Tree Hugging Family - Living Green

Review: ChicoBags, a Fun Solution

by Peggy on June 24th, 2008

ChicoBags are much more handy than you might think.

I received three different cheerful colors — purple, green and blue. I like all of the colors, but the green one is my favorite!

And my cat, Choco, took a special liking to the bags, both in pouch form and relaxed. When the bag is in the pouch, it looks a bit like a toy mouse with a tail (drawstring) sticking out. No, I don’t let him sleep on my bags, but he took the opportunity (pictured) after my recent shopping trip.

Enough about cat. I’m going to give you some nice bullets — the things I admire and the things I’d change about ChicoBags. Then, I’ll throw in some random thoughts about using them. But first, I’d like to thank all the readers who responded to my post, Have you Tried a ChicoBag? If you’re looking for more opinions, then you don’t want to miss the comments on that post. I’d also like to thank The ChicoBag Company for sending me three bags to review.

Here’s all the stuff I admire about ChicoBags:

• Very affordable. You may order online at $5 a bag and your fifth bag is free. If you’re looking for something nicer and more durable than the .99 cents store bags, but don’t want to spend $30-50 for a designer bag, ChicoBag is a great option.

• The message is clear. Some reusable bags look a bit like purses, and not all cashiers are familiar with the reusable bag movement. I like that these bags explain themselves.

• They aren’t too girly for men. I’m going to hand a couple of these over to Michael to keep in his truck. If they had a flower on them, he wouldn’t touch them.

• Integrated pouch! If the pouch wasn’t attached, I wouldn’t like it so much. And the woven nylon material is very easy to stuff into the pouch and get back out. There’s also no need for special folding.

• When inside the pouch, these bags fit nicely inside the glove box, a purse or other bag. They also include an attached carabineer for hooking on a key chain, belt loop or bag.

• The small size in pouch means you can always have a ChicoBag on hand, even if your other bags are at home or in the car trunk.

• Ten fun colors, AND they are machine washable! Plus, they don’t stink of dye like some bags out there.

• As some readers mentioned, they are great for produce bags.

• When they can no longer be used, just mail them back to ChicoBags. They will give them to The Grateful Thread, a women’s group that will turn them into throw rugs, pet beds or prayer flags.

And the stuff I’d change about ChicoBags:

• I’d like them better if the handles were longer. You can carry them in your hands easy enough, but it’s difficult to fit them on your shoulder. I have a small arm, so it’s possible, but it’s a tight fit and they tend to fall off. Dual handles would be very nice!

• The tag says the bags are “Designed with Intention in USA. Built with Love in China.” Since The ChicoBag Company is based in the USA, I’d like to see them bring the manufacturing closer to their home.

• There’s probably little that can be done about this, but it bugs me a little that the bags are so wrinkled when you take them out of the pouch. But to quote my husband, “It’s just a bag.” Plus, they work all the same and still look cute.

Some more info and closing thoughts…

I took my bags to the pet store and to various grocery stores with no problems. The capacity mentioned by ChicoBags on their website is 25 pounds. I stuffed one of my bags almost full with cans at 18 pounds. It held with no rips, but I find carrying that much in one bag to be very uncomfortable. Plus, most baggers would not pack a bag that full either. I’m sure the ChicoBag would actually hold 25 pounds though.

As I mentioned, I love the handy pouch, but that also means you have to remember to unpouch your bags before you get to the register. Otherwise, it’s annoying to do it while you’re also trying to put your groceries on the conveyor belt.

My biggest question with these bags is how long they will hold up, but several readers in Have you Tried a ChicoBag? seemed pleased with their durability.

Overall, I really like ChicoBags and feel that they are a good option, especially if you’re prone to forgetting your reusable shopping bags. The bags seem ideal for smaller shopping trips, and as backup bags to keep in your purse or glove box.

Pouch images via ChicoBags. Cat image via me!

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POSTED IN: Product Review, Reuse