The 4 Best Heavy-Duty Laundry Carriers

Looking for a solid laundry bag that won’t explode on your way to the laundromat? Well, rest your eyes, wary seeker: these are four of the best bags for laundry trekkers.

There are a lot of cheap, flimsy laundry hampers out there. If you live in a city or a big house—or somehow both, you lucky dog—then you know what it’s like to lug a hefty hamper full of dirties around. If you’re like us, you also know what it’s like when the handles tear off, or the bottom rips open, dumping your undies all over the sidewalk.

Is it your fault for procrastinating until you’ve filled the hamper with 30 pounds of dirty unmentionables? No! It’s the hamper’s fault for being flimsy nylon mesh, or worse: wicker—why wicker of all things?

If this has ever happened to you—or if it hasn’t, but now you’ve got the fear—be at ease. Here are four of the best laundry bags for people who don’t like broken laundry bags.

Best Backpack: WOWLIVE Large Laundry Backpack ($25)

Who doesn’t love a good, massive backpack? The WOWLIVE Large Laundry Backpack is, essentially, a big, cylindrical, hiker-style backpack devoted to carrying your laundry without destroying your shoulders and allowing you to keep your hands free on the long, arduous journey to that place where you wash your clothes.

The regular “large” sized bag measures around 22 inches tall and 12 inches wide. Much like a good hiker’s bag, it includes an expandable liner with drawstring at the top, netting you an extra eight inches of storage space for an overstuffed load of linens. It’s also made from water-resistant oxford cloth, so your laundry will stay drier than you on the walk home on a rainy laundry day.

A big front pocket could hold extras like, oh, let’s say laundry detergent. This bag won’t stand on its own, as some other options will, but has a loop for a clip, so you can hang it while filling. Perhaps most important of all: robust stitching along the bag’s stress points. If this one isn’t big enough for you, WOWLIVE also carries an extra-large variant.

Best Collapsible Tote: CleverMade Collapsible Laundry Tote ($18)

Let’s say you don’t need to necessarily hike your laundry anywhere, but just need to tote it down some stairs or around the house. That doesn’t mean it’s safe to use a flimsy laundry bag; most laundry accidents happen in the home, after all.

This CleverMade Collapsible polyester tote is strong enough to carry 55 lbs. of the stuff you like to wear but sensitive enough to collapse down to 2 inches when you want to put it away.

So, what makes this tote a great option for moving some weight around? Note the strap-through design. When the strap loops under the bottom like this, it means the handles won’t be ripping off, even at the 55 lbs. weight limit. This one is black, but it comes in a range of colors, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Best Wheeled Bag: Whitmor Round Commercial Laundry Hamper ($60)

The Whitmor is the Cadillac of laundry hampers—and not just because it has four wheels, like a car. The construction is centered around a sturdy, chrome frame, that, yes, you will need to assemble yourself, but all you’ll need is a Phillips head screwdriver and a few minutes’ time.

Nestled in that chrome frame is a polyester fabric bag, fastened to the cart with metal clips, and removable for washing. The commercial-grade wheels swivel, so no three-point turns in the hallway, as the car metaphor begins to fall apart.

Also, it is roomy. This is the biggest laundry carrier on this list: at 32” tall by 24” wide, it’ll make your big laundry look small. Fortunately, you won’t have to carry it—this responsible laundry bag supports itself.

Best Plastic Hamper: STERILITE Wheeled Hamper ($29)

This list would be remiss if it did not include a solid plastic option. Fabric bags are great for a lot of reasons, but sometimes you don’t want a dirty clothes receptacle that tends to become one with your laundry; that’s where cold, unfeeling plastic comes in. Plus, all those ventilation holes help your dirties dry out and avoid that mildew smell while you’re putting off your wash.

There are many plastic hampers out there, but one thing many of them neglect is this one, simple fact: plastic can be very flimsy. If you overload a plastic bin, you’re liable to rip the handles off when picking it up.

The solution: don’t buy a plastic hamper you need to pick up. Instead, try this STERILITE wheeled plastic hamper. Don’t take it off-road, of course, but it’ll handle hard floors and carpets, no problem, and it has a luggage-style extending handle to save your back. Meanwhile, the lid will keep you from ditching socks on the way to the machine.

This simple design stands at about 28”. If you’re set on plastic, go with this rolling hamper to avoid the material’s inherent shortcomings.

If you want to spend a bit less, Home Depot also sells this model for only $17, though there is an additional shipping fee.