about us

founded by three friends and entrepreneurs who share a passion for running and the outdoors, ciao totes designs versatile gear made for every part of an active life. our goal is simple: to make getting outside and moving the easiest decision of your day.

we are a canadian company based in quebec city, specializing in the design of outdoor gear.

mission et valeur

our mission is to design versatile and durable gear for those who are always on the move, between the city, sports, and unplanned outings. we create gear made for busy days, last-minute plans, and spontaneous weekends. solid, high-quality, and thoughtfully designed products that fit just as well into your routine as they do into adventure.

our vision: to make getting outside and moving the easiest decision of your day.

2022 2023 2024 2025

2022

the beginning of our journey with ciao totes.

at the time, we were three students at université laval, in accounting, finance, and marketing, with a simple idea in mind: to create the tote bag students would actually want to use every day on campus.

a practical, durable, and thoughtfully designed bag, made to keep up with busy days.

2023

the creation of the outdoor blanket.

the idea came after a mountain bike ride on a summer evening that was a little too chilly. while talking, we asked ourselves what the true soul of ciao totes really was. the answer quickly became clear: to accompany people in their activities and make the moments that follow even more comfortable.

as outdoor enthusiasts, we thought: why not create a blanket made for après-ski, après-bike, and après-trail moments. those moments matter just as much as the activity itself. with this outdoor blanket, we’re expanding ciao totes’ playground by offering a versatile, durable, and functional product designed to keep moving with you — no matter where the day, or the evening, takes us.

2024

the creation of the dry peak.

for the first time, we decided to go all in on product development. coming mainly from finance and marketing backgrounds, we knew we had to surround ourselves with the right people to take things further. so we decided to bring on a product design student from the university of montreal to work on creating a dry bag that truly reflected the image of ciao totes.

we were tired of waterproof bags designed only for water sports: not very practical for everyday use, visually unappealing, and often made from polluting materials. our goal was clear: to rethink the dry bag so it could naturally fit into the rhythm of everyday life, between work, sports, and spontaneous outings.

2025

a pivotal year for ciao totes.

in may, étienne and xavier took the leap full-time to support the company’s growth, which was seriously starting to cut into our nights. to support this new phase, we moved into a warehouse better suited to our needs, allowing us to become more efficient and flexible in our day-to-day operations.

2025 also marks the launch of our custom tote bag platform, designed to give businesses, organizations, and events simple access to durable, well-designed products that stay true to the dna of ciao totes.

what is ciao totes?

ciao is an italian word used to say “goodbye” or “see you next time.” it is often used in a friendly way, as a way to say farewell before parting ways.

totes is english slang meaning “everything.”

by combining the two, ciao totes becomes a way to say goodbye to someone, like a nod to the idea of heading out on an adventure — whether by bike, on skis, or anywhere else.