Customer Reviews L.L.Bean Boat and Tote Zip Top Pocket Medium

It's cute, but the canvas material is stiff; the zipper doesn't open and close smoothly enough. I returned it.

It's nice but don't wash it... it immediately loses its shape and I can't get the wrinkles out even after ironing it. Also for the price you'd think it would be larger... I bought the large but it seems more like a medium.

The bag is a typical LLBean canvas tote. Durable and tough. Takes anything you throw at it. The zipper top is great for keeping items in or protecting items in the tote. BUT... the personalization is terrible. They personalize the bag on the non-pocket side. If you're buying this bag thinking you'll have your name on the pocket side, don't. Get the bag without the pocket or don't personalize. It was very disappointing to see the name on the opposite side of the pocket, especially since I had to wait several months for it.

Great quality but the reviews are right, the handles just aren't long enough. It's impossible to put over your shoulders. Otherwise, it's a great bag.

Many of the stitches have frazzled ends:( It was a birthday present and I was so happy to receive it. I'm surprised and disappointed.

I ordered this with a monogram twice and both times it had the same defect. The monogram went through two layers of fabric, including the zippered top, which made it impossible to close the zipper. It must be something with how the bag goes into the monogram machine. They did this twice so I gave up and ordered it without the monogram. Great customer service though.

Disappointed. Did not notice from the pictures in the listing that there's a large flap of fabric hanging on the inside for expansion or to utilize the zipper. I find this a hinderance in using it for a work bag as I had planned ~ I can't easily get my files in/out. My mistake I guess. Thought this was like the standard stand up boat bags that were firm to the top, no flimsy excess on the interior. Guess I need one without a zipper. I'm sure it's a great bag for most people, just a let down for my intentions.

Still confounded as to why the custom totes were discontinued. Glad to have a couple of monochromatic options, but doesn't have all the features or sizes I'd add to the custom totes I used to order. Also, these are constantly out of stock and somehow take longer to make than the customs did. Almost as infuriating as the cheap materials, poor construction and wacky sizing of the 'archival' clothing from the signature line. What the heck is going on with LL Bean??

I have a medium custom from several years ago (more than 6), with the pocket (which is a NECESSITY for me) and long handles. I really want long handles again, but already this "medium" is larger than the medium I own. It's not so much larger that I wouldn't order it, but I want to choose the colors/pattern of them and have long handles. Please!!

This bag almost works, but the straps are too short. Short straps are fine on the large size, but on the medium, I like to throw it over my shoulder. PLEASE bring the custom totes back. I would get so many compliments on my colors combinations, I could pick all the features I liked, and they were so fun to make!

I received this bag as a gift. The quality and the iconic design are there, 100%, but for practical purposes in today's world there should be some interior pockets to hold/organize smaller items! For this reason I'm ordering my own from the competitor that's based at the end of the land.

The bag is great quality and nice looking. Unfortunately, the handles are terrible if you are trying to carry the bag on your shoulder as I do with my totes. It's a shame because with longer handles the bag would be an A+. Right now it's a C grade.

PLEASE bring back option for all white and black with pocket and zipper! These were perfect work bags.

...handles are shorter than what i was expecting - need it to be able to fit over my shoulder so I can carry other bags, this wont do it -probably not use as much as I would have liked - but it is well made -

Straps are a bit too short to carry on my shoulder. The bag is sturdy, but kind of pricey. The color is not a true black. I would not have selected this bag if I had the opportunity to see and handle it in person.

The material of the bag is great, solid quality and true LLBean craftsmanship. However the arm handles aren't big enough to loop around one arm and up their shoulder. This just isn't practical to what I needed out of the bag. I ended up returning it. Also the yellow color I picked wasn't what I expected.

Quality was not up to LL bean standards. Poor workmanship, thread is starting to unravel

I love the solid navy color, and the quality of the bag, with the outside pocket. I was disappointed to see that the zipper closure is not at the very top as shown in your ads for Zipper Tops Totes. The zipper is sewn in the Tote approximately 7" down from the top. I feel that this design is a waste of useful storage space for articles or garments. I wonder if this design was a mistake? Please respond Thanks...

Looking at the bags online, in photos, they appear softer and more malleable. In reality they are stiff and ridged, with a plastic sheen. The 3 bags I ordered are lack movement when packing. I personalized them so they're non- returnable. Kind of disappointed, but My fault for going overboard with multiple. I'm sure they work well, but they look cheaper in real life. Not so much like the boat and tote I have from two- dozen years ago.

I've used medium-sized boat totes for almost 30 years as purses, personal items on planes, school bags, work bags, you name it. I was very excited about these newer colors. However, I had to return them because the 6" handle on the medium is even SHORTER than my normal "short" handle bags from years previous, and even those are too short to really be practical. PLEASE make these gorgeous colors (with pockets!) and LONG handles so that they're actually useful! Or better yet, bring back the bag builder you used to have so we can choose our own colors, pockets, and other options.

I would buy this solid color tote in a heartbeat IF YOU WOULD OFFER LONG HANDLES again. NOT a dangling strap like you put on other totes. NOT these handles that are too short to put on the shoulder especially when wearing a coat. Please offer long handles.

I want to love this bag, but I just don't. On the Large size, the handles are too short to carry the bag over my shoulder. No wonder the model in the photo looks so awkward. I can't carry this bag in my hand either (I"m too short), so basically there's no way for me to use this bag as a bag. It's just going to be used to store extra blankets. What a waste.

A couple things about this bag disappoint me. I might return it. First, the monogram is on the back. That's just weird. Why isn't it on the big front pocket? Second, the zipper is awkward. It's not straight, it's up and down like a roller coaster (exaggeration yes, but you get the picture) One end of the track bends 90 degrees to dive down into the seams at the end, so if you unzip it all the way, you have to struggle to get the slider back over the bend in the track. The other end of the track makes a U turn. Rather than being two separate tracks with a stop, it's just a single track that loops around. This doesn't seem like a design for a long lasting product. Why at least aren't there stops at the ends of the zipper?

I ordered this tote and was so disappointed. I have owned the old FABULOUS custom totes in the past. This one color of the new style is not attractive. And on the old totes, the monogram went on the outside pocket, now the monogram is on the backside of the tote, not a good look. So sad that the custom totes were discontinued, I hope they come back soon. And reconsider where the monogram goes, looked so much better on the pocket.

I was so excited to receive this bag to use as my son's swim bag and I was so disappointed in the stitching. Sloppy lines, inconsistent stitching and lots of loose threads. The bag looked ratty out of the box. The zipper gets stuck often and difficult to use. When I have the time I will return.