pocketable, but if you already carry around a backpack or purse — don't say it; sometimes you need more carrying capacity — then these could do the trick.
Each bag is $12 plus shipping and are available in five colors.
What tricks do you use to stash bags? You could do something similar with a light bag and a sock. I've got several of those reusable Ikea bags, but they're too big, even folded, to carry around.
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I've got a decent-sized shopping bag made of something like nylon fabric that folds into a flat package, with the leatherette bottom reinforcement folding over and zipping closed to become the case. Wish I could find a few more of those.
I just use old Whole Foods bags, which are strong and fold up to nearly nothing. I just keep a few in an unused (small, flat) pocket of each of my backpacks.
It's really not that fargin' complicated. When you leave your shelter, bring a bag that will hold more than you are carrying when you leave.
I mean, really.
Check out:
http://reusablebags.com/ (no, i don't work there or have any interest in their success other than the continuation of life.)
I keep three Chico bags in my purse. They're the same basic idea (the bags fold up into a tiny, attached bag with a carabiner for clipping to belt loops) with a slightly less attractive design. However, they are fair-trade; can hold more groceries that I can comfortably carry; go through the washer and dryer with ease; and they'll recycle them when you're done. They have been everything I've ever wanted out of a reusable bag - I also searched for one that was easy to have with me at all times - and I picked mine all up for only $5 each. I probably sound like a shill, but I honestly don't remember the last time I picked up something that fulfilled so many basic needs while truly exceeding the expectations I had when I bought it. Here's their site: www.chicobag.com.
haha I love the Chichobag video, that's a pretty sweet urban Ghillie suit.
My feelings about plastic bags are that I need them for disposing of cat/dog feces, and trash can liners. I have a tube under my kitchen sink that is filled with plastic bags like a tissue box so it saves space. I tell cashiers not to bag things I can fit in my pockets or under my arm; some insist on bagging, so I take the thing out and just leave the bag right in front of them. I love the new bio-degradable bags, they even have a non-static-y texture and inoffensive smell.
I don't like Paper bags because they seem to be weaker (handles and edges on those have a high rate of FAIL), and the seem to have a lot less household reuse.
I have several Acme bags from reusablebags.com that stuff into their own integrated little pouches that are quite small and fit comfortably in the back pocket of my jeans, not to mention my purse. The only downside is that they're shaped like regular plastic bags and are as annoying to carry as regular plastic bags. They hold about twice as much stuff, though. For longer walking trips to the store (like the 2 mile walk to Trader Joe's) I have two compact bags-in-pouches that fit on my shoulder. One is by Reisenthel (also at reusablebags.com), the other was a freebie from Method. I also have an ultra-compact Reisenthel that is so small and slim I can keep it in my purse at all times for those unexpected trips to the store.
I carry a Tom Binh Medium Cafe Bag with my wallet/keys/etc. in it. For shopping that comes up unexpectedly, I have managed to find a way to fold a standard canvas tote bag (like 16x20 laid flat) into a small enough rectangle to fit into the front zipper compartment of my Tom Binh.
I've had a pack of envirosax for about a year now. When unfurled, they're big-ish and I can carry $75-100 of groceries in 5 bags. They pack small and each have their own snap to hold 'em shut when folded.
I have a Randy Bag, it's a nylon bag that folds into a little pouch that I usually have stashed in my purse. I bought mine at a library gift shop for about $4. It's good for when I have to pick up a few things that won't fit in my backpack, or I have to haul home a bunch of books or marking from school. I sometimes end up using plastic bags, but I save those for recycling.
When I go grocery shopping, I grab reusable fabric shopping bags.
I also use a ChicoBag. They sell them in a lot of corner stores in SF, which is where/how I picked mine up, and the thing is just slightly larger than the dimensions of an ordinary plastic bag (and certainly more reliable). I carry big Trader Joe bags when I actually set out to do real haven't-shopped-in-two-months grocery shopping, but the ChicoBag is perfect for the all-important toilet-paper-and-beer run.
The Bag Hutch has worked great for me. It holds up to 12 bags!
I have a drawstring sports bag that I got as a freebie from Apple when they were on campus. The thing can be worn as a backpack, slung over a shoulder, or carried as a normal bag. It currently resides in the side pocket of my backpack, though I can't say I've used it for much other than the padding of fragile objects.
http://baggubag.com/
$8/bag
Well, i end up driving to the store most of the time. So i have a couple of great cloth Trader Joe's bags in the car at all times. THe trick is just remembering to return them to the car after you've brought your groceries inside. But that just takes getting over your own laziness...
On another note: whole foods will soon be getting rid of all plastic bags at their stores, IKEA charges for their bags, not long til everyone does this. It's best to either not take a bag (for small things like a book or something, do you really need a bag?) or to always have your cloth bag with you when u go grocery shopping... anways... my two cents
I wear a indie scarf (you know, the Palestinain scarf thing - all checkered cloth and tassles) tied up into knots furoshiki-style. You tie up two corners together, and a big knot half way up the other two corners. Then you can wear it as a scarf, and take it off when you need a storage thing. It's pretty funky.
I carry two folded up reusable shopping bags in the laptop compartment of my backpack. It's one of those laptop compartments that keeps the laptop right up next to your back, with a zipper that goes all the way down the side. I find there to be enough room for two bags (one of them is the kind they sell for $0.99 at Whole Foods), my MacBookPro, and often an engineering notebook. It's really easy to whip the bags out of the compartment while standing in line and I have so far managed to never accidentally drop the laptop on the floor while doing so (I find I don't need to un-zip all the way to get the bags out, which tends to hold the MBP in place). This system works great for stopping by the store on my way home from work.
The Whole Foods here (Cambridge, MA) has already gotten rid of plastic bags. I do occasionally end up at the store without my backpack and end up with paper bags, but I find they work great for collecting slabs of cardboard for recycling, and for recycling overflow in general. At the very least, you can put all your other paper bags into a paper bag and put that out to be recycled. Cambridge, at least, will not accept plastic bags for recycling. They are also good for disposing of broken glass, just drop the glass in and roll the bag around it; no more cut hands from taking out the trash!
I have a pocket messenger bag from banjo bros:
http://www.banjobrothers.com/products/01120.php
Does what it says, it fits in my pocket, for things I didn't plan to carry; and (obviously) it works when you're cycling too.
The ubiquitous plastic bags have many uses. I am trying to use my stash up---for garbage, for pooper scoopers, for carrying things, etc... but have found BAGGU bags nice and colorful and strong and big enough to rival the plastic bags.
Made of rip stop nylon in many colors and they are reasonably priced.
I've just bought another 8 or so to give as gifts.
They come in their own pouch---these would be absolutely perfect if they could fold up into their own pouch (instead of having to look for the little pouch they came in)once they were no longer needed, but I am otherwise very happy with their design, style and workmanship.
2 folded plastic bags (a little worse for wear) in the coin compartment of my wallet and a string bag from PNG lurking somewhere in my backpack (this thing expands indefinitely - my ability to carry it does not)