The 5 Best Tote Bags of 2025

Best for…

This durable tote comes with a 40-inch adjustable strap as well as top handles, giving you multiple carrying options. However, due to its thin canvas material, you may feel — and get poked by — the contents of the bag.

Note: The Zip Duck Bag is a slightly redesigned version of our original Baggu tote pick, the Duck Bag. We tested the updated model and had no complaints: It has a zippered top closure, rather than a snap. On the interior, a zippered pocket has been replaced by a slip pocket. Otherwise, the bag — including its dimensions, material, and overall look — remains the same.

Have you been searching for a canvas bag that’s simple but good-looking? If you want something soft and unstructured, versatile and long-lasting, consider the Baggu Zip Duck Bag.

It’s a utility player. We can’t pin the Duck Bag’s excellence on a single feature, and that’s where its genius lies: Its practical simplicity makes it a more universal choice than any other tote bag we tested.

The entire Wirecutter staff seems to have used a Duck Bag at some point, and during our testing we received a lot of positive feedback about its style. Overall, the Duck Bag was the most well-liked canvas bag we tested because of its understated yet pleasing aesthetic.

The Duck Bag is 11 inches wide by nearly 16 inches tall, and thanks to its flexible seams, it can accommodate a large volume of contents. “I can stick my whole yoga mat in there,” one tester told us.

Notably, its shoulder strap extends to 40 inches, double the strap length of most totes we tested. You can wear the strap on one shoulder or across your body like a messenger bag, or you can carry the tote by its short top handles.

However, if you are using the long strap, and the Duck Bag is resting close against your body, be aware that the canvas material does not offer much protection against the items inside. (Some of our testers who were around 5-foot-3 complained that when they carried the tote hoisted over their shoulders with a laptop inside, it would hit them at an uncomfortable spot.)

It’s tougher than it looks. This tote felt sturdy over weeks of testing and didn’t pick up much dirt — and in our experience, these bags have held up extremely well. Lesley Stockton, senior staff writer on the kitchen team and our food stylist, has owned a Duck Bag for over a decade and has used it for everything from lugging knife rolls and heavy clogs to hauling a giant food processor across New York City. The bag is still functional and has remained mostly intact, showing its age with some minor thinning in spots and one small hole on the seam that Lesley says would be easily mendable (she just hasn’t gotten to it yet).

Baggu recommends machine-washing the Duck Bag — most canvas bags have to be hand-washed or spot-cleaned — and line-drying it, though you can also wash it by hand. According to Lesley, after countless washings, the bag’s canvas is buttery soft.

The Duck Bag comes with a one-year warranty against defects in material and workmanship, which is common for tote bags.

Its zippered top keeps your stuff in check. The Duck Bag’s large main compartment zips at the top, keeping its contents contained. (An older model of this bag closed with a snap instead; it is no longer available.) And unlike with open-top totes, you don’t need to worry about other folks catching sight of your belongings. “Throw some tampons in there,” said a tester. “No one ever has to know because you don’t ever have to see it!” The interior of the Duck Bag has one slip pocket, which is handy for stashing keys, sunglasses, or a wallet.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• Depending on how you carry the Duck Bag, and what its contents are, it could feel unpleasant against your body; for example, items in the bag can poke you through the fabric when you have it slung over your back. A few testers around 5-foot-3 noted this issue but found that extending the strap and wearing it as a crossbody bag resolved the problem.
• The Duck Bag’s lack of heft — often a plus — can also be a minus. One staffer said that when her bag is too full, the long, thin strap can feel uncomfortable on her shoulder. And since the tote is unconstructed, which means that it’s floppy when it’s empty, it can’t stand on its own until it’s filled with stuff.

Size: 11 by 15.75 by 4.75 inches
Weight: 13 ounces
Strap length: 40 inches
Closure type: zipper
Colors: four patterns and colors, including navy stripe, black, and embroidered ditsy floral