Customer Reviews L.L.Bean Zip Top Boat and Tote Large

Very disappointed in the embroidery. The bag itself is fantastic! But either the embroidery has changed over the years or the quality control has gone down. I have another bag with the exact same name, same font and all the letters are great and bold but when I received this bag, the letters were thin, not fully embroidered and both i's were different sizes

Nice strong bag, I use all the time for going between multiple houses. As a beach bag, though it is inferior to many because it invariable loses keys. Need a key fob and interior zip pocket for small items like lip balm. Others are better because they have this design, so is it an option LL Bean could add, at least to some models?

We received this beautiful tote as a gift with my daughters name written on it. The gift was sent with a misspelling on the buyers part, which was since corrected. However, unfortunately, the corrected product was sent back with the zipper flap now sewn into the bag. In essence, it now only functions as an open tote. Really unfortunate, as I've always been a fan of LL Bean - such high quality products. I'm too tired to send this back in yet again so will just use as is

The bag is good but the monograms are just not okay now. This monogram is at least a decent size, but it is not centered. And the thread is inconsistent, even within single letters part will be thick and then part of the letter will have gaps or patchy edges. I am used to embroidered letters having crisp edges and uniform stitching. Additionally, there is discoloration on the front under the first letter. Then inside, there is discoloration splattered around the monogram. I am assuming it is from someone making a mistake and having to rip out the monogram and redo it. But it does not come off.

Similar to other reviews, the bag I received had threads sticking out everywhere. The monogram is also VERY small, with tons of blank space around it that could easily have been utilized to make the monogram larger. I do not understand why the monograms now only utilize like a third of the width of the space between the handles. Parts of some of the letters on this one are also missing or have very sparse thread. The old monograms look so professional and are aesthetically sized. I honestly could have done my monogram by hand and it would look better. How do we specify if we would like monograms sized and sewn the way they used to be? Also! Please bring back the custom bags!!

Wanted to purchase this to take while flying as a personal item, so dimensions were important. It's significantly larger than stated in the description, super disappointing.

Very underwhelmed. Bought this to carry kids' beach towels and other bulky items. The size is good, but the zipper sticks when you unzip it all the way, and I'm also really disappointed in the monogramming. I picked the salmon thread color, and based on the color thumbnail, the preview image of the thread, as well as my own understanding of what 'salmon' usually means, I expected a relatively vibrant orange pink. What I got was a very washed out pale pink. Also wish the bag had pockets, but obviously I knew when I ordered it that it didn't. Just seems worse now that I'm disappointed with the purchase.

There were many frayed stitches and part of the bag seemingly unfinished. I have had bags in the past and never had issues with quality. Very say

Too small, not practical nor useful, should size up but then their medium is a bit larger than I want.

My old bag has a 2"x3" letter on it. It is attractive. The new one came through with a 7/8" x 1 1/2 " monogram. When did they change the size? The bag would look better without that puny letter on it. There was no indication of size when ordering.

Have always loved these totes and have ordered several over the years. Was very disappointed that my recent order for the same bag I have purchased for 4 of my children as their homecoming bag from the hospital (was purchasing for my 5th) did not have internal pockets. Packing his bag for the hospital last week and discovered this when I opened it up and didnt have the pockets. Not sure if this will be normal but wont be purchasing further if thats the case as we LOVE the old design with the pockets.

The problem is with the size of the bag. It is NOT listed on the description of this particular bag, and if you assume that the size of a Medium bag is the same as a posted dimensions for a Medium of other kind of similar bags, you will be wrong - it is different and corresponds to a smaller size. What is the problem with posting actual dimensions??

They should describe this as short handle and the long handle bag should be considered regular. Does not fit over shoulder

Wish this style came in some solid colors

I got a small tote, and the canvas straps are so stiff that it's impossible to use the long handles as shoulder straps. I think the long straps might work with the larger totes because of their extra size and weight. --- The small tote's straps are similar in feel to extra thick cardboard and just as uncomfortable. I ended up cutting off the straps entirely and plan to use this 'untote' to hold various items when I pack for trips. In other words, it is now pretty much a canvas ziplock baggie. Totally not worth what I spent. If I had purchased the tote bag with short straps, I would have given it 4 stars. Sadly, the description on the website did not say that the long straps were totally unusable on the small bag.

I was hoping that the material in the small bag would be a bit more flexible. I just found it rather awkward to get things in and out of the bag and the zipper was very stiff. It would be great if LL Bean made a small bag with a less stiff cloth and zipper. It was very nice looking, though.

The black "reinforcement" fabric on bottom is no longer sturdy canvas of the original, made-for-lifetime-of-heavy-use bag of Bean repute. Now it's a flimsy decorative material, sure to wear through quickly. We certainly don't set our bags on the ground or floor, but occasionally at athletic events others who don't know any better do so (bless their hearts, doubly baffling that anyone would a. move someone else's belongings and b. set any bag on floor/ground) and we would want to be able to clean the bottom of our Bean tote thoroughly if this happens. Alas. Iconic workhorse, much loved, is now reduced to a preppy fashion item.

LLBean totes that I have had in the past were strong, durable and lasted. These new ones have a second rate zipper that the person I gave it to got stuck the first time she used it. Since then, the zipper continues to be flimsy. The canvas is not as strong as it once was.

I ordered a medium bag with my name stitched on it and ended up receiving a small bag. The quality of the bag is top notch and the only reason I am unsatisfied is that i received the wrong size. Unfortunately, it is already personalized with my name. This is a very nice product but getting the wrong size limits what i had intended to use the bag for. I will try to make it work, but it is hard not to feel very disappointed that my bag will not be utilized on an everyday basis as I had planned. I hope that in the future, LL Bean will be able to improve its' the accuracy of sending the correct items that customers purchase. Thank you.

Good quality, but SO stiff that it's almost uncomfortable. Had thought I was ordering the same bag as my daughter's, but turns out that was from another company. Wish I had paid closer attention and ordered from the other company. I like the zipper enclosure, but miss having any additional pockets on the inside or outside. Wish I hadn't had it monogrammed as I would return it in a heart beat.

I ordered 4 large zip-top bags with monogramming for welcome gifts. The quality of the bags is excellent. Unfortunately on one of the bags the monogramming sewed the flap to the monogrammed message making it impossible to close or zip the bag. The LL Bean quality check should have caught this significant issue prior to shipping.

Agree with the previous poster. I ordered a large tote and it's (sadly) huge. I measured the width (widest part) and it's 23.5", way bigger than what is described. It's even bigger than the stated dimensions of the extra large. No way it will work as a tote to put under the seat on a plane. It's going back.

Initially decided to purchase this bag based on the photo/video and was disappointed when I realized that the handles were cloth rather than leather as shown in the video. Recommend changing the design of the bag to leather handles for durability and a classic look.

It was a Christmas present and came the middle of January. It was estimated to come in mid December.

I dont know for the life of me why this is a bestseller, inner or outer pockets. The land ends version is way better! I will stick to that one. Even trader joes bag is better.