LL Bean boat - tote bags Size Questions!!

[hopskipjump]

Ordering one of these for dd for college. I'm stumped on what size to order. Does anyone have any of these? It looks like the medium may be a good beach bag/carry-all/keep-in-the-car to hold stuff size? What about the handles? Long? Regular?

 

Great bag - too many choices. ðŸ˜

http://m.llbean.com/product.html?skCatId=33381&skCatId=33381&page=boat-and-tote-bag-open-top&llbdrd=#33381

[JustEm]

I have an xlarge with regular handles and love it. It is my Beach bag and a grocery bag. I need a big Beach bag because I need to carry my kids towels and such. Mef is probably good for one person.

 

I wish I had longer handles though

[Joules]

We have two large ones that we use like you mention.  They are about 15 years old.  I absolutely love them and would have a dozen if I could.  They stay open when sat down, so they sit by the door and we can throw things in them that need to be mailed, delivered, or carried on our next trip out.  They can just be thrown in the wash.  I've even bleached mine. 

 

I wouldn't want the long handles, because I carry it by my side.  If I had a smaller one with less heavy loads, I could see getting the long handles.  I'd think about how she usually prefers to carry things: purse, pack, lunchbox.  Ds always wants to hand carry.  I have sloped shoulders, so unless it's cross-body (which these aren't) or very light, I prefer hand carry, too.

[Joules]

Here are some pictures: 

http://www.saltwaternewengland.com/2015/03/the-ll-bean-boat-and-tote-bag.html  

(I had to search for size when I bought a new one as a gift)

[marbel]

I have a medium, short handles, no zipper.  It is probably nearly 20 years old.  I love it.  The size is good for me.  If I take it to the grocery store I can fill it up with canned goods and other heavy things without feeling like it's going to rip.   We use it for a lot of things - library books, beach bag (though I think only 3 big beach towels fit in it), general travel bag.  I think for a single person a medium would be great. 

 

Someone mentioned putting it in the washing machine.  I have never risked that - the instructions say to spot clean.  Mine definitely looks well-used but I've been able to get the worst of the spots out with detergent and water.   Other tote bags I've used have come out of the washer too "soft" and I don't want this one to lose its stiffness.  Love that it stands up and stay open by itself.

 

If I was buying a new one I would probably get one with a zipper.

[Cinder]

I have one XL and two large--all have short handles, none have zippers. For many years FIL used the XL to carry around tools. It's at least 30yo; he already had it when I met dh over 30 years ago. After FIL died we inherited the bag and used it for a long time as our library bag. I threw it in the washer first; didn't know I shouldn't. It was already floppy before we got it so it may have been washed before. But I agree that the stiffness of the fabric is an asset and will avoid machine washing the newer bags now that I know better. Anyway, it's survived many years of abuse and is still in great condition, though the fabric is stained from all those years living in a garage and storing tools.

 

About 10 years ago MIL sent my sons each a large bag. They don't get as much abuse as the XL did but they still look great. And neither son uses his bag so I get to use them all the time. Now that I'm homeschooling only one, one bag is our library bag and one is my "car" bag.

 

I don't know how the medium compares size-wise to the large, but I really like the large for carrying my car stuff, which also happens to include a towel (for various reasons). I think if your dd needs to carry a towel along with other misc stuff then a large bag would be better. I think a towel might take up too much room in a medium bag and then there wouldn't be enough room left over for stuff.

[wapiti]

I have a few canvas ones that I use for particular tasks that involve standing up by themselves (e.g. one holds food during road trips).  For other tasks like beach/pool, I prefer ones made of nylon instead (think backpack fabric) because they are much lighter http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/78927?feat=677-GN3&page=everyday-lightweight-tote but they do not stand up by themselves.

 

For size, it depends on what needs to be carried.  For smaller amounts that would fit in the M, might she use a backpack instead?  I'd probably go with L or XL.  My kids often use the XL when they go on camping trips for school and need to shove a pillow and other random larger things into a bag - few bags are big enough.

Edited May 7, 2016 by wapiti