DII Large Multi-Purpose Storage Tote, Bronze

I love this tote it is well made and very roomy. However, the handles are very small. There is no way it will go over a shoulder which is what I was looking for.

This Multi-Purpose Storage Tote with Two Compartments from DII is HUGE and there are so many uses for it, I want to buy a couple more when the come back in stock.

This is a unique bag. It folds completely flat when empty because the bottom is soft and unstructured however, it has thick rods in the four side seams to give it structure when in use. It is seriously big but quite lightweight. All of the outside seams are fully bound in the white lining fabric – a sign of a better quality bag. You will have no issues with raveling at the seams.

The fabric feels and looks similar to outdoor fabric like Sunbrella and is 70% polyester and 30% jute, a fiber content I’ve never seen before. It has a fairly open weave. It easily wipes clean with a damp cloth and I think you could just hose it off if you took it to the beach.

The bag is fully lined with the same fabric in white and all sides, with the exception of the inner, dividing panel, have an inner, foam padding. I like the foam padding because if I am carrying groceries with eggs or glass jars, the padding will provide some protection from bumps.

There are two, polyester web carry handles on the top of the bag and they are securely sewn to the body of the bag.

Inside, the bag is divided into two, equal compartments by way of a dividing, fabric panel. The panel is sewn in on the sides and bottom so the two compartments are completely discrete from each other. Nothing can migrate from one side to the other.

I got this with the intent to use it as a knitting bag for when I knit large blankets and it works perfectly for that. There is room on one side for the work in progress and on the other side for extra yarn and plenty of other things, as well. But now that I have this bag, I can see it would be a perfect beach bag. Plenty of room for all of our towels (I have a big family) and sunscreen and even a couple of drinks, etc. Plus, I think it will be fabulous as a grocery bag because the foam padding will act a bit as an insulator. I could also see one in a bathroom or poolside to hold rolled towels. The size makes it extremely versatile.

I would caution against overloading it as far as weight because it is a fabric bag. The enormous size could be tempting to load a lot of heavy items in there but it is too lightweight and unstructured to support a great deal of weight ie: I wouldn’t fill it with canned foods or multiple gallons of milk. But with light weight items? Fill her up!

This is not what I thought it was going to be. I own more than a handful of DII bins and you don’t always know by the product description what the construction is, unfortunately. This is a new one for me, this “POLYESTER STORAGE LATTICE BRONZE RECTANGLE ALL PURPOSE” has a soft fabric bottom, it is not firm or strong or flat, it is soft fabric that bunches up. The sides are also a fabric almost puffy type siding, there is no support inside the fabric so the sides cannot stand upright as seen in the product image on the product page. There are fabric handles but they are short. Due to the design of the shape, the lack of a flat bottom, the lack of sides that can stand upright, I honestly cannot figure out a good use for this container. There is no way a student can carry books in this, it is too short and too wide and the handles are not long. It is not a good bin for a shelf as it flops inward. Without a hard bottom it scrunches up. This bronze color is a metallic shiny design. I am rating this 1 star = Hate It. Note: other products by DII that look very similar are either cloth with supports inside of wire (cylinder bins that stand up unassisted) or they are bins with removable cardboard or plastic flat sheets with fabric either on one side or sewn on all sides.

I wanted to use this as a multipurpose bag for the back of our Suburban to store and carry a wide variety of items. The problem is that it is too floppy and doesn’t stand up well. Also, while it is big enough theoretically to handle a number of different jobs, there is a vertical divider in the middle of the tote that makes it too small to carry items that otherwise would have fit in the tote. So, unfortunately, the vertical divider in the center renders this bag unusable for many of the purposes which I desired it for. At the same time, I could see the divider being helpful for other people if you knew that you did not need a large bag but would prefer two smaller separate containers. The other problem remains, however, that the bag is too floppy to stand up on its own.

I just expected this bag to be a stronger canvas tote; it was not. The separator actually renders the bag less helpful rather than more. I cannot recommend it.