Customer Reviews L.L.Bean Boat and Tote Large

It's a super well made bag! I just didn't like that the handles are a little short for getting it up and onto my shoulder easily. Would also like a pocket somewhere for smaller items.

I have a medium and a large tote which I bought back in the 90s. I wanted 2 more because we love these so much. But the new sizes are smaller, why? I have to return the new medium because it is an old small and I can't fit a pair of boots in it. The new large is an old medium and the new extra large replaces the old large.

I wanted purple handles but they were not available. I also wish the monogram was larger.

Love this bag so much but can't replace my old one because the specs aren't available: long handle, side pocket, open top

Re-ordered our tote because our old one finally gave out after years of getting us to and from the beach. Customer service was great! Got us to order the X-tra Large with longer handles. Makes it much easier to sling over the shoulder! But, the inside pockets, key strap/clip and outside pocket are no longer a part of the tote design. Pretty disappointing. Without the pockets, things get lost inside and hard to locate. Had to resort to buying smaller travel cases to hold wallets, phones, pens, keys and suntan lotion separately. Maybe, they had to strip out the tote design/functions to keep the price down?

I received this as a gift. I assume the company knew that since they included a gift card with a message from the sender. Would have been nice if they had removed the gift tag hanging from the strap. Quality is decent as it is entirely duck fabric, quite sturdy, but the stitching on the seams is of pretty poor quality, and the seams are buckled. I expect more from this company. (If this gets a "well, because of covid..." response, I'm going be even more irritated!)

I have purchased many boat totes over the years. They are very well made and I love them. But--they are not of the same quality as they were 5 years ago. The canvas is not as thick. The bag is shorter in height. It does seem that the quality of the items that II Bean is selling have declined over the past 5 years. I now only buy Beans boots and the totes. Now the quality of the totes has declined.

This is a real shame because LL Bean used to make a similar bag to this but it had an exterior pocket and interior pocket. It's very similar to the everyday nylon tote, which unfortunately, doesn't allow you to specify "long" length in the arms. Therefore, I have ended up with the most basic of basic bags for $40 bucks. I've kept it, mainly as I don't know what to DO with the bag...it's not horrible enough to return. I'm sure I'll use it at some point for something but it's not what I had in mind. I really wish that the boat and tote could be made like the everyday tote but with an interior and exterior pocket with longer arms. And canvas of course. I do not want a nylon bag for anything but the beach, which is not everyday for me.

Purchased the bag as a gift. Very disappointed that the monogram size very small and not in proportion to the size of the bag. I've seen many of these bags and never seen one that had the extremely small monogram in comparison to the size of the bag.

I purchased this bag as a gift for a friend because I love the bag I purchased many years ago and I still enjoy using my bag. I was disappointed as the size is smaller than the small bags were in the past. My bag is the perfect size for carrying business files etc. I don't think I will purchase this size again.

I have purchased LL Bean bags for years, making them my "go to" bags for myself and for gifts. My purpose this time is to get a tote like the one in my picture below, which is an open top, medium tote with customizable colors and a FRONT POCKET! I saw LLB's response to another stating that the front pocket could be on specialty bags, but I couldn't locate those on your site. The bag I have is very sturdy and I'm not sure if these newer bags are of the same caliber as my current bag. I bought this bag several years ago and it has held up so well that I wanted to purchase more for gifts. But after reading the comments for the only bag I could find that would compare to the one I have, I've decided not to purchase at this time - until they bring back the customized colors, sturdy weight, and the front pocket!!! PLEASE!!! I stated in review that I would recommend this bag - but without having purchased a recent bag, I said I would recommend - but I am basing that opinion on the old style bag that I currently own in the picture. I'm not giving up on LLB, I'm just waiting for the great bag of the past to make a comeback! LL Bean has always presented a great product. I hope you listen to your loyal customers and bring back what works!!!

I am very disappointed because I left the boat bag in my boat with dry towels and it mildewed in the cabinet. Don't leave it in your boat It will mildew.

Wow, that canvas is stiff! Industrial grade. Definitely will keep its structure. I would say the quality of the bag is okay. Slight fraying on one side and loose threads. It is the perfect bag and handle size and stands up on its own, just what I was looking for, so I will be keeping it.

A little disappointed in construction of bag. Didn't remember the seams showing like this bag is constructed. Also miss the outside pocket as this bag does not have an outside pocket.

The large was much bigger than I expected. I even measured it to make sure I hadn't been sent an XL by mistake. It turned out the measurement is for the base of the bag and does not account for the several inches it flares out beyond that. I then ordered a medium, thinking it would work, but it's too small. Now I have two monogrammed bags that I can't use for the intended purpose.

The bag itself is very well made; the color is perfect and for these reasons I would recommended it; however, the bag is huge. I debated whether to order a medium or large size, and ultimately I ordered a large which was a mistake. It measures almost 2 feet across and 17 inches high and is much too large for what I planned to use it for. I bought it on sale because the color was discontinued, I cannot get the color I want in the smaller size as it is sold out. I am disappointed mainly because LL Bean has always been true to size and the measurements are not even close. Unfortunately, bigger is not always better.

This is nothing more than a big canvas bucket bag. Zipper is stuck open. I would have to force it to close, it's stuck on threads. Had I not had it monogrammed I would send it back. I would not purchase it as a gift nor recommend it to friends or family. It's the first purchase from LLB that I regret.

The bag doesn't carry my books as expected. They stand upright instead of resting on the binding. The bag is sturdy and attractive, but doesn't hold as much as my old bag. I may have ordered the wrong size.

I ordered the XL bag to replace an old bag I used for the beach. As much as I love this bag, the dimensions are way off. The XL actually measures 27 inches wide and 16 inches high. The description states 17"H x 19"W. This bag is way too big for my needs. LLBean needs to be more accurate with their sizing descriptions on their website.

The Boat & Tote classic tote bag that I ordered (I chose red) is really great except for one thing: I misjudged the size. I chose LARGE but I should have selected the next size down. It's hard to judge the sizes from the website.

Even though I have bought multiple boat and totes within the last year, the quality of this one is noticeably cheaper. I'm glad I have all the ones I previously purchased because with the quality of this one I won't be repurchasing. It's flimsier, the fabric is thinner and I doubt it will stand up as well. I'm rough on my bags because I use them frequently. Bummed I can't recommend these to friends anymore - especially with the price. The blue color is beautiful though! Just wish the quality matched it like they previously did. Debating if it's worth the hassle of returning or not

I have a lot of these bags and the newest feels different. It came without a tag, the bottom was discolored, and there was a bunch of loose threads that needed trimming. Ended up just sending it back. I'm not sure if I got someone's return or if this is the new normal but I'm starting to feel like I return more than I keep from LL Bean and maybe I need to just move on.

I was very disappointed with the monogram it was so small I won't order the monogram again.

Purchased this as a bag to keep my knitting project on the go. Had the item embroidered but it is clearly not well done. Very disappointed, especially since it's a personalized item that you are paying extra for. Up close the embroidery is sparse and you can see the spacing going down the letters. Compared it to previously purchased embroidered items and this looks cheap. Next time I need a personalized item I'll get it elsewhere. Quality of LLBean products has definitely gone down over the years.

I like it, but I thought it had a zipper at the top and I know I can't return it because it's monogrammed