Shop Now or
Promotional Products Blog

Tote bags really only have one job: hold stuff while you carry it. And look good while doing it. If they can’t do that without breaking, they’re not much use.

We wanted to find out which tote bags are the best (and worst) at this one job, so we tested 27 in a variety of sizes and materials. We defined “best” by how much weight they could hold before breaking, if they broke at all.

Looking at the selection of tote bags we’d pulled together, it pains me to admit that I was not optimistic for some of them. Most of them looked pretty resilient, yes, but then there were the plastic bags and even a paper bag. How much weight could you really expect those to hold?

I was in for a surprise – and maybe you are too, but you’ll have to read on to find out.

The Methodology

With the appropriate care and precision, we:

  1. 1

    Set a metal pole between two stepladders.

  2. 2

    Hung a digital scale from the center of the pole.

  3. 3

    Hung each bag on the scale one at a time.

  4. 4

    Filled the bag with sand using a funnel/tube setup.

  5. 5

    Waited for the bag to get full or break, whichever happened first. (Spoiler alert: We filled all the bags.)

  6. 6

    Recorded the whole thing on camera.

The Video

To prove we really did do step six (and also steps one to five), here’s the video!

The Results

There’s a reason bags haven’t gone through much of an evolution in terms of their fundamental design. The body + handles combination is surprisingly strong.

Even the ones made of plastic didn’t break when filled to capacity with sand, at weights between 10.62lb and 21.56lb. The paper bag was holding 20.14lb of sand when it broke. Six out of the eight that broke did so while holding between 86.53lb and 108.79lb of sand.

I don’t know about you, but reading “10.62lb of sand” means absolutely nothing to me. I suspect I’m not alone in this, based on the way museums try to explain sizes and weights in terms of common objects. (In British museums, it’s always either a double-decker bus or a blue whale, which is very unhelpful.)

To really bring home for you just how much weight these bags were holding – so that you’re suitably impressed – here are the weights some of the bags held, compared to things you may actually have picked up. (The chart with all the results is at the end.)

Q# Name Image Material Did it Break? Final Weight (lbs) Thing of Roughly Equivalent Weight
Q67064 Die Cut Handle Bag (9″ x 13″ x 2″)
A photo of a small blue rectangular plastic bag with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in black on the front.
Low-density polyethylene plastic No 10.62 A medium-sized bowling ball
Q67055 Matte Laminated Euro Tote Bag
A photo of a black laminated paper bag, with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed on the front in grey.
157GSM matte laminated paper Yes 20.14 A large watermelon
Q70225 Small Sports Drawstring Backpack
A photo of a lime green drawstring backpack, with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in black on the front.
210D polyester No 32.40 A medium-sized countertop microwave
Q18896 Eco-Friendly Non Woven Tote Bag (16″ x 12″ x 6″)
A photo of a pink tote bag with the words YOUR DESIGN HERE in black on the front.
80GSM non-woven polypropylene No 81.11 A queen-size memory foam mattress
Q70240 Reusable Grocery Tote Bag
A photo of a small blue tote bag with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in black on the front.
80GSM non-woven polypropylene Yes 108.79 An average adult Bernese mountain dog

Disclaimer: We haven’t tested these specific things in the bags, they are just examples. Please do not try to put these things in these bags. Especially the dog.

Key Findings

A photo of a bulging blue tote bag hanging against a black background, with a zoomed in close-up showing that it’s full of sand and the handle is straining.

The handles are (usually) the weak points

Who could have guessed that the narrowest strips of fabric on the whole bag would also be most susceptible under strain? Probably everyone, and that’s exactly what happened in most breakages, typically where the handles were sewn to the body of the bag. Usually one handle went first, followed by the other handle, and then in some cases, the body ripped too.

A photo showing sand pouring out of a grey tube into a green tote bag with handles sewn through metal loops. One handle has snapped under the strain.

Three bags broke in unique ways

Of the eight that broke, three bags that were constructed differently sustained unique damage. One tote bag had handles that looped through metal rings and were sewn together on the other side – not sewn directly to the body of the bag. The handles snapped a few inches above that seam. On a drawstring backpack, the nylon cord handles were super strong, but the fabric ripped around the opening when we took it off the scale. And while the laminated paper gift bag had similar cord handles, the holes the handles were threaded through ripped when we took the bag off the scale.

An item listing for the Hercules Shopping Bag, with a photo of the bag in blue, and a closeup of an orange scale showing 100.02lbs.

The tote bags that broke managed to hold around 100lb 

Six of the bags that broke were tote bags. Not the dainty cotton tote bags you take to farmers’ markets, that only fit three organic tomatoes: Enormous plastic tote bags you take to Costco before Thanksgiving. Although these bags did eventually break, it wasn’t until they reached weights between 86.53lb and 108.79lb. That’s pretty sturdy.

An item listing for Large Jute Tote Bags, with a photo of one bag in brown, and a closeup of an orange scale showing 106.76lbs.

Two bags held over 100lb without breaking

While we’re all here comparing bags, let’s show some appreciation for the ones that survived the test. Of our 27 bags, 19 didn’t break – and 14 of those held at least 20lb. Eight held over 40lb. Two of our bags held 101.38lb and 106.76lb respectively, without so much as a tear.

An item listing for the Matte Laminated Euro Tote Bags, with a photo of the bag in black, and a closeup of an orange scale showing 20.14lbs.

The most impressive were the plastic and paper bags

I had the lowest expectations for the three plastic bags and the laminated paper gift bag. The plastic bags survived weights of 10.62lb, 19.84lb, and 21.56lb respectively (so between a medium-sized bowling ball and a large watermelon), and the laminated paper bag’s handles ripped through the paper at 20.14lb. So while they’re probably not the choice for your big backpacking trip, they are stronger than they look.

A closeup photo of sand pouring from a black tube into a very full brown canvas tote bag with thick white handles.

The bigger bags had a harder test

The bigger the bag, the more sand you can fit, so the higher the weight you can test. Based on our results, some of the smaller bags – made with the same fabric and construction, but on a smaller scale – could probably have gotten to a higher weight if we’d been able to fit more sand in or used something heavier.

A photo of sand pouring from a tube into a hanging blue plastic bag that looks nearly full.

Our bags are (probably) not infinitely strong

Although the bags overperformed in our test, we didn’t have them holding their final weight for as long as you might actually carry something around in them. This is most relevant for our three plastic bags. How long can a plastic bag hold 20lb without snapping? Another experiment for another time, maybe.

The Bottom Line

Our bags held more weight than we anticipated. A plastic bag that can hold 20lb? Incredible. A tote bag that can hold 107lb? Ridiculous. Did you see that coming? We didn’t.


Of the eight that broke, the most common weak point was the handles – usually only one, but that was enough to take down the rest of the bag. Even these eight beat our expectations: four of them held 100lb or more!

A photo of a hand in a brown sleeve holding the handles of a large, light brown tote bag as it rests on a white surface next to a dark green potted plant.

It’s unclear how much longer the bags that didn’t break could have held their final weight. For context, a plastic bag probably couldn’t hold a large watermelon for, say, 30 minutes. Then again, we didn’t think it would be able to hold that weight for any time. This is why we test these things.

At the same time, the bags that are essentially smaller versions of the larger bags that held high weights probably could have held more weight, if we could have fit more sand. So we have two more hypotheses to test!

All in all, these tote bags proved they are up to their one job of holding your stuff. And we’ll make sure they all look good while doing it, too.

Q# Name Image Did it Break? Final Weight (lbs) View Product
Q8504 Cinch Up Backpack
A photo of a black drawstring backpack with YOUR DESIGN HERE in silver on the back.
No 36.76 View Product
Q18895 Eco-Friendly Non Woven Tote Bag (13.5″ x 14.5″)
A photo of a small red tote bag with YOUR DESIGN HERE in white on the front.
No 29.58 View Product
Q18896 Eco-Friendly Non Woven Tote Bag (16″ x 12″ x 6″)
A photo of a pink tote bag with the words YOUR DESIGN HERE in black on the front.
No 81.11 View Product
Q21333 Non-Woven Cinch Up Backpack
A photo of a turquoise drawstring backpack with YOUR DESIGN HERE in black on the front.
Yes 40.86 View Product
Q22817 Budget Kooler Bag
A photo of a light blue cooler bag with a black strap and the words YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in black on the front.
No 10.76 View Product
Q25877 Non-Woven Insulated Tote Bag
A photo of a large blue tote bag with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in white on the front.
Yes 100.02 View Product
Q28800 Atlas Non-Woven Grocery Tote
A photo of a small turquoise tote bag with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in black on the front.
Yes 86.57 View Product
Q34306 Non-Woven Cooler Bag
A photo of a red cooler bag with black details, and YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in grey on the front.
No 13.22 View Product
Q48736 Lighthouse Non-Woven Boat Tote Bag
A photo of a large, beige tote bag with red straps and bottom, and YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in black on the front.
No 72.73 View Product
Q49787 Basic Cotton Tote
A photo of a small purple tote bag with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in white on the front.
No 30.06 View Product
Q50544 Die Cut Handle Bag (12″ x 15″ x 3″)
A photo of a square purple plastic bag, with YOUR DESIGN HERE in white printed on the front.
No 21.56 View Product
Q60383 Large Jute Tote Bag
A photo of a large beige jute tote bag with a white handle, and YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in white on the front.
No 106.76 View Product
Q63756 Payson Non-Woven Mini Tote Bag
A photo of a small orange tote bag with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed on the front in gray.
No 22.04 View Product
Q66089 Non-Woven Mini Tote Bag (10.625″ x 11″)
A photo of a small green tote bag with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed on the front in black.
No 14.72 View Product
Q67055 Matte Laminated Euro Tote Bag
A photo of a black laminated paper bag, with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed on the front in grey.
Yes 20.14 View Product
Q67064 Die Cut Handle Bag (9″ x 13″ x 2″)
A photo of a small blue rectangular plastic bag with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in black on the front.
No 10.62 View Product
Q67075 Color Frosted Soft Loop Shopper Tote Bag
A photo of a rectangular frosted pink plastic bag with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in white on the front.
No 19.84 View Product
Q69211 City Life Travel Boat Tote Bags
A photo of a large red tote bag with black straps and handles, and YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in white on the front.
No 68.32 View Product
Q70189 Non-Woven Insulated Tote Bag
A photo of a small purple tote bag with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in white on the front.
Yes 99.71 View Product
Q70198 Small Non-Woven Gift Bag
A photo of a simple purple tote bag with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in grey on the front.
No 13.97 View Product
Q70225 Small Sports Drawstring Backpack
A photo of a lime green drawstring backpack, with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in black on the front.
No 32.40 View Product
Q70226 Delhi Jumbo Sized Tote Bag
A photo of a large lime green tote bag with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in black on the front.
No 74.94 View Product
Q70236 Budget Non-Woven Shopper Tote Bag
A photo of a black trapezoid tote bag with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in white on the front.
Yes 91.07 View Product
Q70240 Reusable Grocery Tote Bag
A photo of a small blue tote bag with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in black on the front.
Yes 108.79 View Product
Q70243 Non-Woven Tote Bag (19″ x 15.25″ x 5.5)
A photo of a large tote bag with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in black on the front.
No 140.43 View Product
Q71063 Cotton Pocket Jute Tote Bag
A photo of a jute tote bag with a white handle and white pocket on the front, printed with YOUR DESIGN HERE in black.
No 101.38 View Product
Q71367 Zipper Insulated Lunch Tote Bag
A photo of a small, light blue tote bag with YOUR DESIGN HERE printed in black on the front.
No 44.65 View Product

Let our team of awesome, incredibly good looking,
and fun promo nerds help you select awesome promotional swag today!

Shop Now

Natasha Lavender

Natasha is an experienced writer and editor who has covered topics including technology, health and safety, business, and pop culture. Her work has been published by Good Housekeeping magazine, Forbes, Success, and more.

View all posts by Natasha Lavender