Canvas Totes Are Summer 2025’s Most Versatile Shopping Bags

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I found 11 options you can snag ASAP.

Eva Thomas is the senior writer at InStyle, where she's the driving force behind all things fashion, beauty, and celebrity.

Getty Images / Marc Jacobs / Instagram @tibi

There’s something kind of, sort of chaotic happening on my social media feeds: Everyone’s clamoring for canvas bags. One video on my For You page showed a massive line outside of a Trader Joe’s—and no, it wasn’t for the latest green tea mochi iteration the grocery store just dropped. Instead, it was for those viral mini tote bags that had finally made their return; a humble mini bag going for a reasonable $3 was causing an hours-long line.

But, my fashion senses knew there was more to the Trader Joe’s canvas bag craze than meets the eye. It was about a canvas bag craze, period. A few months earlier, Tibi partnered with L.L. Bean (the makers of the OG Boat and Tote), to create a luxe version—for reference, the original L.L.Bean starts at $30 (with the price slightly increasing by the size), while the Tibi bag went for $445. I say went because, because it sold out in a mere 24 hours when it first dropped in December 2024—and again a few weeks ago when it restocked. Was it the leather belt buckle that made it buzzy? Probably. After all, it embodied fashion meets function to a T.

Further proving the buzz around all-things canvas bags for summer 2025 is my latest (hotly Slacked about) discovery: the Boatkin, which is exactly what you think: a boat and tote with Birkin bag elements going for $1,500-plus. The kicker? Due to huge demand, there’s a six-month waitlist to get it. To be frank, I can’t wait that long, so I have to search for the fashionable options I can snag now.

Clearly, there’s a huge uptick in interest in the canvas tote bag, but its history goes back many decades—to 1944, to be exact, when L.L.Bean introduced its ice carrier bag (today known as the Boat and Tote). Before it became the stylish carryall that it is today, it was actually used to haul ice thanks to its durable, double-layer design that can hold up to 500 pounds—I hope you’re not lugging that much in your tote now, but it’s good to know—and prevent any leaking from melted ice (or ice coffee, nowadays).

Over time, the ice carrier turned into a fashion staple; in 1997, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy was seen toting it on multiple occasions, and now avid carriers include Reese Witherspoon, Mandy Moore, and Hailey Bieber. So what is it about the Boat and Tote—and a canvas tote in general—that people are so drawn to?

Here’s what I think: It’s humble with its coolness lying within its nonchalant design. It’s fairly unfussy (sure the belt addition adds something, as do the Birkin-inspired details) but to its a core, a canvas bag is made from a casual, easygoing, durable cotton that doesn’t feel as stuffy as say, a leather bag. Secondly, I’d be remiss not to mention the durability; while not all canvas iterations are capable of carrying 500 pounds, they do offer a level of sturdiness regular leather bags probably don’t. Not to mention, they’re easier to throw over your shoulder thanks to the thick, often double-stiched straps that won’t unravel. In short, they’re meant to haul, schlepp, and do all the things—which makes them an ideal carryall bag year-round, but especially in the summertime when you’re out and about the most.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the canvas material looks good with every outfit thanks to its simplicity. You can pair it with your bikini for a beach day, jeans when running to the farmer’s market, or even your trousers for an office day.

While the L.L.Bean bag will always hold a special place in my heart (it’s the OG!), I found so many canvas options for any style preference. Think: simple and organic like the L.L.Bean version, but also some that are fashion-girl coded in the best way (looking at you, flowery Marc Jacobs bag). Check them all out below before they sell out, too.

L.L. Bean

Aritzia

Nordstrom

Amazon

Nordstrom

Alex Mill

Nordstrom

Nordstrom

Patagonia

July

Nordstrom