The Iconic Bag I Spot Everywhere

HOLY GRAIL: Alex Mill, Med Tote, just got and I am obsessed. I got Golden Khaki with bright blue initials. I ordered in store while in NYC in March. Couple weeks later it’s hand painted self was on my front porch ready for adventures. We’ve been to the park, my BFF’s pool, NC mountains, in just a month! https://www.alexmill.com/collections/all-totes/products/the-perfect-weekday-tote-in-golden-khaki LL BEAN, Hunters Tote, small . This bag is made for hunting, but it’s my everyday tote. I get compliments on it all the time! I got my initials Blue for a fun pop. Several friends have since purchased. Best park? The inside is waterproof, so it’s great for wet swimsuits, soggy towels, water bottles that drip, and easy for cleaning out with the sink sprayer! https://www.llbeanbusiness.com/bags-and-totes/all-bags-and-totes/hunters-tote-bag-zip-top-strap-camo.html

I happened to buy a Land’s End tote a couple months ago because it was the only small-ish tote that offered a zip top (such a gap in the market) and longer handles . The base price was an affordable $40 but I opted for personalized monogramming and the golden retriever embroidery (as a tribute to my beautiful dog). Along with a promo code, the total came to $54–still very affordable compared to the $150 canvas Longchamp version that was my other option.

A dear friend gave her bridesmaids the large, zip top bag with our initials monogrammed. I’ve had that bag for over 20 years and use it for overnights and loading up at the local farmers market. So versatile and a sweet reminder of a wonderful day and lifelong friend.

Truly an iconic bag, but I find them very heavy. My new personal favorite is the Aloha Day Bag. Aloha was started by two former flight attendants with travel in mind: beautiful prints, thoughtful pockets and durable lightweight nylon. They have many different styles. They are very strong and can carry a heavy load ( I don’t want my bag to add more weight) I also own several of their small toiletry bags.

We visited the LL Bean outlet a couple summers ago and I was thrilled to buy a huge tote to store things in the trunk of our car. I chose black trim and copper lettering, but the embroiderer accidentally used the wrong type, so she made it twice. I asked if I could buy the incorrect one at a discount, but they told me it would have to be sent to their seconds department for clearance. So if someone out there has a huge tote with the name RICHEY on it, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Anyone recommend a hat (like the lady in the picture) for big heads?? As much as I love throwing on a beanie, that’s too hot during spring/summer

Love…two classics Joey and Lands end

We live in Maine and one of our friends gave us the LL Nor’easter tote monogrammed with our baby son’s initials shortly after he was born. Best diaper bag ever, and such a great tip to surprise someone with this!

Canvas totes ARE the best – but why not buy an affordable, CUSTOM-MADE tote that’s built specially for you?! Interior/exterior pockets? Custom colour combos? Key clips? Laptop pocket? Made sustainably in Canada – and ships for free to the US, tariff-free! https://rathergreen.ca/ *Not an ad, I’m just a HUGE fan on their bags!*

Ok, fine I’ll finally buy one!!! What size do y’all recommend? I’m torn between medium and large. I expect I’ll use it for library and farmers markets, probably not as often as a daily bag. I’m thinking open top but please correct me if that’s a mistake!

I never thought I would be a monogram person, but one of the best things I have bought for my kids is an LL Bean boat and tote (open top, large, regular handles) each with their initials. It’s the perfect pool bag (also beach, camp, sleepover), because it stands open and is actually more like a box lol.

The LL Bean Boat and Tote’s are also classic useful versions of these bags. In middle school I used one as a school bag – they didn’t have the long handle versions then so it was a handheld green and white bag that added to the calluses already on my hands from gymnastics. Years later I had my bridesmaids’ names embroidered on red long handled ones for presents before my wedding. A big one with long handles got me through COVID grocery shopping at the store around the corner from us in Basel Switzerland – so many litres of milk to minimize trips to the store and yet still able to carry it in this trusty bag. I look at older couples at the farmer’s markets in France and envy their baskets but its hard to justify buying one when I have my LLBean Boat & Tote always ready in the car. And now my daughter at the University of Saint Andrews is using an embroidered, long handled one with her name to carry her things to class. Things go full circle.

Maybe ten years ago I saw a meme that said “I am ‘ergonomic backpack instead of a purse’ years old” and had never felt more seen. I love a cute bag as much as the next woman, but how are your backs not wrecked by uneven weight on your shoulders? I really feel like I’m missing some bag secret. I used to carry a light weight baggu cross body bag, but my physical therapist told me I needed to switch it out for a backpack.

Thought it was gonna be the Trader Joe’s tote when I first saw this, haha. My kids and I play a game on the subway where we count the Trader Joe’s bags. I can’t remember the last time I’ve ridden and not seen one 😅

I use the large canvas totes from Trader Joes for groceries or library books, but I haven’t bought any additional totes of any kind since that article from a few years ago about how bad they actually are for the environment and how many thousands of times they need to be used to times offset their overall impact of production. Also, I don’t really understand using totes in place of purses or backpacks. I need pockets and zippers….

The LL Bean ones have a little thicker canvas and are a bit sturdier and I have used them for years. I prefer them to the Lands End version. We gave them away as wedding gifts (monogrammed for our siblings and their spouses). I love using them as picnic bags, beach bags, and library bags (a great gift for a new mom is a LL bean bag embroidered with “LIBRARY” and I still order monogrammed ones as wedding gifts. It’s so easy to personalize and they come in so many great colors! At my old job they made personalized ones for every department with each department a different color. (The Art department was black, of course.)

I saw this same bag carried by a woman at a very fancy business conference in DC today.

Made me think of this very similar but customizable bag I’ve been eyeing – https://rathergreen.ca/. And sustainably made! :)

After being heavily marketed to on Instagram, I just bought myself an Olend Ona bag to be my giant mom bag. I loved the size which is Mary Poppins-esque in terms of capacity but somehow doesn’t feel unwieldy. I thought the design and colors were so playful and cool. I got one of the bag liners with pockets to help divide the space even more and I’m weirdly excited to cram my portable pump, giant emotional support water bottle, snacks, and even extra diapers and burp cloths inside it!

When I was growing up in New England, my mom always had one of these! Absolutely brings back sweet memories! https://www.landsend.com/products/canvas-pocket-tote/id_299717

The Canadian version is by Rather Green, fyi for any other Canadians here. They’re so cute and can be personalised many ways!

I snagged a giant lands end tote from a thrift store once thinking it would be great for the beach. But they’re so dang heavy and the handles are so short it was a beast to carry with a couple beach towels and toys inside. Maybe I had a weird one? Idk I like the big blue ikea bags for the beach now. (Also great for snow gear in the winter.) Saw someone with a mini one the other day that looked perfect for a shopping trip.

Oh that would be a basket for me (in the summer… and I would say, its summery these days), i am a Jane birkin fan forever. Love from Paris

These bags are the best! I am embarrassed to say how many LLBean and Lands End totes I have accumulated over the years 😬 (Seven…it’s seven…lol)

Baggu cloud bag! It’s super light because it’s nylon (canvas can get heavy), great patterns and colors, interior pocket that you can fold the bag into for easy storage when not in use, perfect strap length, and can throw it in the washing machine!

I got the XL Ll Bean boat tote a while back and dyed it a camel color. We started collecting patches from the different state and national parks that we’ve visited, and I’ve been sewing them onto the bag, it’s like a portable scrapbook! It’s been so fun to look back at them with the kids and remember all the adventures we’ve been on.

As a Melburnian it’s a Crumpler bag for sure. I have a Bul x Crumpler bag my wife got me for my birthday. Now I’ve returned to work after mat leave I’m looking for a backpack (Crumpler most likely).

Love my monogrammed LL Bean tote! But since becoming a #sportsmom & #beachmom I switched to Yeti 15 & 30 Camino totes. They take a beating, I can rinse them out, and they travel well. It’s my tournament, swim team and general catch all right now. (I buy them gently used or through eBay).

She’s the grown up I thought and still hope to become. Haha I aspire to have a similar style but I am a much sloppier & shorter version. my bag and coat would always have marks on it from kids and just plain rugged lifestyle.

Steele backpack/totebag: (https://www.steelecanvas.com/products/canvas-backpack) Accompanied by many ll bean and land’s end totes handed down (read: stolen) from parents and grandparents. But I ogle the Steele striped tote set. Stripes!

As a Kiwi, the NZ (and probably Aust) equivalent of this is a Country Road bag. So many people have one of their totes or duffle bags!

I was half remembering something chic about ll bean totes being built to hold champagne magnums… but I googled and nothing came up, so am I misremembering? Does this ring a bell for anyone?

I’ve had this one for years for the beach and my boys borrowed it for back and forth for college. https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/677?itemId=212546&attrValue_0=Olive%20Drab&sku=0WX4353000&pla1=0&qs=3159646&pcd=BLOOM10&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20663862915&gbraid=0AAAAADoqq1IVuwDHmel9Sh5ugu5EfLZpg&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIxdjY4o_zkwMVmIXCCB2O1jhYEAQYByABEgIgK_D_BwE&originalProduct=35198

I haven’t got a chance to utilize this yet, but I plan for a LL Bean Tote with baby’s name embroidered on it to be a new go-to baby gift from here on out.

I gave my bridesmaids the GIANT version of the Lands End tote and I love getting pictures of them still using them – in different ways and all across the world!

The New Yorker tote, duh 😉 I love my Longchamp Pliage bag.

I have multiple cute canvas totes, but I don’t use them very often because they have no pockets or zippers. How do you all keep your phone, wallet and keys in those without losing them when you are out and about? When traveling, I love my giant zip-top canvas tote that my husband got from his work. It’s a generic one with his company logo, but it can hold so much stuff, I was able to pack a WHOLE CAKE in it along with my personal belongings the last time I visited Italy lol

Does anyone else get turned *off* when everyone has the same thing? I think these bags are fine, but everyone commenting that they have the same one actually makes me like it less, not more!

LOL, I already have this bag. It was a gift from my MIL.

Outdoor brands that are supporting our Forest Service, under attack by Trump. https://saveusfs.org/

I have to add, I’m so sad to see no one bringing up LL Bean’s refusal to join other outdoor companies in condemning the trump administration absolutely gutting our Forest Service, and going after Wilderness areas too.

Oh man, timing. I just read yesterday that LL Bean will NOT speak up about the trump administration gutting the Forest Service, even further. This is huge folks. Patagonia and other companies, who’s entire existence depends on the wild outdoors, HAVE spoken up. It’s insane that LL Bean doesn’t know their customer base better than this, and that they just don’t give a fuck about the best gd thing in America, our wild spaces. For the record, they are saying they won’t get political. No. NOT taking a stand, IS taking a stand. Please join me and other wilderness lovers in boycotting LL Bean. They’ve lost me as a customer. Nothing is worth losing our wild spaces, once they are gone, they are gone forever. Also, this isn’t just about recreation. Lives will be lost as wild fires blow across the west, as our wild land fire services are gutted. People will die. Jobs, good jobs, will also be lost.

My devout MIL gave me a white Lands End tote embroidered with a blue dove and olive branch for my birthday last year. I just thought it was a cute bird but then my husband clued me in to the Christian symbolism. Now I wonder if she was trying to slip one past me, her devout atheist daughter-in-law. Either way, it is a cute bird and an all-around great tote.

Just a gal from Maine here to plug that LL Bean boat and tote bags are the original AND ARE MADE IN MAINE, USA!!!!!

I know it’s not exactly the same but I got a monogrammed LL Bean Boat & Tote in forest green for Christmas and I’m very excited to use it this summer! They are classic and last forever.

The LL Bean nylon boat and totes are my all time favorite. They wash well in the washing machine, come in different sizes, and are so much lighter weight than the canvas ones (which I also love). Highly recommend the large/xl size as a pool or beach bag. Medium is great for a purse/diaper bag. I just wish they came in better colors!

In the era of weddings, when I felt like I spent my entire disposable income on bridesmaid dresses and matching shoes, one bride gave embroidered large LL Bean tote bags. That was in 2002– I just sent her a photo of it last week! It is still my go-to grocery bag. Those things last. A few years back I gave one to my bff — who grew up in Paris — and she was like “OMG I finally look like an American mom!!!” She moved back to Europe 😭 and now says she looks like an American mom tourist.

My grandparents lived in Maine so we used “Bean bags” for absolutely everything. In my late 50s now and just the look of the bags take back to those summer days in on the beach (albeit with the freezing cold water and rocky beaches of Belfast Maine).

I bought a New Yorker tote on Poshmark, and I looooooove it. It’s so simple and the perfect size!

I’d love to get one in olive green, embroidered with a corgi and the word “glimmer”!

I sort of don’t understand not using a rucksack when you have to cart so much stuff around! I’m often walking a lot with my kids and if I had a tote on my shoulder all the time I’d end up with lopsided shoulders. But this is a cute one I agree!

As an English woman I can pretty much guarantee that woman is also American , we don’t wear baseball hats lol

Where is that excellent jacket from? Love her whole outfit

(inspired by this instagram I saw forever ago lol https://www.instagram.com/p/CXPUzRjJkGQ/)

What does Erika’s embroidery say?!

My new Land’s End tote just arrived yesterday to replace an old tote for the farmers market! So useful.

I just bought this artist collaboration + GAP bag https://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=890379002&vid=1&pcid=3053029&cid=3054020#pdp-page-content Same idea, more unique 😉

I have a tote from Free Range that is my daily commuter bag. Easy to wash, stays on my shoulder. It features bold scenic designs from artists.

I got a new beach bag for summer that I am so please with. It was around 20 dollars and looks like a natural fiber but is actually plastic so it can take a beating. H&M link for it’s Swedish site: https://www2.hm.com/sv_se/productpage.1315904002.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=mkt_se|mpl_google|lng_swe|atc_activity|ity_brand|obj_omni-sales|cpt_shopping|dct_home|mi_segu06gp3aa5&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=12886643747&gbraid=0AAAAADvrmzSfq__9mDYq62X7XkDviJ_uR&gclid=Cj0KCQjwkYLPBhC3ARIsAIyHi3Sw6AYr03cV8nBa7UXdTwxQ8Ri0Qq–J-tTmy4056z9T2RAvwI8ej4aAqHyEALw_wcB

Wish I could include a photo, but years ago I made custom boat tote bags for me and one of my best gfs (who is also a huge Cup of Jo fan). They say, “Do it for Larry,” as an inside joke but also a reminder of doing the right thing/putting your shopping carts back! I use it regularly and wonder if any fellow Cup of Jo fans will know what it means/stop me one day! <3

I love the trusty old Trader Joe’s tote bags. Cheap and stylish!

Lands End is the answer to so many things…swim suits, pants, tanks, stretchy button downs that accommodate a larger chest…

Oh those Land’s End bags are so great. I used to work for a library, schlepping books in a van from branch to branch and we used these bags. They were indestructible stacked surprisingly well on a dolly, were good for color coding (each branch had it’s own color) and, at the end of the day, folded up nicely for compact storage.

I have a huge zip top tote that I got at a writing conference and it is the best – it is lightweight but can hold a ton. Our office also bought gigantic very sturdy canvas totes with our logo on them, big enough to carry rolls of drawings and jobsite stuff.

This is my go-to baby gift! Medium zip-top, monogrammed, and lots of colors so a new baby girl can get a different one from a big sister. A friend sent me a picture the other day of her 9 and 11 year olds using theirs on spring break – glad to know they’re still getting use!

Argh but where is the first woman’s baseball hat from? I see “from England with love” on the back but a basic search didn’t find anything.

I love the LL Bean totes too! I’m planning to get a zip-top version when I go to Maine this summer and visit the flagship store. I just need to decide what to monogram on it (I don’t want my name or initials–so suggestions welcome!).