Enter Totes with Quotes from Ecobags.

The GOOD: Totes with Quotes are generously sized bags that have a tremendous capacity. In addition, the shoulder strap fits onto a shoulder easily and is very comfortable, even when toting heavy items like glass bottles. The weight seems to distribute well over the straps too, so you aren’t likely to have a shoulder cramp. The bags represent a range of quotes and causes as well.

The BAD: For the grocery store, it’s nice bags to either be compact or have a very sturdy bottom so that they stand up in a cart. This bag has neither of those features.

MONEY MATTERS: At just $14.99, these bags are a bargain. They are available online from Ecobags and there is a discount for bulk purchases.

The MOM VERDICT

Sarah says: I love Totes with Quotes. Not only are they good for the environment, but some do some good too by giving back. Twenty percent of the proceeds from the “Bring Your Own Bug” bag that I sampled goes to MS research. The cute design is secondary to the fabulously sturdy construction. This is the ideal bag for the farmer’s market since it should hold just about anything you’d want to buy.

The ITySE BiTySE contains one solid black “rip-stop” bag and four nylon mesh bags. All are in a similar shape to a plastic shopping bag that you’d get at your local supermarket. ITySE claims that these bags can hold three times as much as a regular plastic shopping bag.

How do they really work?

The GOOD: Instead of carrying a mish-mash of bags, the ITySE BiTySE shopping system carries five sturdy bags in one compact and cute bag. It’s easy to grab and go and could fit  nicely into a larger purse, diaper bag or you could even just tuck it under a car seat. The bags are just as durable and sturdy as ITySE claims — I was shocked with the amount and weight of food my grocery bagger managed to stuff into it. The black bag is ideal for meats. I wasn’t sure that this would be enough bags for my big grocery trip recently, but it was. However, if you think you need more bags than this, you could definitely fit additional bags into the roll as well.

The BAD: You might get funny looks from baggers and cashiers when you hand the ITySE over, since it looks so much like a purse. The bag cannot hold any of the larger reusable bags with flat bottoms. And it’s on the pricier side – although, when you break it down to actual cost, less than $10 per bag isn’t that bad.

MONEY MATTERS: The ITySE BiTySE is available online and retails for $49.99.

The MOM VERDICT

Sarah says: I was skeptical that the nylon mesh bags in the ITySE BiTySE would be as durable as the company claimed. Still, I couldn’t just ignore the cute bag system, so off to the grocery store we went. I bought drinks, milk, eggs, several pounds of meats and cheeses and more. And guess what? It held it all. I did get a funny look from the cashier when I handed over this bag, but that’s not a big deal. I love how cute and fashionable this bag is. It definitely makes being green a little more fun. I’m a big fan.

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With my growing collection, I have experienced the breadth of bag types – ones that shrink in the wash, ones that won’t come clean with washing, ones that look like new use after use, ones that are so small that you don’t know what to put in them …

When the Skn Organic Cotton Bag arrived, I was intrigued. It’s a thick canvas with shorter handles (I prefer short handles because I hate to swing sacks over my shoulder. My purse is heavy enough.) Mine is adorned with a blueberry design (shown), but there are four other designs as well.

The GOOD: Thick and ultra-durable, this bag can hold up to 40 pounds. It’s made of organic cotton that has been grown here in the United States (there are non-organic versions as well). For each bag bought, Skn plants a tree. The short handles are soft and comfortable in the palm.

The BAD: This bag is an investment, but it’s not so bad when you consider that you are also purchasing a new tree to be planted.

MONEY MATTERS: The organic cotton bag retails for $34.95 and is available on the Skn website. Regular cotton is available for $10 less.

The MOM VERDICT

Sarah says: With the plethora of totes available on the market these days, there is no shortage of variety — both in design and price. Still, there are some that are better than others. In terms of durability, the Skn tote is tops of all the bags I’ve used (and I have tried dozens of them). Although this isn’t the tiny, slip into your purse tote, this bag is perfect for trips to the farmer’s market. I envision using this at the Union Square Greenmarket when I finally convince my husband that New York is the place to live. (Are you listening, Shawn? Brooklyn. That’s the place for us.) Although this is undoubtedly pricey for a reusable tote, it is a purchase that does good. And, for the weekly trips to the farmer’s market, Greenmarket or wherever you get your fresh veggies and bread, this bag is fabulous.

That’s what DadGear is all about: diaper bags made especially for Dads. DadGear was kind enough to send me their courier bag style to give a test run.

The GOOD: This bag is full of pockets and little surprises. The bag has a cool functionality, with two special slips to connect to a stroller. The wipes container is built in, so you need only pull up the bag’s flap to get to them. And the bottles have their own special holders in the sides – you insert the bottles through the main section, but there are handy zippers to extract them without any further fuss or muss. The interior is made of a plastic-y material that just wipes clean too. And there is even a thin pad for changing diapers in the rear pocket. Literally, everything a guy would need while out and about with the kids is here, and he needn’t look like he’s borrowing mom’s purse.

The BAD: Bad? Um, this bag is so cool that Mom might not want to hand it over for Dad to use.

MONEY MATTERS: The DadGear Courier Bag retails for $62.99. It’s available online and in select stores throughout the country.

The MOM VERDICT

Sarah says: When I was pregnant with my second child, I splurged on an expensive diaper bag that will someday be my laptop bag (it’s a multipurpose bag!). It was a worthwhile expenditure because it was less feminine than the diaper bag I used with my son, and I could reuse it. We’ve gotten tons of use out of it, but my husband does feel it’s still very feminine. Not so with the DadGear Courier Bag. With pockets and features designed with the gadget-man in mind, this bag has serious guy appeal. In fact, you can’t even tell it’s a diaper bag until you open it up (bonus!). Packed with great features, this is sure to be a hit with any dad of young kids. And at about $65, its price won’t take your breath away. This would make a fab present.

The GOOD:  These bags are quite roomy at a generous 15×12x8 and are made in the USA with 100% upholstery weight cotton.  You can choose from a wide variety of prints or solids, one more gorgeous than the next.  The solid color bags are made from recycled fabric.  Grosgrain binding is used for the interior seams and the handles are heavy poly webbing, so these bags can definitely hold their own and you won’t have to worry about fraying or excessive wear.  They are very soft and quite luxurious to the touch and machine washable.

The BAD:  Only available for purchase online or at select retailers.  A little bit on the higher end for reusable bags, but keep in mind, these are really more like tote bags versus the usual 99 cent ones you see for sale at the grocery store.

MONEY MATTERS:  The print bags retail for $24 and the solids for $26.  They are available for purchase online or at these retailers.

SOMETHIN’ EXTRA: Custom bags are available with a 200 bag minimum.

The MOM VERDICT

Cate says: I have a small, but growing, collection of reusable bags and totes, but in my defense, I use them all the time, and for different things, so I’m always on the lookout for a new one.  These bags from b, happybags are unlike my others.  They are ultra-soft and have very pretty feminine prints (although there are some that guys can safely use too, I promise!).  We’ve been using our bag to tote books to and from the library and it withstands the weight with no problem.  These bags would be a great alternative to boxing up a present … add the gifts into a colorful tote bag and it will do double duty … as the wrapping and another present to boot.  Love them, and you will too.

The GOOD: Their product line has lots of cool, ultra-hip designs that are perfect so that dad won’t feel weird lugging the diaper bag.  These bags don’t scream diaper bag at all, I promise.  It has straps so it can attach easily to the stroller, and has an expandable changing pad for dads on the go.  It has tons of pockets so you can organize everything easily, and the material makes it easy to clean up.  The shoulder strap is wide and has a padded piece, so no straps digging into your skin.  The inside of the bag has been smartly made with a lighter color to make items you’re searching for easier to find.

The BAD: It’s a tad pricey, but the bonus is that this can easily be used as an alternative tote bag once its use as a diaper bag is no longer needed.

MONEY MATTERS: This bag retails for $82 and is available on DadGear’s website and at these retail locations.

The MOM VERDICT

Cate says: When I bought a new diaper bag when our daughter Madeline arrived earlier this year, I purposely bought a black one and the most unisex style I could find so that The Husband wouldn’t feel funny carrying it.  Well, that backfired because while it was black, it unfortunately still screamed “girl!”  No wonder Brad Pitt has been photographed with baby bottles and diapers in his back pocket, right?  He *so* needs to be introduced to DadGear.  Started by two friends, Scott and John, in 2005, it was an invention born out of necessity, the way most cool products come to pass.   We love these bags and are totally hooked.  If you saw a bike messenger with this bag slung across his shoulder, you wouldn’t think anything of it, because that’s totally what it looks like.  Urban cool and super chic, you’ll be the star of the dad playgroups, and with good reason.  Once diaper duty is done, this makes a great tote bag as well.  And if you don’t need a diaper bag, their line features quite a number of other products as well, so be sure to check them out.  So two big thumbs up from the Dad in our house!