LL Bean Boat & Tote Review
I’ve wanted an LL Bean Boat and Tote bag for YEARS! This year for Christmas when my nan asked me what I wanted, that was all I could think of. I’ve been using it all month for work, and recently on a hotel stay, so I felt now was a great time to do a review!
The Ordering Process
Ordering from LL Bean is a bit different for us in Canada, because there are American and Canadian websites, and we are technically able to order from either.
The differences are:
You can NOT get monogramming done on the Canadian website. (EDIT: as of 2022 I believe you actually CAN get monogramming now! Yay!)
The Canadian site lists everything in Canadian pricing, and includes all taxes and duty in your total. This is handy because if you order from the American site, everything is listed in US dollars, and you have to try and figure out what the total would be after they convert it.
The US site does ship to Canada, so if your web browser redirects you to the Canadian site, or asks you which one you prefer, choose the American one if you want it monogrammed.
Each site often has different promo codes, so if your code is not working on one, it may be because it was meant for the other site.
They did offer the option to pay with PayPal, which I liked, or with a credit card. The bag pricing starts at $34.95 US for the small size. With the exchange and tax, mine came to around $80 Canadian.
The Bag
The LL Bean Boat and Tote bag comes in SO many options!
It comes in sizes small, medium, large and extra-large
It offers the option for both regular or long handles. I ordered the option with the regular handles, as I prefer to carry my tote bags in my hand or draped over my elbow. The long handles would be good for someone who mainly wants to carry it on their shoulder. I have an unstable shoulder that dislocates sometimes, so I don’t tend to carry bags that way if I can help it.
I did a lot of research on size before ordering. The website does show an example of someone holding each size, which made me think I originally wanted the XL, but after reading reviews, I found out that the XL is MASSIVE. Like way bigger than I could ever imagine using for regular use, so I went with the large. The large is honestly HUGE too, but it’s perfect for an overnight bag, beach bag, etc. It’s way bigger than my laptop, so it’s a good bag for carrying work stuff around also. I plan to buy the medium size in the future to use solely as a work bag.
It has the option for either zip top or open top. Zip top is more expensive, but I chose that option because I wanted to be able to close it so nothing falls out if it tips over or something. Zip top is also nice for traveling so you can pack personal items without them being out in the open.
As of today, it has 9 color options, including: Alpine gold, black, blue, dark green, fossil brown, marine blue, pool blue, red, and regatta blue. The long handles are only available in the black, blue, dark green, fossil brown, red and regatta blue.
The monogramming is also available in several colors, and the website will recommend the best color to match your bag.
I went with the color labeled “blue”, even though in reality I would call it navy.
Tip:
If you have a name with more than 3 initials, you can not choose the “initial” option for the monogram. You will have to choose the name option- in my case I used all capital letters to create an initial monogram with my initials.
Quality
The quality of the Boat and Tote bag is what has made it a family favourite for YEARS. This bag has been around for a few decades at least, and I’ve seen people who’ve had theirs since the 80s and 90s and it’s still functional.
I’ve been using this bag for about a month back and forth to work, and it’s great quality. The zipper is heavy duty, the bag itself feels sturdy and of good quality. The inside of the bag is not lined, and has no pockets, which may bother some, but it’s fine for what I use it for. LL Bean has a lot of other tote options aside from the Boat and Tote, with different features. I plan on ordering one of the other totes for Mason to use for Soccer and trips soon, and will also review that when it comes.
The handles feel extremely secure, and it stood up to me carrying some pretty heavy items (clothes, make-up, shoes, etc) during a small hotel stay I did this weekend.
The tote doubled as a pool bag when we stayed at the Delta Hotel in Fredericton this weekend. It was plenty big enough to hold a change of clothes, towels, Mason’s iPad, etc.
Overall, I would recommend this tote to anyone. It’s perfect for travel, using as a bag for sports, using as a school or work bag, for teachers to carry stuff to and from school, for use as an airplane carry on, etc.
Do any of you have this bag? I would love to know your thoughts in the comments below!
Dedreanna