FAQ

The four 5 cm swivel wheels are designed to roll smoothly across most everyday surfaces, such as pavement, asphalt, tiles and indoor floors.

For rougher stretches where rolling on all four wheels becomes difficult, simply grab the long side handles, tilt the bag towards you slightly onto two wheels and pull it behind you until the surface improves. Keep the angle shallow, as the bag sits low to the ground by design.

For stairs or particularly uneven terrain, the bag is best lifted using the carrying handles.

Yes, and this is what the removable strap is for. Clip both hooks to the short side and the bag follows you on all four wheels, with none of its weight in your hand.

The strap is adjustable, so it doesn't clip your heels every few steps. Set the strap to your preferred length and it tracks behind you at the right distance.

Clip the strap to each short side instead and it goes over your shoulder for carrying. Same strap, two jobs.

The Cista 60L weighs 2.4 kg empty and the 120L weighs 3.3 kg. That comes from the parts that make it work: four swivel wheels, a reinforced steel base, a foam layer that holds the shape and protects what's inside, a 500D PVC outer built to take wear and shed rain, and a softer lining inside so it feels like a bag rather than a plastic container on wheels.

What that buys you: a full weekly shop carried, that's two aching arms and usually two trips. On wheels it's one trip, and the load sits on the base and the wheels instead of on your arms.

The outer shell is 500D PVC — wear-resistant and water-repellent, chosen to survive years of kerbs, shop floors and weather rather than to look good in a photograph.

Underneath sits a foam inner layer that gives the bag its shape and cushions what's inside, over a reinforced steel base that carries the load.

The interior is finished with a softer lining.

60L — 56 cm high × 40 wide × 30 deep, 2.4 kg. Holds two full shopping bags. Right for daily errands, shopping, commuting, the gym or weekend trips.

120L — 66 cm high × 50 wide × 40 deep, 3.3 kg. Holds four shopping bags. Right for the weekly shop, market days, recycling, moving bulky things or professionals transporting a lot of heavy or bulky items.

One thing our own customers tell us: the 120L is genuinely large. One reviewer put it plainly — "I use the big bag, but note it is huge!" If you will mostly carry it up stairs or store it in a small hallway, the 60L is usually the better companion. If you are choosing between them for a weekly shop, or a way to transport your bulky things easier, take the 120L.

30 kg is the tested limit.

In practice we'd suggest staying comfortably under it, and not because the bag will complain. It rolls 30 kg without trouble. But you're the one who has to lift it if you meet a flight of stairs, a high kerb or a car boot, and 30 kg is genuinely heavy in your hands. Somewhere below the limit is where the bag stays effortless — which is the entire reason to own one.

Two habits worth forming if you do pack it heavily.

Heavy things at the bottom. Load the weight evenly across all sides. That keeps the bag steady and easier to maneuver.

Pack in bags, not loose. Load your shopping into carrier bags or smaller totes first, then put those inside the wheeled tote. It changes the hard moment completely: if you meet stairs, you lift out one bag at a time until what's left is light enough to carry, then bring the rest up after — instead of standing at the bottom with 25 kg of loose groceries and no way to break the load into pieces.

Yes, in a few seconds. Both sizes collapse down to 20 cm thick:

• 60L folded: 40 × 46 cm, 20 cm thick
• 120L folded: 50 × 56 cm, 20 cm thick

Take the wheels off and stow them in the bag's own compartment and it drops to roughly 15 cm.

Yes. The outer shell is 500D PVC — rain runs off it, a wet pavement is a non-issue, and your shopping stays dry walking home in a downpour. The external pocket has a water-resistant zip so what you keep there stays dry too.

Water-resistant, not waterproof: the seams and zips aren't sealed, so it isn't a drybag. Don't submerge it or leave it standing in water.

Yes — and there are two sets of handles plus a strap, because lifting, carrying and pulling aren't the same job.

• Long side handles — for getting the bag up onto your shoulder when you have to carry it any real distance. Stairs, mostly.
• Short side handles — for lifting straight up and high. Into a car boot, onto a table, over a barrier.
• The adjustable strap — clipped to the short side to pull the bag behind you on all four wheels, or to the long side to carry it over your shoulder.

You lift it, and we'd rather say that plainly than pretend otherwise. No wheeled bag climbs a staircase.

What we did instead was design for the lift. For a few steps, tilt it towards you on the long side handles and bump it up. For a full flight, put the long side handles over your shoulder.

And if stairs are part of your routine, pack into carrier bags or smaller totes before they go in. Then a heavy load comes apart in your hands: lift a bag or two out, carry the bag up light, and go back for the rest.

Yes. The foam panels hold it upright on all four wheels, empty or full, so you can load it with both hands instead of holding it open with one.

One thing worth knowing on day one. Your bag arrives folded and has been packed tightly that way in its box for a while, so the foam needs a little time to remember its shape. For the first couple of days a new bag can want to fold back on itself. Loading it is what fixes that fastest — put something in it and it settles after a few days.

Unfolded but empty, press the sides outwards from the inside. That pops the panels into shape and holds it open until you've loaded it.

One habit we'd recommend generally: when the bag is empty, fold it and carry it on your shoulder. It's simply easier than wheeling an empty bag around. And when your shoulders are already full of other bags — that's the moment to unfold it, load them in, and roll the lot.

Three spaces, and deliberately not more:

• One large main compartment, lined in a softer material. This is where the shop goes.
• One internal zip pocket for what you don't want loose at the bottom — keys, wallet, a folded list.
• One external pocket with a water-resistant zip, for what you want without opening the bag: phone, travel card, receipts.

As with all wheels, grit and hair could collect in the wheel housings over time, and a quick clean keeps them rolling quietly. It takes a minute and it's the single thing that most affects how the bag feels after a year.

Yes, and they stow in the bag's own compartment. Folded with the wheels off, the bag drops from about 20 cm thick to around 15 cm.

It's for storage, not for use — the bag is meant to run on its wheels, and it's happier that way. Take them off when it's going into a cupboard for a while, or when you want it to sit still in the boot of a car instead of rolling around every time you corner.

It's also how your bag arrives: we ship with the wheels off so the box is as small as it can be.

Yes — and this is one of the reasons the bag is built the way it is.

Wheels wear out. Every wheel on every bag eventually does, and no warranty anywhere covers that, because it isn't a fault — it's use. The usual outcome is that a perfectly good bag gets thrown away because of its cheapest component.

So we designed around it. The wheels are replaceable: when they've done their years, you fit a new set rather than replace a bag whose fabric, base, zips and lining are all still fine. The reinforced steel base is built on the same principle.

The point is a bag you can keep functional for a long time. If something does go, you should be able to fix or upgrade that part instead of buying a whole new bag. Email support@cistastudios.com and we'll sort you out.

We normally pack your order within 1–2 business days from our fulfilment centre in the Netherlands, and total delivery takes 4–7 business days. Shipping is free across Europe.

You'll get a tracking number by email as soon as your order ships.

Yes. Orders to the UK, Switzerland and Norway ship DAP, which means we don't charge VAT at checkout and the courier may collect import VAT and customs charges before delivery.

You have 30 days from delivery to request a return. The bag needs to be in unused condition and in its original packaging. Email support@cistastudios.com and we'll send a return label and instructions.

Return shipping is a flat €15, deducted from your refund. If the bag would arrive to you damaged or faulty, returns are of course on us.

Once we've received and inspected it, your refund goes back to the original payment method within 10 business days.

Two years from the day your bag is delivered, covering defects in materials or workmanship — and the bag failing to do what we said it does.

If we confirm a defect we repair or replace the product, or the part of it that failed, free of charge. If it's no longer available you get an equivalent replacement or a refund. On a valid claim we cover the return shipping too.

What it doesn't cover is the ordinary stuff: normal wear and tear, cosmetic scratches, dents and colour change, damage from misuse, neglect or accidents, exposure to extreme conditions, and repairs attempted elsewhere. Worn-out wheels fall under wear rather than warranty — which is why they're replaceable instead.

Using yours for work is covered. Market stalls, deliveries, interior designers, makeup artists, hair stylists, a DJ moving records to a gig — that is what it was built for, and it stays under warranty like any other bag.

To claim, email support@cistastudios.com with your order number, what went wrong and a photo. We'll send a return authorisation and instructions, inspect the bag, and put it right.

This warranty sits on top of your statutory rights under EU consumer law. It doesn't replace them.

We're a small family business, designing in Gothenburg, Sweden and shipping from our fulfilment centre in the Netherlands. When you email support, one of the founders probably answers. Learn more about the story behind Cista →