Tote Bags

Tote bags are large open bags with two handles, used for groceries, books or a day at the park. Canvas totes keep their shape, while string bags are a mesh of heavy string that packs down small.

How to choose Tote Bags

  • Canvas. A heavy cloth, most often plain woven, that keeps its shape under a heavy load of groceries or books.
  • Mesh. String bags stretch around odd shapes such as a melon or a long loaf, which a stiff canvas tote cannot.
  • Fiber tag. Bags are exempt from federal fiber labels, so a tag is optional. When one is sewn in, fibers under 5 percent may be grouped as "other fiber."
  • Handles. Long handles sit on a shoulder and keep both hands free. Short ones are for carrying at your side.

About Tote Bags

Tote bags are open-topped carryalls with two handles, and the name has been used for a big canvas bag since about 1900. Many are cotton canvas, cotton being the seed hair of the Gossypium plant.

Jute is another common fiber. It comes from two species of Corchorus, plants in the mallow family, and its main use has long been coarse fabric for sacks and bags that carry farm goods. Canvas is a stout cloth, usually a plain weave, and the same heavy cloth has long gone into sails, tents and mailbags.

Empty the crumbs after each trip and wash a cotton tote when it looks or smells used. Hang it to dry before folding it away.

At a glance

Made from
Cotton canvas, jute, cotton string
Main types
Canvas totes, string bags, market bags
Label terms
Fiber content, other fiber, line dry

Tote Bags questions

Can a canvas tote go in the washing machine?

Often, but read the tag first if there is one. Federal care-label rules cover clothing and fabric sold by the yard, so many bags ship with no tag at all. When a tag is sewn in, warm means 87 to 111°F and cold means up to 86°F. With no tag, cold water and line drying, which means hanging the bag damp from a line or bar, are the gentle choice.

Why is canvas called canvas?

The word likely traces to cannabis, the Latin name for hemp, because early canvas was hemp cloth. Over time it has also been woven from flax, jute, cotton and blends, usually as a heavy plain weave. The name tells you what to expect from the bag: a thick, tightly woven cloth that holds its shape under a load.

What are string bags for?

It is a mesh of heavy string with two handles at the top, made for carrying packages home. Empty, it packs into a coat pocket or glove box until a shop stop calls for it. The open net shows what is inside, but loose small items can slip through, so bag them first.

Sources: Federal Trade Commission; Electronic Code of Federal Regulations.

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