Sometimes when I'm out walking I stop by the store to pick up a few items on my way home and I wanted a tote that was easy to take along.  Walking home with a nice tote is a lot easier than walking home with a plastic store bag.  This tote is a bit bigger when packed in its own pocket than I had hoped - about five inches by ten inches - but the little belt loop helps since I can hook a finger through that for easy carrying.  Heaven forbid I wear  a belt and attach it to that.  The straps are just the right length for shouldering my purchases home.  I think if I could have found a packable tote that did not zip closed  it would have packed down smaller since the zipper makes the whole thing bulkier, but I didn't find anything like that in my price range on Amazon.  Speaking of price, I felt this one at just under fifteen dollars was a good buy.  It seems to be very well made of quality materials.  If it falls apart I'll be back to re-do my re-view.