I’ve covered reusable bags before on this blog. I’m a fan of the any sort of nylon or nylon-like bag that can be rolled or folded up super small and stashed in a carry-on or the bottom of a purse. When you’re traveling, there’s always a need for an extra bag or two – whether it’s for groceries, dirty clothes, souvenirs or beach towels.
There are quite a few of these eco-friendly, compact bags out there on the market, but I’m not sure I’ve seen any so fashionable as the RuMe bags. As RuMe marketing materials say, these bags have a “flair for glam.” With metallic colors, the bags fit right in on New York’s Madison Avenue!
Besides bright silver, pink, purple and gold metallic hues, RuMe bags come in patterns and shades that are named after geographic regions: sleek greys and blacks in the Silicon Valley collection, bright primary colors for Spring in New York (pictured below). The Boston Common designs are classy pinstripes and diagonal necktie patterns. Fun stuff!
But these bags are functional, too. The Macro size ($11.95) is 17 by 17 by 8 inches with 12-inch-long handles designed for carrying bulky items and groceries. The standard RuMe ($9.95) is 15.5 by 15.5 by 4 inches, which might be good for toting necessites to the pool. I’ve got the cute little Mini ($8.95), which is just 11 by 11 by 4 inches; the RuMe folks suggest that this size is ideal for using as a reusable gift bag. What a great idea! Put a small hostess gift in this bag and your friend gets two presents in one! (You do always bring a little something when you’re visiting out-of-town friends and family, right?) Buy bags in green, red, silver and blue and you’ve got your Christmas and Hanukkah gift-wrap covered.
Bags roll up and are secured with a Velcro strap; three standard-size bags rolled together are no bigger than a tall Starbucks cup. RuMe also sells zippered pockets for stashing small things together in your purse as well as liter-size zippered snack bags, meant to replace plastic Ziploc bags for your kids’ goldfish crackers or trail mix that you might bring along for plane travel or road trips. These smaller bags are made from salvaged RuMe textiles and can be hand-washed or cleaned in a dishwasher.
The material used in the bags is polyester; the standard size can carry up to 50 lbs of stuff. While the RuMe company is based in Denver, Colorado, all products are made in a government-certified, fair-trade factory in South Korea — which, in part, is the cause for the heftier-than-many-reusable-bags price tag. RuMe says factory employees are paid a fair wage in and work in safe, clean conditions.
