Home / Outdoors / Travel

The Best Outdoor Tote Bags and Gear Haulers of 2025: Yeti, Rux, L.L. Bean and More

The best utility totes are fit for any task, whether it’s hauling firewood to a campsite one week and schlepping ski equipment to the slopes.

A large, gray YETI tote bag with water droplets on its surface, indicating it is wet. The bag has two sturdy handles and is positioned outdoors near a body of water. Part of a person wearing camouflage clothing and black gloves is visible on the right side of the image.Yeti
Add Gear Patrol as a Preferred Source on Google

By Tanner Bowden

Published

·

Updated

If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more

Not so long ago, tote bags caught the trend wave. The right merch tote — Trader Joe’s, anyone? — signified attunement to the tastes of a certain social strata.

But totes are hardly new; they’ve been a go-to carry-all at least since L.L.Bean introduced its iconic Ice Carrier back in 1944. While the status of often-flimsy merch bags is guaranteed to fade, the best tote bags, like the Bean bag, are burly, practical and tend to get better with age.

Gear Patrol Outdoor Awards 2025 text overlay on a background split between an orange surface with black threaded inserts and a blurred dark area. The word "Outdoor" features a stylized tree inside the letter "O.
This story is part of the 2025 Gear Patrol Outdoor Awards, which collects our top recommendations across more than 80 categories. See the full list.
Gear Patrol

These bags aren’t style accessories, they’re tools. They’re made of hard-wearing canvas and TPU-coated poly. They’re waterproof and tear-resistant. And they contain pockets and compartments to preclude all that digging around.

The best utility totes are fit for any task, whether it’s hauling firewood to a campsite one week and schlepping ski equipment to the slopes the next — or shifting from the laptop to groceries to gym gear as the day demands.

Why You Should Trust Us: Covering products is our core mission, not a side hustle. And we use real-world testing to inform our recommendations. Learn more about our methodology.

Best Overall Gear Hauler

Navy blue and gray YETI tote bag with two sturdy handles and a reinforced bottom. The bag features the YETI logo on the front center.Yeti

Yeti Camino 35 Carryall Tote

Specs

Volume 35 pounds
Weight 3.1 pounds
Material ThickSkin Shell (high-density nylon w/ TPU lamination), EVA molded base

Pros

  • Organization features disappear when not in use
  • Exceptional durability

Cons

  • Heavy
  • Bulky for storage
  • Its popularity has made it hard to find in stock

Yeti makes the Camino Carryall using the same materials it uses for its soft coolers and waterproof duffels, and all live up to the company’s high standards for ruggedness and weather resistance.

The bag is puncture- and abrasion-resistant, with an EVA-molded base that keeps it standing upright when empty. It also has MOLLE webbing on both sides for attaching accessories, and the webbing handles — long enough to throw over a shoulder — have rigid bars at their base so you can carry it at your side.

Yeti Camino Tote Bag
The bag’s built-in dividers, designed to carry a water bottle or simply segregate a wet bathing suit from the rest of the contents, fold away when not in-use.
Jack Seemer for Gear Patrol

There are internal dividers that fold away when you don’t need them, interior zippered pockets on both sides and a clip and loop to close up the top with. Best of all, a hose-down is all it takes to clean it.

Yeti Camino Tote Bag
The bag can easily be washed down with a garden hose.
Jack Seemer for Gear Patrol

The Camino has recently exploded in popularity on social media and has been sold out in many places as a result, but Yeti has promised more on the way.

Best Budget Gear Hauler

Canvas tote bag in off-white with navy blue handles, bottom, and corner reinforcements. The bag has visible white stitching along the navy blue sections.L.L. Bean

L.L.Bean Large Boat and Tote

Specs

Volume 35 liters (other sizes available)
Material 24-ounce cotton canvas

Pros

  • Timeless look
  • Handles work for side and shoulder carry
  • Can last for decades

Cons

  • There aren't any pockets

It’s a testament to the Boat and Tote’s design that even after 80 years, it’s still among the best totes you can get. The bags can last decades, too, which makes buying one an easy investment for the affordable price.

The design is straightforward: tough 24-ounce canvas, reinforced on the bottom and handles, and double-stitched seams. What the Boat and Tote lacks in features — it has no pockets and it isn’t waterproof, though you can get a version with a zippered top — it makes up for in universal practicality.

L.L. Bean tote bag
The L.L. Bean was originally designed to carry ice.
Jack Seemer for Gear Patrol

The bag comes in multiple sizes, but we tend to think of the large as the standard. Originally made for carrying blocks of ice and logs, it’s perfect for outdoor gear, clothing for a weekend away, stuff for your dog and anything else that needs schlepping.

The canvas wears in over time, collecting scars and stains from its adventures, but the benefit of its status as a classic is that it won’t look out of place anywhere.

Wildcard Pick

The 70-liter G.O.A.T. Tote is spare, with few features besides a small zippered interior pocket and a few webbing loops on its rim. But being oversized is a feature in itself.

Think of it like one of those big blue IKEA bags but made for transporting a significant section of your gear closet rather than Swedish homewares.

It doesn’t have dividers or a laptop compartment. That said, it is super-durable, weatherproof and flexible enough to stash away when it isn’t full of gear.

Two large Hyperlite Mountain Gear bags, one black and one white, are placed in the trunk of a vehicle. The black bag contains a pair of Salomon ski boots and other gear, while the white bag holds a green helmet and some clothing. Both bags have sturdy black handles and a visible Hyperlite logo patch.
The bag is made with Dyneema, which make its not only strong but ultralight.
Hyperlite

The bag’s secret ingredient is the same one Hyperlite Mountain Gear uses for its ultralight backpacks, prized by hardcore thru-hikers: Dyneema, an ultralight, laminate-like material that’s stronger than steel by weight.

It combines that with a woven face fabric for the durability needed by bags that travel a lot and take their fair share of scuffs and scrapes, inside and out.

In other words, the G.O.A.T. Tote is particularly well-suited to carrying a lot of stuff, over and over again.

Other Great Options

Purple Patagonia tote bag with two long dark blue handles, featuring the brand name "patagonia" in orange on the front. The bag has a rectangular base and vertical webbing loops on the front.Patagonia

Patagonia Black Hole Tote

Patagonia’s Black Hole duffels are famously useful, and many of the features that make it great are present in the tote version: weather- and abrasion-resistant ripstop fabric, external daisy chains, a big opening and the ability to carry a lot of stuff. It’s available in 25- and 61-liter sizes, and both are great.
Green canvas tote bag with short handles, reinforced stitching, and a snap button closure at the top center. The edges are trimmed with a lighter green fabric.Utility Canvas

Utility Canvas Classic Field Bag

Like the L.L.Bean tote, this one’s made of hardwearing cotton canvas — 18-ounce here — and has a few-frills design; just interior side pockets and snaps to close the top a little. Its rectangular shape makes it more of a hauler, akin to Patagonia’s big Black Hole. We’ve filled it with wood, stones and all manner of bulky things.
Olive green tote bag with two long handles and a detachable shoulder strap. The bag features a black "RUX" logo near the bottom right corner and has a simple, structured design with a slightly open top showing a black interior lining.Rux

Rux Waterproof Tote Bag 30L

No other tote is quite like this one from Rux, made fully waterproof with 840-denier, TPU-coated nylon with welded seams and an expanding rolltop closure that tucks away when you don’t need it. It’s like other big gear totes, but sized right to be the perfect day bag.
Brown tote bag with two handles, a front pocket featuring a flap with the word "yardsale" embroidered in yellow, and a small green loop detail near the top. The bottom edge of the bag is slightly darker brown.Yardsale

Yardsale The Day Bag

At 30 liters, Yardsale’s cinch-top tote can go big or small, depending on what the day calls for. It can fit your mountain biking kit and keep it sorted with smart internal dividers or go from work to the gym with an included laptop sleeve. The nylon shell is water-resistant and light enough to tuck away when unneeded.
A multi-colored tote bag with a triangular shape, featuring a light green body, a tan top section with a drawstring closure, and a front pocket in off-white with a yellow zipper. The bag has navy blue handles and yellow trim accents along the front pocket and handles. There is a small brown patch with text on the front pocket.Topo Designs

Topo Designs Mountain Utility Tote

Topo Designs gave this simple tote a few extras — a removable shoulder strap, internal and external pockets, burly body fabric and a cinch top — that boost it above other everyday-oriented options. Topo’s signature mountain retro style is present and singular, too.
Dark gray tote bag with two long handles featuring black text. The bag has a diagonal mesh pocket with scalloped trim on the front and a yellow and black drawstring closure at the top. The brand name "Klättermusen" and model "ELJUDNER 25L" are printed on the front.Klättermusen

Klättermusen Eljudner Bag 25L

Small enough for daily use and built with bomber TPU-coated polyester that can withstand a bruising, the Eljudner is something of a mash-up between bag types. Klättermusen’s design, featuring daisy chains across the exterior and a unique cord closure, is all its own.
Green tote bag with black handles, featuring the text "SPC/LST" and additional small printed details on the front pocket. The bag has a minimalist design and a zipper closure at the top.SPC/LST

SPC/LST System Tote

The System Tote is another everyday option outfitted with heavy-duty fabric that’s weatherproof and scrape-resistant. Leather handles make for a nice material contrast, while a laptop sleeve and three-point strap system make it adept at commutes by bike.
Black and dark green camouflage-patterned tote bag with two short handles. The bag features a large front pocket with a flap closure and a reinforced black base. The material appears to be durable fabric.Mission Workshop

Mission Workshop Drift Tote

The Drift Tote is only 28 liters, but it’s as loaded with features as a tote could be. Sleeves and zippered pockets adorn every place they could, creating a place for every thing you might carry during your day. You can get it in your choice of hefty fabrics, from waxed canvas to techy X-Pac.
Brown canvas tote bag with two handles and a large front pocket, displayed against a white background.Makr

Makr Offset Tote

The Offset Tote has similar aims as the Bote and Tote, but it accomplishes them by more modern means. It has external sleeves on its sides and a zippered pocket inside; handy for phones, keys, coins and the rest of today’s small necessities. Its subtle monochromatic colors are less iconic but sleeker, and heavy-duty canvas remains in the mix.

Take a Trip

, ,