The WIRED Equipment Team We’ve tested dozens of bags designed to make commuting easier and withstand wear and tear and weather. Here, our favorite eco-friendly bags are just as sturdy and durable, but made from recycled materials like plastic water bottles, old nylon, and even fishing nets salvaged from the ocean.
It’s important to find ways to reuse what would otherwise pollute our oceans and remain in landfills forever. But first, ask yourself: need A new bag? Buying sustainable items when you already have nice ones at home doesn’t help much. But if the bag you have now isn’t doing the trick, then you can rest easy with our picks below that use recycled materials. Not all bags are made from 100 percent recycled materials, but every little detail counts.
Bags are often categorized by litres, which we explain in more detail in a separate article. Check out the rest of our bag selection in our guides to the best backpacks, the best handbags and purses, and the best crossbody bags. And don’t forget to read our other sustainable product roundups, such as the best recycled and repurposed products, the best upcycled clothing, and the best reusable products.
Updated July 2024: We’ve added a crossbody bag and reusable shopping bags from Kind Bag, plus the Skye Mini Crossbody from Sherpani. We’ve also updated pricing and links.
Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting that’s too important to ignore for even a moment. $2.50 $1 per month for 1 year. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive subscriber content. Subscribe today.
How do we test the bags?
When it comes to products like bags, personal style dictates what you (and we) like. It’s the first thing you’ll notice. We try to test different types of bags in many different styles. Beyond making them look good, we make sure they’re actually worth it in terms of comfort and durability.
When we buy a new bag, we start using it as we normally would—carrying them to the grocery store or a bar, filling backpacks and totes with our laptops and work gear and going to a coffee shop for work in the afternoon, and filling travel bags with clothes and shoes. We take note of what fits in them, how they’re organized, and whether the straps are comfortable or start to sag after a while. We also fill them with heavy items (sometimes weights and sometimes just a bunch of other random goods we’re testing) and toss them around. If the strings and straps start to pull, we toss them. Whenever possible, we save bags to use over and over again for months or years to test their long-term durability, too, and we’ll update this guide if we change our minds.