I love my Onya bag because it is tiny and sturdy and yet holds a ten-liter water bottle with room left over for a pair of shoes. (I was curious!) But if you want something a more polished looking tote at $25 CAD (and you're either in North America or don't mind that the always-distasteful Canada Post is going to beat the crap out of you on postage - $14 CAD/£7) check out the BYOB from Vancouver. They are hand-made silkscreened cotton canvas bags, 17'' tall X 16'' wide X 4'' bottom, 2" straps, with a 5"x5" pocket on the inside. The Lovely bag is quite popular, but if you're a bit more outspoken you might prefer one of their "cheeky" bags.
One of the problems with reusable shopping bags, of course, is that we don't bring them along or they're not very sturdy. BYOB's design addresses both of these by having a double-reinforced bottom and making them pretty enough to use as purses. Co-founder Elizabeth Clark (along with co-founder and graphic designer Jenny Hughes) uses hers for everything from groceries to her psych textbooks and then carts it around as an evening bag. They note that each household needs between 2 and 7 - a good compromise may be to buy one and stuff a fistful of Onya bags in the bottom.
[GT]
onya bags are now being distributed and sold in Canada. Check out onyabags.ca