I’ve been loving watching L.L.Bean Boat and Totes have their moment this summer, so as a Maine local I wanted to do a little show-and-tell with mine. To be 100% honest, I didn’t even know the official name was “Boat and Tote” until social media took off—we’ve always just called it our L.L.Bean bag or L.L.Bean tote. Mine is the well-loved, worn-in, stained, colorful coral version (size large… extra large… truly not sure), and she’s been in our family for years. The quality is unreal, and there’s no sign of her wearing down anytime soon. In this video I’m sharing what I actually keep in my beach bag for coastal mom life: a towel, my Kindle (with my favorite case from The Shop Paige), sunscreen for me and toddler sunscreen if she joins, face stick sunscreen, and my belt bag that acts as my wallet with cards, cash for beach parking lots, and chapstick. I also always pack snacks, a reusable plastic bag for trash, and little beach tools for toddler days—plus a portable phone charger (because my husband saw I was at 50%). And even though I bring my Kindle and AirPods every time, I usually end up just watching the waves for hours. I also chat about embroidery ideas—if your last name ends with “-eer” like my husband’s (Schaefer), we went with “Shae.” If I get a second neutral tote, I’m tempted to embroider “mama”… unless you guys have a better local-Mainer idea.