By Miyoko Ohtake
The problem with reusable grocery bags is that they often get left in the car or piled up at home. New ultracompact versions, small enough to stash in a purse or clip to a key chain, are helping to solve that problem.
- The Flip & Tumble folds like a pair of socks into a three-inch ball in less then five seconds. The secret is the patent-pending, sewn-in, spandex pouch ($12; flipandtumble.com).
- The no-nonsense, 16- by 14-inch nylon ChicoBag folds into its three- by four-inch integrated pouch and can hook onto anything with its carabinerlike clip. Even better, it’s machine washable ($5; chicobag.com).
- The Envirosax bags ($8.50; envirosax .com) come in 44 different designs and are certified up to 40 pounds, nearly twice the load capacity of all its competitors—and enough to make it double as a hip laundry bag.
