Lands' End Packable Beach Tote Review

Beach totes come in many shapes and sizes. You might like one made of straw for the aesthetics or one made with canvas for durability. There are even ones that mimic the funky plastic nature of Crocs. But how do you get these bulky bags to your vacation destination? In many cases, you can’t because they’re too bulky to get packed inside your checked luggage, yet have open tops and a stiff structure that keeps you from laying them under the seat in front of you on the airplane.

So what’s a beachcomber to do? Try something more flexible and packable! The Lands’ End Packable Beach Tote is just that: a flexible beach tote that packs away into its pocket so you can tuck it inside your travel backpack or daypack to have ready when it’s time to hit the water. So, is it something you want to carry to the pool or beach? We took it to Florida and on a Caribbean cruise to find out!

External Components

The Lands’ End Packable Beach Tote is made of a material different from many other beach bags and pool totes. The company says it’s a water-resistant, laminated fabric that is durable and keeps the gear inside dry.

More specifically, it’s polyethylene treated with a durable water repellent. It’s crinkly and somewhat rubbery all at the same time, yet extremely lightweight. So while we’re not huge fans of how it feels to touch, we didn’t have any issues with tears or wet gear.

Even better, the Beach Tote is topped with a zipper, allowing you to close it completely. That meant our tester could take it on board a Delta Airlines flight as her personal item bag without fearing her gear would fall out, and that everything remained dry when it got left out in a sudden rain shower. That’s not something you can say about all totes, but it’s definitely essential for something that will be spending so much time near water, even if the skies don’t open up and add more moisture to the natural splish-splashing of a day at the water.

There’s a small Lands’ End patch on the bottom right of the front of the bag and two tote handles made from the same material as the rest of the bag. They’re long enough to comfortably sling over your shoulder. However, they can get a little uncomfortable quickly when carrying heavy gear since there is no padding to cushion it on your shoulder.

Fit Notes

Since the handles are so long and simple, the Packable Beach Tote has no issue fitting just about any body type. It fits easily over one shoulder, where you can either carry it under your arm or push it to your back. You can also hold it by hand, though whether it will drag along the ground will depend on your height. The long handles and the large size of the bag work against shorter users here.

It is an extremely casual-looking bag, whether in Pale Slate Blue or White, but you could say that about most beach bags. However, it doesn’t have that Caribbean vibe or feel you might get from other totes; it’s much more utilitarian.

Aside from the utility of carrying your beach towels, sunscreen, waterproof phone cases, and snacks, the Packable Beach Tote is, well, packable. It compresses into an internal pocket, creating a large ball-shaped pouch you can toss into your carry on luggage or backpack to pull out when needed. It’s definitely not the smallest when put away like this, however, and we’d actually suggest just laying it flat underneath your packing cubes if you’d like to pack it away, especially if you have a suitcase. It seems to take up less space this way. However, some travelers might prefer the ball-like shape you get when you pack it away in an included pocket, and if that’s you, go for it. You could even use it as a pillow against the window on the plane; it’s squishy enough.

Inside The Tote

Despite a ridge design running around the outer edge of the bag that might have you thinking otherwise, the Packable Beach Tote doesn’t have any exterior pockets. Inside, however, is a different story.

Against the back panel is a large zippered pocket. You might recognize it as the pocket the tote packs into when you want to stow it away, but it’s also a great place to lock down small gear you don’t want to chance falling to the bottom of the bag. We used it for a wallet, keys, phone, and earbuds, and also tucked a passport inside since we were carrying it through the airport. It’s large enough to hold all of that.

On the opposite side are three open-topped mesh pockets. We used them to hold bottles of sunscreen, waterproof phone pouches, and snack bars for a trip to a water park. You could even stick a book or ereader in one for a day of relaxing on the beach.

Doing so leaves the rest of this large tote open for travel towels and blankets, your swimwear or clothing (depending on which you’re wearing at the time), and even flip-flops or beach shoes if you don’t want them full of sand as you find your way to your favorite seat.

It’s open to hold whatever you need, whether that’s towels for two (or three), drinks and snacks, or anything else to make your day by the water more pleasant. However, if you have a long trek from the parking lot to the spot where you plan to sit, you’ll want to remember what we said about the comfort of the handles, or lack thereof. You’ll want to take turns carrying it with travel companions if you can, or at least switch it between shoulders, and, for heaven’s sake, don’t forget to cover your shoulders with sunscreen! You don’t want to carry it when they’re red and stinging from too much fun in the sun.