Tote Bag Embossed with the America's Packard Museum Logo

About the Tote Bag

People have always used a variety of bags or sacks to carry items. Officially, outdoor brand L.L. Bean created the tote bag in 1944 to carry ice (no, really). The L. L. Bean ice bag was exactly that: a large, sturdy, durable canvas bag to carry ice from the car or ice truck to the freezer. It did not take people long to realize that they could use the bag for more than ice transportation. The brand introduced it as Bean’s Ice Carrier, to “carry ice from car to ice chest”. The context? Maine was known for stocking a large quantity of premium ice in the 19th century. And at that time, the majority of American households didn’t have refrigerators. So the bag was the solution to what back then was a problem: transporting ice from the car to the freezer. Bean’s bag was versatile and resilient to wear and tear. So what else could it carry? 20 years later, the tote bag wasn’t just worn because it was convenient and functional, but also because it was fashionable. This was the era in which L.L.Bean renamed the bag to what it currently is, Boat and Tote, and upgraded the design with a few stylish elements, including a colorful trim that has lived until today. In fact, the bag remains one of the company’s best-sellers. The the ice bag became a hit and started its ascension as a staple of utility. During the 50s, the tote bag was the bag of choice for homemakers, who used the bags for groceries and household chores. Now, you can carry just about anything in your tote bag from America’s Packard Museum.