abshoo is best known for printed school backpacks, but it sells the bags that go with the rest of the week too: a lunch tote for the office, a striped beach bag, a clear crossbody for the stadium, and more school sets. This roundup covers four of them. They have little in common except the brand and the price range, which keeps all four in the territory where you buy without much research and hope.
Here is the honest shape of the evidence. One bag, the mermaid backpack set, has 799 Amazon ratings and a stack of buyer comments. The other three have 53, 39 and 11 ratings and no written buyer text in our data at all. So for most of this group you are judging from the listing, the photos and the star distribution. That is still useful if you read the numbers carefully, and the numbers here have some oddities worth catching before you order.
The one thing that decides it: are you buying the mermaid set, or one of the others? The set is a known quantity with a known flaw. The other three are reasonable products whose listings promise more than the reviews can yet confirm.
The insulated lunch tote
abshoo Insulated Lunch Tote Bag
$16.99at our last price check
This is abshoo's adult lunch bag: a rounded, structured box with two flat webbing handles, a zip that runs over the top, and a slip pocket across the front. The photographed color is a soft pink. It sells for $16.99.
The bullets describe three layers. The outside is "waterproof oxford fabric", the middle is "thick insulating foam", and the inside is an aluminum foil lining that the listing says is easy to clean and keeps the interior odor free. The open photo shows the crinkled silver lining clearly. Foil linings of this kind reflect heat and wipe clean, and they also crease with use, which is cosmetic.
How much fits
abshoo gives 10 x 6.5 x 7.8 inches. Multiply those and you get about 8.3 liters, a fair size for one adult's lunch: a two-section food container, a piece of fruit, a can or a small bottle, and an ice pack. The detail table also prints "Capacity: 12 fluid ounces", which would be the size of a single soda can and is plainly a filled-in form field rather than a measurement. Ignore it.
Its front pocket is described as "semi-open", meaning a slip pocket without a zip, for keys, a charger or napkins. That is handy for napkins and a fork. It is a bad place for keys if you set the bag on its side.
Shape and carrying
What sets this tote apart from the boxy coolers in the comparison table is the shape. It is built like a small handbag: a rounded top, a flat base, two short webbing handles and a zip that curves over the crown. In the photos it stands up on its own, which makes it easy to pack from above and easy to set on a desk without it slumping. Neither the photos nor the listing show a shoulder strap, so this is a bag you carry by hand or drop into a larger tote on the commute.
The 6.5-inch depth is the useful number. A flat rectangular food container lies down in the base, a can or short bottle stands beside it, and the 7.8-inch height leaves room above for a sandwich box or fruit. Compare that with the 3.3-inch-deep dinosaur lunch bag in our first abshoo roundup: this tote holds about twice as much, and it opens from the top rather than like a book, so nothing has to lie flat.
abshoo aims it at "students, girls, women, adults", and at nurses and teachers. The pink in our photos and the rounded handbag cut make it read more grown-up than abshoo's printed kids' lunch bags, which is presumably the point.
The ratings, and what we can't explain
This tote has 4.3 stars from 53 ratings. 67% are five stars, 18% are four, and then the distribution has a heavy bottom: 9% one star and 4% two stars. That 13% is high for a bag of this kind, and normally we would read the one-star reviews to tell you why. There are no buyer excerpts or topic counts for this product in our data, so we can't. It could be size, leaks, a zipper, or a color that differs from the photo. We simply don't know, and you should weigh that uncertainty against the low price.
The large striped beach tote
abshoo Large Striped Beach Tote Bag
$19.99at our last price check
Our second bag is the largest here by a distance: 25.2 inches wide, 12.2 inches high and 7.48 inches deep, according to both the bullets and the detail table. It is an open-top tote in a striped polyester weave with two wide, flat shoulder straps sewn down the front and back. It sells for $19.99.
A color question first
This listing contradicts itself about color. A bullet describes the pattern as "black and white stripes". The detail table says the color is "Green". The photos in our data show a tan bag with yellow stripes and tan straps. Several colorways are clearly sold under one listing, so before you order, check which color is selected on the product page and look at the swatch itself rather than the description text.
Size and shape
Box arithmetic on 25.2 x 7.48 x 12.2 inches gives about 37.7 liters, and the brand story says the capacity "Is Equivalent to A 16-inch Suitcase". The photos show a trapezoid, though: the bag flares from a narrower base to its full 25.2-inch width at the top. The real volume is therefore lower than the box figure, but still a lot of bag. The overhead photo shows a laptop, a phone, headphones, sunglasses and a folded garment inside with room left over.
The bullets claim it "holds multiple towels, sunscreen, and water bottles", and at this size that is believable. Your family's towels, a bottle each and a tube of sunscreen are the load this bag is cut for, and the wide opening means you can see all of it from above without unpacking.
abshoo's brand story notes that the sides are sewn and the base is widened so the bag keeps its shape and doesn't deform. That matters on a tote this wide: a bag that slumps flat when half empty is hard to load on sand.
On the shoulder
Two model photos show the scale. Worn on the shoulder, the tote runs from the armpit to past the hip, and carried by hand its base hangs near the knee. The straps are wide and flat, which the listing says helps with heavier loads and keeps them from slipping off.
Its weak points are the ones you can see in the photos and read in the detail table. It is open at the top, with no zip or snap, and the table lists exactly one pocket, a slip pocket. On a windy beach or a crowded train, nothing stops a phone from sliding to the bottom or a towel from blowing loose. If you want a closure, this isn't your bag.
Beyond the beach
The title calls it a gym tote and a "Carry On Weekender Travel Bag", and the bullets add laundry bag, grocery bag, toy bag and home storage. Some of those uses fit better than others. As a laundry or toy bag, the open top and machine-wash care line are exactly right: you tip things in and wash the bag when it gets grimy. As a grocery bag, the wide flat straps help with weight. As a weekender, the missing closure is a real problem, because anything you carry through an airport or a train station sits exposed at the top. And at 25.2 inches wide it is longer than most under-seat spaces, so plan on it as a bag you sling rather than one you stow.
For a family day at the pool, you get one big bucket for towels, a single slip pocket for the phone, and straps that sit flat on a bare shoulder rather than cutting in. That is a narrow job, done simply.
Ratings on a small sample
It has 4.8 stars, but from only 11 ratings: 82% five stars and 18% four, nothing lower. That's a clean record and a tiny one. There is no written buyer text in our data. The detail table also says "no warranty", which is a change from the 12-month warranty stated on abshoo's school bags in this roundup.
The mermaid backpack set
abshoo Mermaid Kids' Backpack with Lunch Bag
$21.99at our last price check
This is the strongest bag in the group, and if you read our first abshoo roundup, you know its shape already. It is the same three-piece set as the panda bag there: a backpack, an insulated lunch bag and a pen case, all in one print. This one is a cream background scattered with cartoon mermaids in pink, teal and lilac. It sells for $21.99 and holds 4.8 stars from 799 ratings, 87% of them five stars.
The three pieces, measured
The dimensions are identical to the panda set's, which is useful: it means everything parents say about one applies to the size of the other.
| Piece | Size (L x D x H) | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| Backpack | 10.2 x 4.7 x 16.1 in | About 12.6 liters by the outside numbers. Sized for preschool through early elementary, and one parent says fourth grade |
| Lunch bag | 11.8 x 6.3 x 6.3 in | About 7.7 liters. The listing says it fits two 700 ml lunch boxes |
| Pen case | 7.8 x 0.7 x 3.1 in | Pencils, keys or coins, per the listing |
Its detail table puts a "Compatible Device Size Maximum" of 16.1 inches on it, which is the backpack's height copied into the wrong field. The brand story says the bag is "equiped with laptop compartment", and one buyer reports "the backpack has a padded laptop pouch". Read that as room for a tablet or a small school laptop, not a 16-inch machine.
Fit on the child is where buyers are most specific. One parent writes that it "Fits more than my daughter needs for kindergarten but still doesn't swallow her whole when she has it on". Another says it was "a perfect size for a 4th grade student". A third reports that on the tightest strap setting it fits "my petite child (size xs for reference)". That is a wider range than the panda set's buyers describe, and we suspect it reflects which children happened to buy it rather than any difference in the bag.
Fabric and organization
The shell and lining are water-resistant polyester, and the brand story mentions metal zippers and a ventilated foam mesh back panel, which the back photo shows in black. Buyers are positive about the fabric: "Thick material so I am not worried about it snagging on anything. Water doesn't seem to seep into the backpack on a rainy day." One dissent: a parent writes that the fabric "is the opposite of what we wanted and needed for school" without saying why.
Inside, the bullets list a main compartment for notebooks and A4 files, two small pockets for a phone or small electronics, two side pockets, and a front zip pocket. A buyer adds that it has "a removable keyring". One adult bought it as a diaper-bag replacement because she wanted "lots of organization as well as a tablet pocket", which tells you the interior is better laid out than most character backpacks.
The zipper problem, again
The topic counts give zipper quality 13 mentions, and 8 are negative. The complaints match the ones on the panda set closely. "Bad zippers! Broke within a month." "All backpack zippers' pulls came apart within less then two months of usage." A third buyer's zipper broke while the bag was being used "just to carry toys". Against that, one family reports "It's zippers lasted for the whole year. It did not rip."
Bad zippers! Broke within a month. Bummer because my daughter really loved it for school :...Amazon buyer
abshoo's brand story claims the zipper "is very firm and not easy to break". The buyer text says that's true for most and false for some. Our advice is the same as for the panda set: open and close every zip repeatedly on the day it arrives, and if one sticks or a pull feels loose, exchange it then.
Why parents pick the set
Value runs through the praise. One buyer calls the lunchbox and pencil case "a great perk", another says the set was "absolutely worth the price and I’ll be back in a year or two when the mermaid obsession shifts elsewhere". A parent who bought four styles for her daughters thinks it is "much better than the last 3 years worth of backpacks I've gotten". The look gets a specific kind of praise too: "Nice to have a cute backpack that's not gaudy and covered in glitter." The cream background and small, spaced-out figures in the photos back that up, and they make the print easier to wear for a child who is about to decide mermaids are for babies.
There is one practical request in the reviews that you should know about: a buyer wishes you could buy the lunch box separately. You can't, on this listing. If your child already has a lunch bag, you are paying for a second one, though at the set's price the backpack alone would still be in line with the comparison tables in our first roundup.
A note on prints
Some of the buyer comments on this listing describe "dinosaurs and space" or a "Dino loving" daughter. The listing covers more than one print, and its reviews are pooled across them. The construction comments still apply to the mermaid version, but the comments about the look don't always describe the bag in our photos.
Fits more than my daughter needs for kindergarten but still doesn't swallow her whole when she has it on....Amazon buyer
Topic counts as Amazon groups them on the product page, read November 14, 2026.
The themes table is a short read: quality has 53 positive mentions out of 58, storage capacity is 10 for 10, washability is 7 of 8. Then zipper quality goes the other way. That is the whole story of this set.
The clear stadium crossbody
abshoo Clear Stadium Crossbody Bag
$19.99at our last price check
Our last bag is small and practical: a clear PVC crossbody with black trim, a black adjustable strap, a front pocket and a main compartment with an inner divider. It is sold in several trim colors, and our photos show black, gray, lavender and a deeper purple. It sells for $19.99.
Size and the stadium question
It measures 10 inches high, 8.2 inches long and 3.2 inches deep, about 4.3 liters by the outside numbers, and weighs 10.24 ounces. The listing says it "fully complies with the official stadium size limit of 12×12×6 inches". That is the brand's statement about one common limit. Venues and leagues set their own clear-bag rules, and they differ, so check the specific venue's page before a game or a concert. At 10 x 8.2 x 3.2 inches it sits well inside a 12 x 12 x 6 box, if that is the rule where you're going.
| Dimension | Listed | What it holds in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 10 in | A 10-inch iPad, per the listing, standing upright |
| Length | 8.2 in | A phone, a wallet and keys side by side |
| Depth | 3.2 in | One thin layer of things, not a water bottle |
| Strap | adjusts up to 62.5 in | Long enough to wear across the body on a tall adult |
According to the bullets, the main compartment takes a 10-inch iPad plus "daily essentials", with front pockets for keys, cash and tickets. The detail table counts three compartments and three pockets. In the photos, the front pocket holds sunglasses and a perfume bottle, and the main compartment holds a phone.
Think about how you'll use it before you buy. A clear bag is for a day when security wants to see inside without unpacking: a stadium, an arena show, a festival gate. For that, you want the ticket and phone where you can reach them without opening the main zip, and the front pocket does that job. What you give up is privacy. Everything in the bag is visible to everyone in the row behind you, so if you carry medication, cards or cash you'd rather not show, put them in a small opaque pouch inside. Whether a pouch inside a clear bag is allowed is up to the venue, so check that too.
The 62.5-inch maximum strap length is generous. Worn across the body, it lets a tall adult wear the bag at hip height over a jacket. Shortened, it sits high on the chest where a hand stays on it in a crowd. The detail table lists the target as "Unisex-Adults", and the black trim in particular reads neutral enough for anyone.
PVC and its limits
Its material is PVC, a clear plastic film. The listing is unusually candid about it: the bag "repels splashes and moisture but is not completely waterproof", and you should not expose it to heavy rain for long. The bullets also say the strap and zipper seams are reinforced with stitching. PVC shows scratches and scuffs, and it stiffens and softens with temperature, so expect a bag that looks new for a season of games rather than for years.
Ratings
It has 4.7 stars from 39 ratings. 80% are five stars, 11% four, and 9% three, with no one- or two-star ratings. A cluster of three-star ratings with nothing lower usually means "fine, but not quite what I pictured", and with a clear bag that's often size. We have no buyer text for this bag to confirm it, so treat the 39 ratings as a small, encouraging sample.
The four bags side by side
Since the listings' own capacity fields range from wrong to absurd, we worked the volumes out from the printed dimensions.
| Bag | Outside size | Volume by the numbers | Closure | Ratings in our data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch tote | 10 x 6.5 x 7.8 in | about 8.3 L | Zip top, open front pocket | 53, no buyer text |
| Beach tote | 25.2 x 7.48 x 12.2 in | about 37.7 L as a box, less in its flared shape | Open top | 11, no buyer text |
| Mermaid backpack | 10.2 x 4.7 x 16.1 in | about 12.6 L | Zips | 799, with buyer text |
| Mermaid lunch bag | 11.8 x 6.3 x 6.3 in | about 7.7 L | Zip | Part of the set |
| Clear crossbody | 8.2 x 3.2 x 10 in | about 4.3 L | Zips | 39, no buyer text |
Read the table by what you need to carry rather than by price. If it is one person's lunch, you are choosing between two bags of nearly the same volume. If it is a day's worth of towels for a family, only one bag here does it. If it is a ticket, a phone and a tablet through a gate, only one bag is shaped for it.
Two more things stand out. The mermaid set's lunch bag is almost exactly the size of the adult lunch tote, so if you are packing for a child with a big appetite, the set's lunch bag is not a toy. And the beach tote is nine times the volume of the crossbody, which is the right spread for a bag you load once and a bag you carry through a security line.
Care and how they hold up
The care instructions vary, and they are the one place the listings disagree with each other in a way that matters.
| Bag | Care, per listing | What we'd expect to wear first |
|---|---|---|
| Lunch tote | Lining "easy to clean", no washing instruction given | Foil lining creasing, front slip pocket edges |
| Beach tote | Machine wash | Straps where they are sewn to the body, on a heavy load |
| Mermaid set | Hand wash only | Zippers and zipper pulls, per buyers |
| Clear crossbody | Not stated | PVC scuffing, zip seams |
Only the beach tote carries a machine-wash instruction, which suits a bag that will come home full of sand. Turn it inside out and shake it first. The mermaid set's polyester wipes clean, and buyers back that up: "easy to wipe down to clean", "The fabric is easy to clean and wipe down", "The lunch box is easily washable". For the lunch tote, wipe the foil lining after each use and leave it open to dry. For the clear bag, a damp cloth is enough, and keeping it out of a hot car will help the plastic last.
How they compare
The competitor rows come from an Amazon search for insulated lunch bags for women, so they speak to the lunch tote above all.
Prices, ratings and monthly purchase counts as shown on Amazon search results on November 14, 2026. Highlighted rows are the products reviewed here.
That comparison is not kind to the lunch tote. The Lifewit medium lunch bag has 65,061 ratings at 4.4 stars, the HOTOR has 10,146 at 4.4, and the VLM floral lunch tote has 10,485 at 4.6. Several rows are listed at 9 liters, larger than the abshoo tote's roughly 8.3, and the MIYCOO tote at 18 liters is about twice its size. Against bags with tens of thousands of ratings, a 4.3 from 53 buyers, with 13% at the bottom, is a hard sell unless you specifically want this rounded handbag shape and color.
None of the rows is a beach tote, a kids' set or a clear crossbody, so for those three we can only compare within abshoo. For the mermaid set, the fair comparison is the panda set in our first abshoo review: same dimensions, same pieces, the same zipper complaint and a nearly identical star rating. For another kids' set from the same brand, see our review of the abshoo galaxy backpack. If a canvas weekender is closer to what you want than an open beach tote, our Bluboon weekender tote review covers one with a zip.
Which one for whom
| If you need | Pick | The caveat |
|---|---|---|
| A matching school set for a child of about 4 to 9 | Mermaid set | Test the zippers on arrival |
| A bag for towels and a day at the pool | Beach tote | Open top, one pocket, 11 ratings |
| A small bag for a game or concert with clear-bag rules | Clear crossbody | Confirm the venue's own size limit |
| A pretty lunch bag for work | Lunch tote, or a better-reviewed rival from the table | 13% low ratings with no stated cause |
You can see the rest of the line on abshoo's own site, and the rest of our coverage in bags, totes and backpacks.
Verdict
We recommend the mermaid set. It carries 4.8 stars from 799 buyers, gives you a backpack, a lunch bag that holds two 700 ml containers and a pen case for one price, and buyers praise the fabric, the pockets and how easily it wipes clean. Its weak point is the same one the panda set has: zippers and pulls that fail early for a minority. Check them the day it arrives.
The beach tote and the clear crossbody both look right for their jobs, and both have clean but small rating records. Buy the beach tote if you want size and don't need a closure. Buy the crossbody if your venue allows a bag of its dimensions. We don't recommend the lunch tote over the heavily reviewed lunch bags in the comparison table: its 13% one- and two-star share comes without any buyer text to explain it, and that is a gap the price doesn't close.
The mermaid set is the safe buy, the others are listing bets
The mermaid backpack set carries 4.8 stars from 799 buyers and comes with a lunch bag and pen case, though its zippers draw the familiar complaints. The beach tote and clear crossbody look sensible for their jobs on small samples, and the lunch tote has the weakest record of the four.
- Mermaid set includes backpack, lunch bag and pen case, with 87% five-star ratings
- Beach tote is large at 25.2 inches wide and lists machine washing
- Clear crossbody strap adjusts up to 62.5 inches and the bag takes a 10-inch iPad
- Lunch tote has a semi-open front pocket and a foil-lined main compartment
- Mermaid zipper complaints outnumber zipper praise, 8 to 5
- Lunch tote has 13% one- and two-star ratings and no buyer text explaining them
- Beach tote is open-topped, with one slip pocket
- Three of the four bags have fewer than 55 ratings
Best for: A parent buying a matching school set for a young child, or anyone who wants an inexpensive beach tote or a small clear bag for a game or concert.
Skip it if: You want a lunch bag with a long track record, a beach bag that zips shut, or bags whose zippers you never think about.
Where the numbers come from. Prices, star ratings, rating counts and monthly purchase badges were read from the product pages on November 14, 2026; they move daily. Fabric, sizing and dimensions come from the product specifications. Buyer quotes are Amazon reviews as the product page shows them, linked to the full review where Amazon gives one. See how we review.
