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Organize Your Gardening Essentials in the Best Garden Totes
Last updated: Feb 25, 2024- Best Tote Overall: WORKPRO Garden Tote Shop Now ➔
- Best Colors: Housolution Garden Tote Shop Now ➔
- Highest Capacity: McGuire-Nicholas Garden Tote Shop Now ➔
- Best Material: GERYMU Garden Tote Shop Now ➔
View all ContentsOur Favorite Garden Tote To Get in 2024
Best Tote Overall
The WORKPRO Garden Tote is very well-built using top-quality 600D Oxford cloth lining, paired with soft materials that ensure enough flexibility for ease of use. The 12 by 12–inch dimensions are large enough to meet most people’s storage capacity needs, making it suitable even for landscapers with heavier workloads. It won’t just store all your essentials, but also keep them organized in its six front pockets and two side ones positioned outside for stuff like spray bottles and handy tools.
Each pocket is about eight inches deep, so even the longest tools can be pushed inside with no risk of accidental falls. The tote’s bottom is reinforced with a PE board, while the strap handles are anti-slip and ergonomically designed.
Pros
- Comfortable and easy to carry
- Large enough for heavy workloads
- Available in catchy green and pink colors
- Stands up straight with or without tools
Cons
- Walls aren’t structured and sometimes feel flimsy
Best Colors
The Housolution Garden Tote comes in blue, coffee, green, dark green, and gray/black color combinations, which earns it the “Best Colors” award. It’s made of 600D high-quality polyester, which is one of the sturdiest fabric materials you can find in garden totes. It’s lined with soft materials to make sure that the bag isn’t too stiff.
It’s wear-resistant, dirt-resistant, and designed to bear high loads with little risk of tears or detached handle straps. The materials used are mostly eco-friendly and reusable, which all gardeners and earth lovers can appreciate. You can get it in 14 and 12-inch variants to suit your personal requirements for storage capacity.
Pros
- Available in five different colors
- Made of high-quality polyester fabric
- Comes in two different sizes
Cons
- No padding or cushioning in handles
Highest Capacity
The McGuire-Nicholas Garden Tote has a length of 15 inches, which makes it the longest option on this list — and also the one with the highest storage capacity. It’s the ideal choice if you plan on storing tools like shovels, garden hoes, or pipes.
It also has super comfortable tubular handles that are made of steel and padded with a thick foam to make it go easier on your hands, even when the tote is fully loaded with heavy tools. Aside from that, you get a whopping 14 pockets on the tote’s exterior, giving you ample quick-access storage space to keep everything you need within your reach.
Pros
- Sturdy steel handle with padding
- 14 pockets on the bag
- Great design
Cons
- The sides are a bit too stiff
Best Material
The GERYMU Garden Tote is the only one on this list that’s made out of thick, anti-tear canvas material, which is the most resilient fabric quality you can get in a heavy-duty garden tote. It’s also waxed, anti-split, and waterproof — making it the ideal pick for those looking for top-tier material composition.
The sturdy sewing allows maximized load bearing without the risk of the bag or handles coming apart. It has eight outside pockets, and a total storage capacity of 5.5 gallons, which is ample for storing tools, fertilizer bags, and even a water bottle to keep you hydrated. While the handle straps aren’t padded, they’re wide enough for optimal pressure distribution to minimize discomfort.
Pros
- Exceptional fabric quality
- Covered by a no-questions-asked refund policy
- Deep pockets with convenient velcro closure
Cons
- Doesn’t stand upright
Garden Tote Buying Guide
Buying the right garden tote is all about knowing your requirements very well. Aside from simple things like the amount of storage space you need, you can also look for situation-specific features that make landscaping more comfortable for you.
For instance, if you suffer from back pains, look for special features like wheels underneath your garden tote to effortlessly drag it around. In this buyer’s guide, we’ll go over all such factors to keep in mind to make sure you spend your hard-earned cash on the perfect choice.
Storage Capacity
To determine the size and capacity of your new garden tote, take a look at all the things you plan on storing inside it. You also need to consider where you plan on putting your garden tote. For instance, if you have a garage or a shed, you can get away with even the largest storage solutions for your gardening tools.
If you’re fairly limited on storage space, however, consider a pegboard, a wall-mounted tool rack, or a compact garden tote that allows you to carry your tools around the garden.
To make sure your garden tote is sufficient for your needs, make sure its dimensions are large enough to fit your biggest gardening tool, like your shovel.
Aside from the height, width, and roominess of your garden tote, also consider if it has enough pockets to meet your organizing requirements — more on this later!
Durability
There’s no point investing in a garden tote if it’s going to rip open in a few weeks. That’s why it’s imperative to make no compromises on durability, especially if you plan on storing some hefty tools inside it.
Ensure your garden tote handles the volume of workload you normally deal with. The most resilient fabric is canvas, followed by polyester and nylon. That way, your tote has a pretty decent chance of carrying heavier loads.
Heavy-duty fabrics also won’t let your sharp or pointed tools poke a hole or rip the bag open. But, make sure that the strength of your fabric doesn’t come at the expense of flexibility. The bag still needs to move with you and your tools.
We’d recommend looking for extra features like a layer of laminate or water-resistant coating on top of the fabric. It not only provides an extra bit of protection but also makes it easier to wipe clean.
Pockets — How Big and How Many?
When selecting a garden tote, pockets are the biggest green flags. The more of them you get, the easier it’ll be to organize your stuff inside it. While landscaping with wet and muddy hands, plowing through one large storage bag to find a specific item is the last thing you want to do.
You need lots of easy-access slots that are positioned on the outside of your tote. A well-designed garden tote offers that, as well as a well-protected slot that keeps sensitive items safe. That’s ideal for storing the stuff you want on you without exposing it to the elements (e.g. your phone).
But with that said, there’s no point in having 10 pockets if none of them are big or deep enough to fit any of your necessary tools. That’s why it’s just as important to check the size and storage capacity of each of the outside pockets on your new garden tote.
Some totes even offer useful extras for convenient storage like hooks, glove clips, or elastics to securely hold your taller tools.
Reinforcements
Aside from the fabric quality, you can tell a lot about a gardening tote’s sturdiness by focusing on the details! This includes the quality of stitching, as well as reinforcements at all the stress points.
Look for serging, bar tacks, and double stitching on joints and areas that withstand the most resistance under heavy workload, as that indicates the tote’s durability level. Inspect if the handlebars or straps feel securely attached because they’re the first to tear or snap off of low-quality garden totes.
In premium models, you’ll even find metal caps and rivets to reinforce the point where the bag meets the handlebars or straps. Speaking of which, look for thick cushioning integrated into the handles and a rubber layer on top as that makes the tote easy to carry.
Shape
The ease of storing and organizing your gardening tools is hugely determined by the shape of your tote. Ideally, you need a long, wide tote that has an integrated pouch on the inside to store stuff like large clips, fertilizer bags, and power tools. You might even need to pack in some drinks to keep you hydrated on a long, sunny day of landscaping.
Make sure that the large pouch is easy to access, and not too small to hold any of the above essentials (or whatever you plan on storing inside). They should also not be too narrow, as that limits your visibility when you’re trying to check the bottom contents.
People Also Asked
Is it okay to leave my gardening tools outside?
You should never leave your gardening tools outside, especially if they are susceptible to rust or corrosion. You should always store them indoors to keep them well protected from inclement weather, rain, and humidity — which ultimately enhances their longevity and preserves their effectiveness.
Where should I place my garden tote?
Your garden tote carries all your gardening essentials, which is why you should store it in a spot that’s dry, and well-protected from the elements. Never leave your garden tote out in the open, in the rain, or in damp conditions — especially if it’s not water-resistant.
How can I organize my gardening equipment and tools at home?
Perform a thorough and complete inventory count for all your gardening essentials. Then, classify them into categories to organize them effectively. Use the pockets and compartments of your tote to store your small hand tools, power tools, and consumables (like fertilizer bags) separately.
Article Contributors
Read More About Garden Gate Review Team HereThe Garden Gate Review Team’s product reviews and in-depth guides are here to help you choose the best products for a beautiful and bountiful garden and backyard. The content is created by The Garden Gate Review Team. Garden Gate’s editorial staff is not involved. Garden Gate is reader-supported: When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. The Garden Gate Review Team is composed of authors, editors, and gardeners. Artificial Intelligence (large language models) may have been used in the research and creation of the content.
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