Mama Decisions: Cloth Diapering

I think that it's because of this blog world that I first considered cloth diapering.  So many bloggers out there have posted about their experiences and that's what made me consider it. 

For most people, you will be calling me crazy right about now.  Why would I want to go to all of that trouble and touch so much poop?  Well first of all, I'm having a baby.  Touching poop is likely to become a daily occurrence anyways.  Cloth diapering isn't what it used to be.  It's not a piece of material that you have to pin together anymore.  They are pretty fancy! So I have really been weighing the pros and cons of cloth diapering vs disposable diapering.

Pros

• Money savings.  As an accountant this is a big one for me.  I have now purchased and ordered a stash of 27 diapers (12 new, 15 used) for $280.  Add in some accessories and I'm up to $360.  Sure that's a big investment up front, but buying disposables for the 2+ years until the kid is potty trained could be closer to $2000.  It's hard to know for sure what the savings will be though because if you buy diapers in bulk and on sale you can save tons.  But, since we do hope to have more children, those savings are even higher because I will save on the disposables for future children as well.
• More environmentally friendly.  This is not at all the main reason why I'm considering this, but it would save a ton of diapers from going to the dump.  
• For us cost isn't a huge concern in regards to additional water usage as we are on a septic system and don't pay for water.  Hydro will go up a bit, but an extra few loads probably won't make a huge difference as diapers will usually be air dried.

Cons

• Extra work.  Of course cloth diapering is more work as you have to rinse the diapers and clean them instead of just throwing them out.  This is my main concern.  I've heard that it's really not that bad, but until you're actually doing it, it's hard to know.  And I'm not the most domestic person I've ever met....
• Carrying dirty diapers around.  So one problem with cloth is that when you are out in public you have to carry those dirty diapers with you.  Some people use disposables when they go out, but I feel like to make this worth the money you really have to either go all in or not.  If you start using disposables when you're out, or when the baby is being looked after by someone else, then that cuts into your cost savings.  

What it really comes down to is cost savings vs extra work.  But when I found the 15 Bumgenius diapers used on Kijiji for $110 (new that stash would cost about $300), I couldn't resist.  I found a few more diaper sales for the new ones online and I'm starting out at a much lower cost than many people would.  Plus, will the extra work be a huge burden?  Apparently it's really not that bad, just throwing some diapers in the wash every few days.  I guess we will find out.  

And worst case, if I hate it, there's a huge cloth diaper market on Kijiji and I could probably recover most of what I've spent.

Have you tried cloth diapers?  Tell me everything you know!