If you’ve been searching for a lightweight, well-constructed tote that will suit any occasion, whether you’re working at the office or planning to take your bag along on a romantic lakeside weekend away, grab the more refined Filson Rugged Twill Tote Bag.
The Filson Rugged Twill Tote Bag lives up to the promise of its name with tough construction and a lifetime warranty. Photo: Sarah Kobos
Although inexpensive canvas totes are great to have for a quick grocery trip, turn to the Filson Rugged Twill Tote Bag when you want the catch-all qualities of a canvas tote and need to look like you’ve got it all together, too. Its simple but elevated design means that it can come with you to a prix fixe dinner out but also for a day of running errands and doing chores.
The Filson Rugged Twill Tote Bag is 14 inches wide by 14 inches tall, wider than our other canvas picks. It has four, expansive outer pockets: two large ones on its longer sides and smaller pockets suited to water bottles or umbrellas at its shorter ends. One of its bigger outside pockets also contains a key-clip lanyard. The bag’s sleek handles, made from bridle leather, give it a touch more sophistication than its competition offers, too. Editor Tim Barribeau described the look as “farmers market goth.”
Our staff panel ranked the Rugged Twill Tote Bag second among all the tote bags we tried, even above more refined leather options. “I feel like I could take this tote bag anywhere," said one tester. Another appreciated the Rugged Twill Tote Bag for its side pockets, comparing it favorably to the Bellroy Tokyo Tote, saying, “The Bellroy and the Filson are artsy PTA moms, but the Filson signifies a coolness that the Bellroy doesn’t. She reads Sally Rooney; she does pottery.”
The Filson Rugged Twill Tote Bag is made from 100 percent cotton abrasion-resistant and water-repellent twill. The canvas is stiff enough that the bag can stand up on its own, and the inner seams are bound to protect them from fraying. It has a reinforced base, too. Filson recommends cleaning the bag by wiping it or brushing it.
The bag is well built and feels like it could last for years. If you’re not convinced by the bag’s added charisma vis-à-vis its outer pockets and leather handles, the Filson Rugged Twill Tote Bag comes with a lifetime warranty (the only bag to do so among our recommendations).
Pockets and organization:
You get a main compartment with four side pockets; two are about the same width as the bag and can fit a 13-inch MacBook Pro, and the other two are about the size of a stylish water bottle.
Flaws but not dealbreakers:
The handles on the Filson Tote were stiff at first, but they softened over a few weeks. Some of our testers expressed wishes for an inside pocket, too.
Size: 14 by 14 by 5¼ inches
Weight: 1 pound 12 ounces
Strap length: 29½ inches
Closure type: none
Colors: “twine”, red, tan
