How to Choose the Right Promotional Tote Bag

Buying promotional tote bags for your company shouldn’t take longer to research than planning the event itself. The seasoned promotional products experts at 4AllPromos are sharing their 20+ years of experience to help you pick the best custom tote bags for your company event, trade show, employee onboarding kits, and customer giveaways. 

We looked at thousands of promotional tote bag orders placed on our site to see what businesses actually buy, not what catalogs or suppliers say you should buy. The patterns were surprisingly consistent and revealed a lot about how experienced buyers make decisions.

Our custom tote bag buyer’s guide combines our real-world purchasing trends with the questions we've answered for customers over the past 20 years. Whether you're ordering 100 bags for your employees or 5,000 for a trade show, our goal is simple: We help you choose the right tote the first time.

Our Expert Quick Take on Buying Custom Totes:

Buy a non-woven tote when

• You're ordering for a trade show or conference.
• You need several hundred to thousands of bags.
• Budget matters more than creating a premium gift.
• The bags will hold brochures, flyers, or giveaways.

Buy a cotton or canvas tote when

• You're welcoming new employees.
• You're thanking customers.
• You're creating a premium giveaway.
• You want people to keep using the bag for years.

Buy a specialty tote when

• You need stadium-approved clear bags.
• You're promoting sustainability.
• The bag needs insulation (opens in a new window).
• You want a foldable travel tote.
• Your event has a very specific use case.

The Tote Bag to Buy When You’re Unsure

A medium-weight canvas tote or a quality non-woven grocery tote is the right answer for most organizations.

What Thousands of Promotional Tote Bag Orders Taught Us

One of the advantages we have at 4AllPromos is working with different industries, within different budgets, and for different types of events. We get to see buying patterns across thousands of organizations, yet many of them arrive at remarkably similar decisions.

Here's what stood out when we reviewed our 20 best-selling tote bags.

Non-Woven Totes Are The Most Popular Tote Bag Choice

Our four most-ordered tote bags are all non-woven polypropylene styles. Together, these 4 products alone have been ordered 5,489 times in the last year.

Why are non-woven tote bags consistently the best pick for company logo tote bags?

Non-woven totes hit the sweet spot for many organizations because they are

• Affordable
• Lightweight
• Durable enough to be reused
• Excellent print surface
• Available in dozens of colors
• Easy to ship in large quantities

For conferences, community events, recruiting fairs, schools, trade shows, and nonprofits, they're hard to beat.

Here's what our customers order most often.

One thing we want to call out is that these are practical promotional products, and that's usually exactly what buyers need. When you’re buying bags for a large event and don't know where to start, this information gives you a leg up. Thousands of organizations before you landed on a similar choice because these bags balance cost, durability, and usability exceptionally well.

Our Customers Are Willing to Spend on Premium Tote Bags

We see something interesting when we look at revenue instead of order count. Premium bags like our Large Canvas Boat Bag with Colored Handles rank 16th in total orders, but they're 8th in revenue. The Clear PVC Stadium Tote ranks 12th in orders but jumps to 6th in revenue. At the same time, our Premium Insulated Reusable Grocery Tote doesn't even crack our top twenty by order volume, but it’s a top revenue producer, so people are still willing to spend for it. 

Why should you consider buying premium custom tote bags?

Because premium bags solve different problems. Companies buying executive gifts, bags for welcome kits, customer appreciation gifts, and retail-quality merchandise are usually willing to spend more for a bag that reflects positively on their brand.

It’s not about handing out 3,000 bags at a convention. It’s going the extra inch to make a lasting impression on a much smaller audience. This is why order count alone can be misleading. Sometimes the "best" bag for your goals isn't the one everyone buys. It's the one that's right for your audience.

If your goal is long-term brand visibility rather than the lowest possible cost per impression, don't be afraid to look beyond the most popular products. Our data suggests many organizations are happy to invest more when the bag itself becomes part of the gift.

Which Tote Bag Should You Buy?

The answer is the best tote bag for your goals. The Advertising Specialty Institute estimates that reusable bags generate around 4,900 impressions over their lifetime (opens in a new window) because people continue using them long after the event. The exact number varies depending on the study and usage assumptions, but the larger point holds that bags are one of the longest-lived promotional products.

To pick the best tote bag, first define your audience, whether that is trade show attendees, your own employees and customers, or anyone else. Then define the goal you will accomplish with the tote bags. 

Different goals require different kinds of tote bags. 

The 4AllPromos Best Tote Bags to Buy Based on Real Data

When you're unsure or want a tote bag that works well for a variety of purposes, a 12-oz cotton canvas tote is the safest recommendation. It's durable, prints well, and hits a nice balance between cost and quality.

What to Consider When Choosing Your Tote Bag Material

Not all tote bags are created equal. Every material involves a tradeoff between cost, durability, appearance, and purpose. The right choice depends on what you're asking the bag to do. 

Non-Woven Polypropylene

This is the star player of the promotional tote bag materials. It's lightweight, inexpensive, available in dozens of colors, and prints beautifully with a company logo. Our four most-ordered tote bags are all non-woven styles. They put a useful branded item into as many hands as possible without blowing the budget. You can order 200 to 2,000 event bags. Non-woven is almost always the winner.

Cotton

Cotton feels softer and more natural than non-woven polypropylene. It's the kind of bag people are more likely to carry to the grocery store or farmers' market. That means your logo continues getting exposure long after the event ends. It’s also a more sustainable material, especially when paired with recognized certifications or recycled content.

Canvas

Canvas is where promotional totes start feeling less like giveaways and more like something someone would actually buy. Canvas tote bags are heavier, hold their shape better, and last longer. In our own sales data, our Large Canvas Boat Bag was one of our top bags, but companies aren't buying thousands of these, they're buying them when quality matters more than quantity. If your goal is to impress rather than distribute, canvas is worth considering.

A quick note about canvas weight:

An 8 oz canvas bag and a 12 oz canvas bag can look nearly identical online, but they feel very different in your hand. The heavier bag will typically hold its shape better, carry more weight, and generally feel more premium. That's one of those details that rarely shows up in marketing copy but makes a big difference when the shipment arrives.

Recycled Materials

Recycled totes have become increasingly popular over the past several years. They don't represent the majority of our sales yet, but each year the demand continues to grow. In fact, across all of our promotional product categories, we notice that more organizations are incorporating sustainability goals into purchasing decisions. Choosing a recycled tote reinforces your brand’s eco-friendly values.

Jute

Jute is another natural fiber. It has a distinct rustic, organic appearance. Jute bags are typically sturdier than standard non-woven totes and can handle heavier items, making them not only a fashionable choice but a practical option for grocery shopping or retail environments. 

Here's a quick comparison.

Check The Total Landed Cost When Comparing Tote Bag Prices

When shopping for your promotional tote bags, your final price will include not only the expected taxes and shipping fees for your products, but some products have set-up fees and per-color costs. 

Let's say Vendor A has a listed price of $0.01 per bag. Looks great, but if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. When you click through to that product, you typically see that the price is for a sample, and the regular price for the bag is much more.

There’s also the setup fee, potential artwork charge, freight prices, and if needed, the rush production. Suddenly, that "$0.01” isn't $0.01 anymore. When you’re shopping for custom tote bags, always look for the landed cost. The landed cost includes the prices and fees for:

• Product
• Decoration
• Setup
• Shipping
• Any additional rush or color fees

That's the number your budget cares about. At 4AllPromos, it’s easy to get an idea of your landed cost without waiting for a quote or estimate. You pick your item color, imprint colors, production time, and quantity all on the product page, with the total updating in real time. The only thing that is left is shipping, which is calculated for the entire order and the shipping speed you select at checkout.

In addition to giving you the total price of your product, 4AllPromos backs all our promotional products with the 4All Promise. Not only is that a perfect product guarantee, but we also have a best price pledge. Here are the average cost examples before shipping for 100, 250, 500, and 1000 tote bag orders for our top-selling customizable tote bag.

Choosing a Printing Method for Custom Tote Bags

We know you’re not trying to become a tote bag printing guru, and that’s ok because 4AllPromos is the guru for you. Our expert production team will handle the promotional product printing, but to help you understand your customization options, here's the cheat sheet:

Bonus: The Best Sustainable Tote Bags

Consumers care more and more about eco-friendly and sustainable products. Instead of taking the description at face value, look for recognized certifications and the type of materials in the products. 

This Global Recycled Standard (GRS) eco-friendly tote bag is made from recycled content and in responsible manufacturing facilities. 

Our Meshki Cotton Tote Bags are certified by the Environmental Management System (ISO 14001:2015), with a low carbon footprint and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification, too. 

There’s also the FEED Organic Cotton Convention Tote, made with 100% GOTS-certified organic cotton, and sure to catch eyes from eco-conscious consumers. 

Independent certifications like these provide more confidence than broad marketing claims.

How Far Ahead Should You Order Promotional Tote Bags?

In our experience, starting to look for the bags you want 8 weeks in advance is best. This gives you enough time to decide on colors and styles and finalize the budget with your team before you place your order. Once you place the order, you’ll still have plenty of time to approve your artwork, avoid rush production fees, and have your items in hand by your deadline. 

Can orders move faster?

Absolutely. At 4AllPromos, you can easily filter through our tote bag collection for tote bags that offer 1-day rush production, but note that rushed production is generally an additional fee. Also, keep in mind that production only starts after you have received and approved the artwork in your digital proof. 

Get the Best Custom Tote Bags from 4AllPromos

When you're comparing promotional product companies, don't just compare products. Compare how easy they are to work with. A company that has a dedicated art team to detect issues before printing, customer care staff that communicate clearly and provide realistic timelines, and account managers that follow through on commitments will save you far more time than one that simply has the lowest price.

We’ve been making custom tote bags for our customers for over 20 years. In those years, we’ve helped thousands of organizations get the perfect tote bags. At 4AllPromos, we make your brand our business. We’re here every step of the way to be your promotional products partner. We’ll help you find products that fit your budget and your goals, all while making your logo the real focal point.