This $40 bag is having its most popular summer ever—and you probably already have one in your closet

CNBC

4 days ago

If Sterling Olmstead Reynolds needs a bag for the beach, traveling with her 3-month-old daughter or dirty laundry on vacation, she reaches for the same two-toned canvas bag.
The same style of bag, that is.
Olmstead Reynolds, an art director at Sephora, owns 11 variations of the carryall, commonly known as a boat tote, inspired by L.L.Bean's signature Boat and Tote. She has mini versions, some with longer straps, others with added zippers, pockets and key leashes. They're monogrammed, too — with her last name, her daughter's name or kitchy sayings, like "Del Taco."
"You can get a bag that is 100% your vibe, that you can keep for a really long time," Olmstead Reynolds, 32, says. "And that style is timeless."
The tote is experiencing a renaissance of sorts after making a comeback in 2022, experts say. Lauded for its chic practicality and customizable charm, it's become a favorite for celebrities and everyday people alike.
This year the canvas carryalls — which cost $40 at L.L.Bean and Lands' End for the standard size — are having their most popular summer to date, according to experts, big brands and small sellers.
This summer bag trend goes beyond a single purchase, experts note. Shoppers of all ages are purchasing multiple variations for themselves and their friends. The boat tote, for example, has become a go-to for bachelorette parties and other events. Olmstead Reynolds estimates she's gifted 35 bags to friends and family.
"Personalization is a huge part of [the trend]," says Matt Trainor, senior vice president of brand creative at Lands' End. "Monogramming makes [the bags] unique. There's a scarcity to it. And regardless of your age … the idea that you can have something not everybody else has is highly enticing."
Since Memorial Day, the company has sold more of its Canvas Pocket Totes than it did in the first quarter of this year alone, their spokesperson says. Similarly, L.L.Bean's Boat and Tote sales are up 75% for the first six months of this year, compared to the same time period in 2024, a company spokesperson says. Online, some of L.L.Bean's bags are on backorder for months.
Lands' End has capitalized on that consumer hunger by launching marketing campaigns and in-person pop-up events to fuel the frenzy, Trainor says. At some events he's even seen customers line up for hours, waiting to personalize their bags with their names and charms.
Customizing boat totes is a market of its own, too: Rebecca McGovern-Clarke — who launched her paper goods business Maker Scholar out of her apartment in Boston — went viral after posting TikToks of her painting poodles, retrievers and pugs on canvas totes last summer. As a result, her annual sales more than doubled, and she brought in more than $100,000 in 2024, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.
"It was kind of like a, 'No s---' feeling. Of course people are going to pay to see their dogs on tote bags," says McGovern-Clarke, who now sells customized coastal-themed bags for up to $500 to customers across the country. "They're very easy to customize … and fit in with the rise of the coastal grandma, Nancy Meyers aesthetic and the glorification of a really fancy summer."
Personalizing a common bag fits into a broader cultural trend: Using clothing and accessories to express personal identities, says cultural and economic sociologist Dicky Yangzom, who teaches at New York University.
Instead of shelling out $2,100 for a Louis Vuitton Neverfull bag, canvas totes can add flair to an outfit, and are a low-cost nod to the cultural zeitgeist, she says.
The material of the bag can also signal a rejection of status. "There's a [distrust] against the 1% in our society," Yangzom says. "Canvas is more often seen as a working class fabric."
She's right to an extent. When L.L.Bean first launched its Boat and Tote in 1944, it was advertised as an easy way to carry ice home. But while still practical and easy to use, the bag has also become a symbol of a coastal lifestyle only the wealthy can afford.
But even the rich value functionality, and options for the luxury buyer have created yet another submarket of the canvas tote. Earlier this year, Hampton's boutique Hathaway Hutton released $1,200 "Boatkins," tote bags reimagined to resemble Hermes Birkins, according to the New York Times.
One question looms large for both industry insiders and consumers alike: Will the bag ever lose its relevance?
"The trend is past its frothy peak," says Marni Shapiro, founder of The Retail Tracker. While the trend may soon lose some of its shine, demand isn't waning, proving customers haven't moved on just yet, she adds.
Trainor predicts the bag will continue to be a staple for Lands' End and their customers' closets. Like denim in our wardrobe, "I just don't think it goes away," he says.
Olmstead Reynolds, who grew up bringing totes on sailing trips along the coast of Newport, California, doesn't foresee getting rid of her bags, either.
"They're popular because we saw our parents carrying them around," Olmstead Reynolds says. "My mom probably has some in our childhood rooms. I've never tossed, I've never donated any, these are my collection."