I can't imagine life anymore without my shopping trolley. They may feel square but even here in chic Paris everybody is using one. Sure, you can't take it with you wherever you go so this is only for dedicated grocery shopping sprees.

Apart from that I always keep a thin but very handy bag from Envirosax (http://www.envirosax.com/">) in my bag for spontaneous grocery shopping. It's the more comfortable version of the good old string bag and can be rolled into something not bigger than a child's fist.

At the risk of sounding like a little old lady, have you thought about one of those little folding, rolling carts? You can load and stack a lot in and on a cart. Salesmen use them---I see carts in office buildings all the time.

RuMe! I love these bags and they come in 3 sizes. I use the middle size for most of my grocery shopping - 2 or 3 bags are good for a week's worth of groceries and they have great shoulder straps. These can hold a crazy amount of weight too. I use the small size for meats or non-food items from the store. They also make zip up snack pouches. Safe for the washer and dryer. I've used them for a couple years now, no rips or anything.

The earthtote brand bags are great. They are the shape and size of paper grocery bags, but made of nylon. I got mine at reuseit.com. They are not cheap, but they have held up great and wash well. I have the beige colored bags and many of the store baggers have complimented me on them.

I really like my Envirosax bags. They roll up into a little cylinder, are very durable and easy to wash, and they have wide straps that don't hurt my shoulders. The material's light as a feather and the prints are stylish. The trolley is a good idea but I'm guessing it would be hard to maneuver onto a bus when it's full (anyone have experience with this?). I can't believe your grocery store is so far away!

I like Envirosax bags too. They fold up very small and are lightweight, but they actually hold quite a bit and are strong. The handle is long enough to use comfortably as a shoulder bag, which makes walking with a bag much easier.

I'll second the earthtotes at reuseit.com.
They are washable, just drip dry. I think I bought two sampler sets of the grocery set which had : 2 earthtotes, 2 hemp, and 2 workhorse bags. I also picked up the cute Chicobag produce bag starter set(comes in the apple pouch). I like everything except the hemp bags- too floppy for most trips except a farmer's market run. Chico set has tare weights printed on the bags so knowledgeable cashiers can avoid charging you for the bag weights. Scales are calibrated to ignore the store bags. the workhorse bags are handy to keep in your purse or other bags, for spur of the moment shopping trips.

I have a Whole Foods canvas bag that has held up really well. They have 2 sizes and I prefer the smaller one because stuff doesn't get squished and it's easier to carry.

Also, the bonus with canvas is that you can repair them yourself fairly easily, keeping garbage out of landfill and keeping money in your pocket. They're a bit bulky, though.

Whole heartedly agree: Environsax are the way to go. I can get 5 rolled bags into my handbag so I'm never without a reusable bag. Great for travel, too, in case you need an extra bag or hit an impromptu farmer's market.

I use MyEcoBags. It's four reusable bags that fold up into one little tote bag that is easy to remember to throw back in the car. The bags are different sizes and perform different functions: an insulated, zip-top bag for frozen and cold groceries, one with mesh pockets for glass bottles and jars, a large bag for dry goods, and a medium sized one for produce. They are made from recycled materials, can be wiped clean (no absorbing weird liquids and smells) and would easily hold enough groceries for a family of four.

I love these bags! They solve my main problem: remembering to put them back in the car! http://www.getmyeco.com

Flip & Tumble bags are my new go to bag. They come in two sizes and I always have at least one of the small ones in my purse. They fold up into a little ball and they have a nifty sack that you can pop them all into. They also carry produce bags and a few other things.

http://www.flipandtumble.com/shop.html

Reisenthel and Baggu are great http://www.reisenthel.com/ http://baggubag.com/#Shop

I have a bunch of the ChicoBag sling-style bags because I like to have my loads either cross-body or carried lower. They roll into a really nice pouch (not a strap that can slip like some other compact bags) and they're extremely strong and roomy. I have the ones that are made of recycled PET bottles, too, which is a nice touch. I also have two sets of those Flip & Tumble produce bags and they're constantly in use. I even bring them to my CSA pickup so they don't have to give me boxes and bags, which they love!

Shaws sells adorable, small and light organic cotton Wild Harvest bags. I loved them so much I contacted the company, but they didn't sell the bags, only Shaws did. I now have 10 of the bags. They're ultra washable and I use them for everything. I second Chico as that's washable and light too, and they sell produce bags.

http://www.wildharvestorganic.com/products/

By the way the benefit of organic cotton totes with soy ink is that you can put it in the compost if the bag rips (mine never has even after years of use, abuse and washing). Never buy the cheap $1 plastic reuseables from supermarkets, they can't be washed or disposed of.

Another huge fan of Envirosax. Super strong and huge but easy to carry on the shoulder. Also fold up tiny!

I have some Envirosax, RuMe, Baggu, and Flip & Tumble bags. My favorites (for its handles and its storage convenience) are the Flip & Tumble bags cause they roll up into a wee ball, have a single comfortable shoulder strap, and a few sizes. Baggu makes wee bags that are awesome, but they have a separate packet to slip the folded bag into for storage which is slightly inconvenient. The Envirosax I've had the longest and stand up pretty well to abuse, they also roll up nicely as mentioned by others and their kids bags are not much smaller than standard size and have the *best* designs. The RuMe for awhile were the only bags that came in a small enough sizes for quick three item trips to the grocery have gussets and can sometimes make folding a pain in the butt. Still excellent, but actually my least favorite.

I love Envirosax. I'd found previous to getting some Envirosax bags that I could never remember to bring my reusable shopping bags to the store, but the Envirosax are so good and so much nicer than plastic bags that you don't want to forget! They hold about twice the amount of stuff that a plastic bag can hold.
For a long walk with perishable items, I would add in a thermal bag or tote, which keeps cool items cool and hot items hot for hours. We bought ours at our local grocery store, Wegmans, in upstate NY, and use them constantly for transporting ice cream home from the store. We've carried frozen things in them for hours on long car trips and they are amazing!

Hi there everyone,

One addition to the list here is RunRunRun (http://www.runrunrun.com). We are a new company offering eco-luxury reusable bags and accessories. All of our products celebrate places around the world who have banned plastic bags including, San Francisco, Malibu, Paris and more. Bags are made from water-resistant polyester, have lots of pockets, and including RPET liners made from recycled plastic bottles.

Plus, here's a coupon for 25% off. Just type in 25OFF in the promo code field at checkout.

Enjoy and let us know your thoughts on these. We have grown tremendously in the twelve months since our launch.

Brian

Do you have a daypack from your school days? Use it instead of bags. There are some backpacks designed for grocery shopping, too, if you need to buy one.

Backs are stronger than hands.