Your '80s L.L.Bean Tote Bag Could Be Worth Hundreds of Dollars

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This year marks 80 trips around the sun for the iconic L.L.Bean Boat and Tote, and if recent listings on eBay and Etsy are indication, the oatmeal canvas-colored carryall is more coveted than ever. Originally created in the fall of 1944 by company founder Leon Leonwood Bean, the now-beloved bag was first marketed as a way to transport huge blocks of ice home when errands such as that were necessary.

After just one season, the ice carrier was removed from the catalog and the receptacle later resurfaced during the summer of 1965 as the Boat and Tote you know now. (To this day, the bags are said to hold up to 500 pounds which—in Maine math—equates to roughly two-and-a-half Stephen Kings.)

And while the company still manufactures a wide range of bags at its factory in Maine—we're partial to the large, long-handled zip-top style—there's a newfound enthusiasm for the pre-loved vintage versions—worn, weathered, and wrinkled totes that feel like they've knocked around Nantucket for a generation or two. Our editors do a fair share of online vintage shopping, and we've seen sea-salted bags from the 1970s and 80s selling for as much as $600, which—again, in Maine math—equates to roughly 30 lobster rolls. "I'm personally on the hunt for a vintage boat and tote—an oversized green and tan one—and can confirm I've experienced some sticker shock," says Country Living Senior Homes & Style Editor Anna Logan.

Amanda Hannah, Head of External Communications and Brand Engagement for L.L.Bean, is fully aware that the secondhand marketplace is replete with Boat and Totes that date back decades. "Each one comes with a unique patina and a story to tell," she says. "That’s what makes our totes so special—and so sought-after."

Vintage L.L.Bean Heavy Canvas Tote

Vintage L.L.Bean Gardening Boat and Tote

Vintage L.L.Bean Tote

Vintage L.L.Bean Boat & Tote

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But why such demand now? So glad you asked! The brand's 80th anniversary obviously serves up ample nostalgia. In fact, to celebrate the milestone, the company released a vintage collection of 24 totes that sold out in less than 24 hours. There's also the fact that cheekily monogrammed bags recently garnered a lot of attention on social media, thus raising the bag's profile with a younger generation. (Amanda says demand for the L.L.Bean Boat and Tote is up by more than 30 percent year over year, and has been the number one contributor to new customer growth for the past two years.) Sustainability-minded millennials are also seeking out more vintage apparel and accessories in general. "I also think the popularity of the grandmillennial and cottagecore aesthetics are contributing to the newfound interest," says Country Living's Anna Logan. "These design trends place value on old-school heritage brands."

If you love the lived-in look but aren't willing to shell out a few hundred for a worn-in bag, take note that there are all sorts of internet-y solutions and TikTok tutorials for breaking in a brand-new version so that it doesn't look as crisp as a Cape Cod potato chip. Some say to fill it up with water and let the liquid fully soak through, others swear by a good dip in a swimming pool, and a few insist a bag should get rough-and-tumbled in an industrial washer-dryer at a laundromat. (It's worth noting that these are not company-endorsed methods.) And if you still remain a bit torn between the old and the new, we just have one piece of advice: Do whatever floats your boat.

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