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

Just got this in today it was a gift and I was looking forward to LL bean quality. Will be returning

The worst all the stiching is coming off from all u

We purchased the first LLBEAN Boat and Tote back in mid 1980s.The quality of the tote was marvelous. It was sturdy, with thick material, tight stitches and lovely pine corns design. It went with us on numerous trips, carried items when our kids moved to their colleges. After all of those years, I thought it is the time to get a new one. I could not believe the poor quality of this new tote. The workmanship is shabby, the stitches are sloppy, loose threads are dangling that at least should be trimmed, it is near impossible to close the zipper. I returned the tote. I am so disappointed while mourning over the beloved that seems is a long lost LL Bean quality.

I've been waiting months for my canvas medium zip top with long straps. Upon receiving it, I immediately had trouble with the zipper. It was very difficult to open and close. It needed to be pulled and held at a certain angle. I was thinking it may just need to be broken in, but looking closer it might be the uneven stitching/sewing application of the zipper entirely (when closed there are giant bumps that indicate there is a misalignment). I don't even use the zipper option because of how inconvenient and time-consuming it is. But now the entire zipper is unraveling, and there are loose threads EVERYWHERE. I've had the bag for about 2 weeks now and did not expect it to fall so quickly. Absolutely disappointed

I ordered this bag on December 5th 2024. The bag was not delivered until August.

I was so excited for this bag to come in only for the embroidery to be stitched right over the zipper, which makes the zipper unusable. Really expected a lot more from L.L. Bean.

I purchased this bag over the phone with an LL Bean employee. When the bag came, the bag was correct but the monogram was not what I asked for. Their customer service team gave me two options - send the bag back and they redo it (the bag is on back order until September so wait another month and go through the headache of sending it back) or I just keep it with the monogram incorrect, neither of which are options that would satisfy the situation. Customer service was not apologetic that an error was made on their behalf and there was no additional accommodation made to try to "make it right." But I was reassured by Tom (LL Bean employee) that they have the best customer service world wide. This is not customer service. The error was made on the company's behalf, not mine and nothing was done to make it right.

Multi-decade user of boat and totes, and one of the reasons I order from LL Bean is reliability - I expect not to have to go through the hassle of a return. However, my recent (spring 2025) order of a medium sized zip top boat and tote was super disappointing - one corner looks like the sewing machine and the bag got into it, and the machine won - a pile of random stitches, some missing stitches, bunched up sewing. It's just a mess.

I received the correct color bag, but the straps were the wrong length and no zip top.

I ordered this tote with a monogram on DECEMBER 4th and have still NOT received my order. LLBEAN has sent me multiple notes telling me how small the company is that makes these and to be patient. Then BEAN lost the order and had to find it to give me new dates. Now I am told it will be August before my bag is sent. After years as a customer ...No more LLBEAN for me. DO NOT BUY

Ordered a Vintage Rose Boat and Tote, Zip-Top, Large with Long Handles on March 11, 2025, which at the time was backordered until April 1st, as a Mother's Day present for my wife's first Mother's Day. On March 26, it was delayed until April 29, no worries, still plenty of time before Mother's Day. However, on April 23rd it was delayed again until June 1st, which would mean it wouldn't arrive in time for Mother's Day. After reaching out to customer service 5 or so times via different methods, they finally at least offered me 10% off for my trouble on April 29. Fine. Oh wait, I get another email exactly a month later saying now it won't get shipped out until July 2. Oh, and I checked and they're still selling these too, doesn't say Out of Stock online. So I call and email Customer Service 5-10 more times and they just lie and lie to me saying "Oh yes, it'll definitely ship out by July 2" until I finally reach a supervisor, who apologizes for my experience and doesn't know why the customer service representatives would stand by that date, or why I'm given a date at all, or why they continue selling the product even though they're already 6 months behind. Another 15% off, but it's really not about the money, I want the product I ordered, that again, is a Mother's Day present for my wife that never arrived. I'm writing this review on June 27, 2025. 2 days ago, on June 25, the item was delayed again, until "August 5" (notice how they're all arbitrarily 1 month increments, tells you they have no idea what they're doing). Reach out to Customer Service again, and the lackeys refuse to offer anything other than "I am sorry for the frustration and disappointment the further delays have caused." Which is even more insulting than refusing to compensate me for ruining my wife's FIRST Mother's Day. Because you're not sorry L.L. Bean or lackeys, because if you were, you'd be bending over backwards to fix or rectify the situation. I've lost all faith that I will ever receive this item. I will never purchase another item from L.L. Bean ever again and I urge every single person that every reads this to do the same. This company is an abomination and deserves to be shut down.

I purchased a medium , zip top , short handles. The underneath of the handles had 3 good size hard , balls of extra thread. Since it's short handles , my hands are going to be touching them all the time , opposed to if it had the long straps. So bummed. I was so excited for this bag!

See photos; arrived with unfinished hem which is already unraveling. Missing seam stitch. Poor quality control. We bought these because we thought they would last, we could have bought low quality locally. Do better, LL Bean!

Light blue color is nowhere like this in real life. It's essentially blue-gray. You need to be color correcting your photography. The embroidery machine was clearly filthy, as you could see where both bags were clamped due to black smudges. Immediately sent these back. You all need to do much better.

You bag might be fine but the wait was ridiculous.

Low quality stitching and order took months to arrive

poor stitching, Rt side wider than left. I ordered multiple bags but this one the quality is bad

Granddaughter loves it! Uses it for weekend trips home from college. Plenty of room for everything and the long straps allow her to carry it on her shoulder, leaving both hands free.

Wrong color on personalization, just opened the item for a Christmas gift and it is wrong. Lots of missed communication with customer service.

I bought 2 monogramed bags over the last couple of weeks. First a medium zip top, then a large zip top. The medium I received has frayed side seam that I thought was a fluke. I recently received the large one and it has frayed sides (as well as they both had a crazy amount of strings on the interior that needed to be cut out). I have a medium LLB canvas bag from 20 years ago that's in better shape than these two -no fraying! These canvas bags are too expensive to receive them already looking worn -even on sale.

The tote is the perfect size for my work tote. But, I wish it had inside pockets to hold my cell phone and eyeglasses.

A classic bag, I own many of these and they have held up over time. Disappointed in the color, I ordered the canyon khaki which is pictured more brown on the website. In person it pulls more mustard yellow. Unfortunately because I got it embroidered I cannot return.

have yet to receive this but when I do I'll be happy to review for you.

I ordered several bags and this is one out of two of them where the quality is just not good. Why are the seams coming undone?! On both sides the thread is coming undone leaving long pieces of thread that I can even cut because it still looks undone. This is so disappointing.

No QA. Tote came with a hole in it. I was let down by the quality.