Since moving to back to an area where carrying your own tote bags for items you purchase is not only recommended, but largely assumed, I’ve been on the hunt for the best packable tote bags. There’s loads of these out there, so here’s what I am liking so far.
Smallest Possible
I’ve found that ‘Nano Bags’ sells the smallest and most packable totes. The ‘standard’ size from the brand is ideal for carrying in your purse, or even a pocket. The material is a silk feeling, extremely thin, synthetic which seems far too delicate for the use. Yet, even stuffed, it’s yet to rip. I have seen sharp corners on plastic packages poke actual holes in the bags, but once removed, these holes tend to disappear as if they were never there.
The bags have an attached stuff sack which is very easy to stuff the bag into. The biggest downside is deploying the bag fast enough, as I’ve found my hands can struggle to easily deploy these bags. Keeping the small in my purse, has meant that I always have a bag on hand when I stop in for an unplanned purchase. While I don’t use these for groceries, I’ve used them for nearly everything else and have very few complaints.
The straps are sized nicely and are wide enough that they don’t dig into your hand, making carrying these bags by hand or over a shoulder, no issue at all. I also have received a lot of complimentary questions from store personnel wanting to get their own.
These are ideal for a bag you always want to keep with you, so you can deploy it when needed.
Small but Sturdy
The next class of bags are the ones which are still decently compact, but offer a lot more durability and some features so that it’s a little easier to use them for longer periods of time. These usually reside in larger bags, get tossed into a bag when I know I’ll need something, and always with me when I am traveling.
I’ve found two options which are quite nice, but different enough that they are hard to compare heads up.
First is Montbell’s offering. This bag packs up quite small still, though certainly larger than the Nano Bags, while offering a much more durable feeling material, and an easier to manage design. It deploys faster, and stows slightly slower than the Nano Bags. The straps are very nice to use, and the top clasp is a welcomed addition when you are wanting to set the bag down for a moment without your goods spilling out. Montbell offers a wide range of sizes and designs for this, but my favorite is this one. It’s very compact, with plenty of space for shopping needs.
Second is Peak Design’s packable tote, which I’ve been using and carrying for years now. It’s a larger footprint than any mentioned so far, and not necessarily larger in any way on capacity. It makes up for all this in a few ways. First the materials are a lot more stout and give me loads of confidence that I’ll never have to worry about a tear in the bag. Second there’s a single strap on this, which simplifies the design, while adding a little bit of grippy material to help with comfort when carrying the bag. Lastly there’s a full zipper closure at the top of the bag, which makes this ideal when traveling and you want to make sure that everything you put in the bag, remains in the bag during a flight, or chaotic movement during travel.
Of the two, the Montbell is my preferred bag. It offers enough upgrades while still staying small enough to warrant the heavier materials. The Peak Design is a very nice offering, but not nearly as packable given what you get, and is best only for those who want a fully closing bag.
Big and Strong
The last category are the big and stronger bags. These are bags which don’t pack all that small, but offer a lot when you deploy them. I have several of these, but am going to limit my write up to only my two favorites.
First is Yoshida & Co’s Packable 2Way Tote Bag. This is somewhat large, incredibly durable feeling, fully seals closed, has two carrying methods, while still being somewhat compact. If you want an almost no compromise on quality packable tote, then there’s not any I know of which do it better than this. The downside of course is the balance of packed size, versus unpacked capacity. This is not an overly large bag, yet it still doesn’t pack down tiny (nor does it pack or unpack quickly).
This bag is very intentional when I use it. I like to use this when I know I’ll be using my tote a lot, and so bringing it empty and packed away is a matter of convenience more than anything else. For the price, this is a difficult bag to recommend over many of the other options on the market, or even a more packable backpack. But it is a really nice bag.
Last is Epperson Mountaineering’s packable climb tote. This is a lighter weight material, but a quite large tote overall. It packs up very quickly and deploys quickly. The packed sized is not that impressive, but it’s small enough where you can toss it in your backpack with little worry for the space it eats up. When deployed, it’s massive. I use this regularly for grocery shopping as my overflow bag.
It swallows up items given how it is willing to be rather amorphous in shape. The bag itself will close with two drawstrings at either end and can cinch fully closed save a tiny little gap. The two handles are rather thin, but generous in length. It’s an odd bag to carry as it is best done on the shoulder, but is so easy to overload with weight that I can be uncomfortable at times to carry if the weight gets too high.
I tend to travel with the Porter when I have space, but otherwise not use it. The Epperson Tote is my go to tote for shopping, as I toss it inside my other bags, and deploy it when I end up misjudging how many full size bags I needed. I would think most can avoid the Porter unless they have a very specific use case. The Epperson is certainly a great tote to own but is quite expensive as well.
Do you have a packable tote you think is better? Let me know about it.