"Tote" vs. "carry" in AE

Aside from formality/informality registers, what is to "tote" that is not to "carry" to AE native speakers?

Does "tote", unlike "carry", imply a certain way to hold or support something while moving?

Solution 1:

Tote and carry mean effectively the same thing. They differ more in connotation than overt meaning.

The word tote has a connotation of something being lightweight and not a burden to the carrier. Hence a tote-bag - a bag for carrying around small objects. I use a bag to tote my books back and forth to school.

Carry can mean anything from picking up an object to hauling it as freight. e.g. I carried my books from school. The fighter plane carries a payload of 20 megatons of high explosive.

You would not use tote for hauling heavy items.

Solution 2:

As a noun, 'tote' is commonly used in American English, along with bag. This is a tote bag.

You may also hear the -ing form: 'toting', as in She was toting around her laptop all day. This usage implies that carrying the laptop is a small burden. But in American English I wouldn't say something like She totes her laptop.