My first bag is a monogrammed "Bean Bag" I received as a gift. It is the medium size and perfect for hauling "stuff", clothes, food, game, sports equipment, tools, etc., and has a water resistant, washable lining (could be used as a bucket in an emergency).The bag can hold more weight than I can carry. I have had the bag since 2006 and use it often. It looks the same as the day I unwrapped it. My recent purchase of a second bag is to replace a tote bag used to carry important items such as wallet, checkbook, mail, licensed firearm, stuff from house to auto and vice versa. The small Bean Bag is the approximate size of the tote, but has heavy duty construction, water resistant lining, standard size grip handles (not purse-type loop straps), full zipper closing with D-ring, and full name monogram in my choice of colors. As a hunter, the camo color blends with other items I own. The cost and free shipping of the bags with custom monograming is a bargain. These bags are high quality products and backed by the L.L. Bean warranty. I recommend all three sizes to everyone.
I am not a hunter, I live in the suburb of a big city. I wanted to add camo in my fashion wardrobe, just because pretty much all the fashion mags are raving that camo is the next trend...like for every other season. But I can't shell $200for the camo tote those fashion blogs and mags talk about.
That was five years ago when I got llbean's hunter tote in medium. It did an excellent job. It's water proof, durable, softer handles compare to the canvas tote. It's still in a great condition, but I want to get a bit larger one because medium one can't hold my 15" laptop, and I need to fit my DSLR and a blanket for my kid's sports event.
So I ordered a large tote. It's as same as 5 years ago; durable and awesome. It fits everything I want to carry, protect its contents from rain. For that reason I recommend getting a zip top.
My only complaint is that the variance in medium and large is huge. When I looked at large tote for the first time, I thought either llbean or I made a mistake in choosing a size. Large was 1.5 bigger than the medium.
I bought the medium camouflage bag to use as a purse. I like the structure of this bag and it is very sturdy. I wish, like other reviewers, that it had an inside pocket. I use a small make up bag to keep small items organized instead. There is a small ring inside of the bag at the top that I have attached a D-ring to keep my keys on. So long as I don't overload it, it is easy to carry.
