The Fammart large mesh beach tote is the bag you buy for the walk back from the water, not the walk down to it. On the way down, any bag works. On the way back, you are carrying wet towels, two pairs of sandy water shoes, a bucket and a spade, and whatever a child decided to keep, and the bag you pick decides whether that sand ends up on the car floor. This one is mesh almost everywhere, so the sand has somewhere to go.
It sells at $8.99, carries 4.7 stars from 3,473 Amazon ratings, and the listing says 2K+ people bought it in the past month. The shoppers are mostly parents and grandparents packing for a beach day or a pool afternoon, plus a steady stream of people heading out on a cruise who want something light that folds into a suitcase. Buyers mention all of those, and one used it on a day trip to the Dry Tortugas.
The one thing that decides it is the top. This tote has no zipper across the opening. Fammart's own comparison chart, printed on its striped canvas tote listing, puts a cross against "Top Zipper Closure" for this mesh bag. The listing's detail table says "Closure Type: Zipper", but that zipper belongs to the inner pouch. If an open bag on a crowded beach or a cruise pier worries you, stop here and look at a zip-top bag instead. If it doesn't, keep reading, because the rest is good.
Fammart Large Mesh Beach Tote, 9 Pockets
$8.99at our last price check
A bag that is mostly holes
Start with what the bag is made of, because the material is the whole point. The body is polyester mesh, and the trim, binding and handle are a heavier polyester the detail table calls Oxford cloth, rated at 600 denier. Denier is the weight of the yarn, and 600D is a sturdy number for the edges of a bag that will be dragged across sand and dropped on concrete. The mesh itself carries no denier figure on the listing, so the 600D applies to the solid parts, not the holes.
The listing calls the mesh "tear-resistant" and says it is "Odor-free · Long-lasting". Keep the odor claim in mind. A buyer disagrees with it later.
What the photos and the buyers agree on is that this is a soft bag. One buyer put it plainly: "Note-it does not have a solid bottom. The entire bag is mesh." That matters in two ways. Sand falls straight through the floor, which is what you want. But the bag will not stand up on its own when it is half empty, even though the detail table lists the fit type as "Freestanding". With towels inside it keeps its shape. With three bottles of sunscreen and a hat, it slumps onto its side. Pack the heavy, flat things first and the bag behaves better.
Nine pockets, one of them closed
The pocket count is the other selling point, and it holds up on paper. The listing promises eight mesh pockets plus one zipper pocket, and the detail table agrees with nine pockets and one zippered compartment. The mesh pockets are for things you want to see without digging: goggles, sunscreen, a snack, a small toy. The zipped pouch is where your phone and keys go.
Buyers single out that pouch more than anything else. One wrote that "the non-mesh zipper pocket on the interior was perfect for a couple of phones and wallet." Another calls them "hidden pockets inside with a zipper to keep important items safe and hidden." The listing describes the pouch as "splash-proof", which is a weaker promise than waterproof, and a third buyer says flatly that the bag is "Not waterproof". Read those together: the pouch will shrug off a wet towel dropped on top of it, but a phone inside it should not go anywhere near the waterline.
| How many | What the listing and buyers say it holds | |
|---|---|---|
| Main compartment, open top | 1 | Towels, shoes, toys, "everything we needed for a beach day" |
| Mesh pockets | 8 | Goggles, sunscreen, snacks, small toys, all visible through the mesh |
| Zipped inner pouch, non-mesh | 1 | Phone, keys, wallet, cash, earbuds |
| Top closure | none | Fammart's chart marks the bag without a top zipper |
The strap and the 160-pound claim
The tote has one shoulder strap, and the listing calls it a "9-inch shoulder strap". It does not say whether nine inches is the drop from the top of the strap to the rim or the length of something else. The detail table separately lists a "Shoulder to Bottom Hem Length" of 15 inches, which is also the height of the bag, so that figure tells you nothing new. A buyer describes it as a "Long shoulder strap for easy carrying", and another says the straps are "rugged and durable". What you can work out is this: if the drop is about nine inches, the bag sits under your arm with your elbow over it, which is comfortable in a swimsuit and tight over a bulky sweatshirt.
The detail table also lists one handle, while one buyer writes about "handles" in the plural that "work for over the shoulder carrying". The listing never settles the count. What both agree on is that you carry it on the shoulder, not in the hand.
Then there is the load figure. The listing says the bag "holds up to 160 lbs." Nobody fills a beach tote with 160 pounds of anything, and the bag's own volume would make it very hard to try. Treat the number as a statement that the seams are strong, not as a capacity you will ever use. We did not load it, and no buyer reports weighing a full bag.
How big it really is
The listing gives the size as 17.9 inches long, 9 inches wide and 15 inches high. Multiply those out and you get about 2,417 cubic inches, which is roughly 40 liters. That is a big bag for one shoulder, with the difference from a backpack of the same volume that a mesh tote bulges where a backpack holds its shape.
What does 40 liters mean on a beach? It means two adult bath towels rolled up, plus water shoes, a set of sand toys and the small stuff in the pockets, which is close to what buyers describe. "Large enough to hold towels, shoes, beach toys, etc." is a typical line. One grandparent bought two, one just for sand toys.
| Measurement | Listed figure | What it means when you pack |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 17.9 in | Roughly the width of a rolled bath towel laid across the bag |
| Width | 9 in | Room for two rolled towels side by side, or one towel and shoes |
| Height | 15 in | Tall enough to stand a family-size sunscreen bottle upright inside |
| Volume, from the three figures | about 2,417 cu in, roughly 40 L | Backpack-sized, but soft-sided and open at the top |
| Strap | listed as 9 in | Under-the-arm carry, easier over a swimsuit than over a coat |
Size is also where buyers are happiest. The size theme gets 293 mentions, and 278 of them are positive. "It was actually bigger than I thought WHICH WAS PERFECT!!!!" is how one buyer put it, and that surprise runs through the reviews. If you are comparing this with a tote you already own, measure that one first. A bag that is 15 inches high is taller than most supermarket totes.
Living with an open top
Since the opening never closes, it helps to think about how you pack around it. Towels go in last, rolled, because a rolled towel across the top acts as a loose lid and keeps a beach ball or a bag of chips from bouncing out when you swing the tote onto your shoulder. Shoes go in first, at the bottom, where the mesh floor lets their sand drop through on the walk back. Anything you would be upset to lose goes in the zipped pouch, and the pouch hangs inside the bag rather than on the outside, which means a passer-by can't simply lift it off.
In a car trunk, the open top is an advantage. Wet things keep draining and drying instead of sitting sealed in a plastic bag until you get home. In a crowd, it is the opposite. That is the trade, and it is the same trade every open mesh bag in this price range asks you to make.
Colors buyers mention
The two photos on this page show black and tan, and buyers write about others: one loves "the pink color", another calls hers "such a pretty blue color", and a third chose black and calls it a "Great color." Mesh shows dirt less than you would think, because there is so little solid fabric to stain, but the binding and strap are solid. A darker color hides sunscreen marks on those parts better than tan does.
Care, smell and how it holds up
The care label on the listing is short: "Machine wash cold. Hang dry." That is the right instruction for polyester mesh, and it is why the bag is easy to keep. Most buyers never get that far, because a rinse under the beach shower does the job. "The sand rinsed right out" and "the sand just falls out" are the two phrases you see most.
Hang it to dry rather than putting it in the dryer, for two reasons. The label says so, and heat is hard on polyester binding and on the coating of a zipper tape. Polyester mesh dries fast in the air anyway, which is the point of the listing's "dries in minutes" line.
The less pleasant report is about smell. One buyer wrote that the bag "smells SO bad like chemicals" and had to sit in a different room for a week before the trip. That is one voice among more than three thousand ratings, and the listing claims the mesh is odor-free. Still, if you are buying the bag the day before you fly, take it out of the packaging as soon as it arrives, wash it cold once as the label allows, and hang it outside for a day. If the smell is still there after that, you have time to return it before the trip.
Durability is mostly a good story. The quality theme has 436 mentions, 423 positive. One buyer has used it "for beach and pool for over a year now and its held up". The weak point, when there is one, is the inner zipper. A buyer reports that "the inside zipper broke after only 1 day of use." Another calls the bag "functional but flimsy" in the same breath as "pretty sturdy, no loose threads or messed up zippers", which is the honest description of a soft mesh bag at this price: thin to the touch, solid where it counts.
| What the listing claims | What buyers report |
|---|---|
| Sand-proof, water drains out | Confirmed often: sand "filters out easily", "rinsed right out" |
| Odor-free mesh | One buyer reports a strong chemical smell for a week |
| Splash-proof zipper pocket | Liked for phones and wallets, but one buyer says the bag is "Not waterproof" |
| Durable, holds up to 160 lbs | Mostly sturdy, one report of an inner zipper breaking after a day |
| Freestanding | A buyer notes there is no solid bottom, the whole bag is mesh |
| Lightweight and foldable | Confirmed: "Super light weight and packed easily in luggage for vacation" |
What buyers say
The star chart is about as one-sided as a product chart gets. Eighty-six percent of ratings are five stars, eight percent are four, four percent are three, and one- and two-star ratings add up to two percent. With 3,473 ratings, that is not a small sample, and it puts the bag well clear of the point where we go looking for a hidden problem.
This bag is great for the beach. It holds a lot, you can see what you are looking for and the sand filters out easily.Amazon buyer
The reviews mostly describe the same day at the beach from different angles. People like that sand does not get carried back to the house or, in one case, back to the cruise cabin. They like seeing what is inside without digging. They like the zipped pouch. A buyer who uses it for laundry says it is "Great for hauling laundry up and down steps", which tells you the bag's second life once the summer is over.
The complaints are few and specific. There is the chemical smell. There is the inner zipper that broke after a day. There is the point that the bag is not waterproof, which is true of every mesh bag and worth knowing before you put a phone in the pouch and set the bag down at the tide line. Nobody among the excerpts complains about the size, which is unusual for a bag sold with dimensions in the first bullet.
This bag is perfect. Lots of pockets and its sturdy. Have been using for beach and pool for over a year now and its held upAmazon buyer
The topic counts below come from Amazon's own grouping of buyer mentions. Two numbers stand out. Sand resistance has the most negative mentions relative to its size, seven out of 82, which you would expect from a bag that lets sand in as easily as it lets it out. Pockets have eight negative mentions out of 176, against 168 positive.
Topic counts as Amazon groups them on the product page, read November 14, 2026.
How it compares
Prices, ratings and monthly purchase counts as shown on Amazon search results on November 14, 2026. Highlighted rows are the products reviewed here.
The search for "large mesh beach bag" returns a crowded field, and almost everything in it carries 4.5 stars or better. That makes the rating less useful as a filter than usual. Look instead at the count and at the shape of each bag.
The row with the most ratings, 12,026 at 4.6 stars, is an extra-large mesh bag sold for toys, towels and market runs. The one with 4,980 ratings at 4.7 is an extra-large mesh tote "with Zipper and Pockets", which answers this Fammart bag's biggest weakness, the open top. If you want a zip, that is the row to read first.
Two rows in the table are titled "Large Mesh Beach Bag with Zipper for Women", each with 1,043 ratings at 4.7. Fammart's own chart lists a "Zipper Mesh Beach Bag" with the same 4.7 and the same 1,043, so you are probably looking at Fammart's zip-top sibling of this bag. Another row carries this bag's exact title and the same 3,473 rating count, which usually means the same product sold under a second listing. Check which one gives you the lower price on the day.
The drawstring "beach backpack" with 2,716 ratings solves a different problem: it closes, and it goes on your back. It is a better pick for a child carrying their own toys and a worse one for towels.
The woven tote with a large inner pocket, 4.8 stars from 1,318 ratings and 2K+ bought in the past month, is the most popular row by monthly sales after this Fammart bag. Its title says "Sandproof Woven Shoulder Handbag", which points to a closer weave and a more handbag-like look than open mesh. If you want something you could also carry into a beach café without looking like you are on toy duty, that is the direction to go, at the cost of sand that drains less freely.
Against all of them, this tote's case is simple. It is near the bottom of the price range, it has one of the highest ratings in the table on a large sample, and it has more pockets than most. Its weakness is the one you saw at the top. Nothing closes it.
Who should buy it, who should skip it
Buy it if your beach day involves more than one person and more than one towel. Families with small children are the core of the reviews, and the reasons are practical: sand toys go in and come out clean, wet things drain, and you can see the snacks. It also suits anyone heading on a cruise who wants a light bag for shore excursions that packs flat on the way out. The cruise buyers in the reviews are uniformly happy.
It is also a good second bag. Several buyers own more than one: one bought two for sand toys alone, another bought them as gifts for "all the ladies going on the trip". At this price, a mesh tote for the wet and sandy things and a closed bag for wallets and dry clothes is a sensible pair, and it costs less than many single zip-top totes in the comparison table.
Skip it if you need to close your bag. On a ferry deck, a city beach or a crowded pier, an open mesh tote shows the world what is inside, and the only closed space is one zipped pouch. Skip it also if you want a bag that stands up on its own beside a lounger, or one you would carry into a restaurant afterward. It is a beach bag, and it looks like one.
If you are still choosing, our review of Fammart's canvas, jelly and stadium bags covers the brand's zip-top striped canvas tote and its iridescent jelly tote, which close and keep water out. You can also read the PASMAN mesh beach tote with towel straps, or browse every review in bags, totes and backpacks. Fammart's own page for this bag is on the brand's site.
Verdict
We recommend the Fammart large mesh beach tote for families and cruise passengers who want a big, light, cheap bag that keeps sand out of the car. It earns its 4.7 stars from 3,473 buyers by doing that one thing, and its pockets are a real help. We don't recommend it if you need a bag that zips shut, stands on its own or keeps a phone safe near the water. Wash it once when it arrives, keep the phone in the zipped pouch and the pouch away from the waves, and it is hard to fault at the price.
A cheap sand sieve that buyers trust
The Fammart mesh tote does one job well: it carries a family's beach load and lets the sand fall out on the way back to the car. It has no top closure and no solid floor, and a few buyers report a chemical smell and a weak inner zipper, so treat it as a beach bag and not a travel bag.
- Sand and water drain through the all-mesh body, which buyers confirm again and again
- Eight mesh pockets plus one zipped, non-mesh pouch for phone and keys
- About 40 liters of space by the listed dimensions
- Light and foldable, so it packs flat in a suitcase for a cruise
- Open top: Fammart's own chart marks it without a top zipper
- No solid bottom, so it slumps when it is half empty
- A buyer reports a strong chemical smell that took a week to fade
- One buyer's inner zipper broke after a day
Best for: Families who want one big, cheap bag for towels, shoes and sand toys at the beach, the pool or on a cruise excursion.
Skip it if: You need a bag that zips shut, stands on its own, or keeps a phone dry if the bag lands in the water.
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.
