I've used the smalls way more often than my large one. I initially bought the large one for airplane travel, to be able to carry my Luminary and a separate lunch bag in. Haven't taken an airplane trip since, and now I have a Pop Tote making the large shop bag redundant. In fact the first time I used my large shop bag was this weekend to carry snacks and organizing supplies to help hubby empty out his mother's apartment (she moved to assisted living).
I've used the small mostly as a day bag: a purse, a sweater, water bottle and picnic kit. Easy to take shopping (and throw my purchases into). Easy to have in the backseat of the car with snacks, easy to bring a dish and a bottle of wine for a dinner. Its a really nice size. I too am short and rather small, and the scale of this bag suits me much better.
The only good thing about sad news like this, is that its an indication that new things are coming, and hopefully one of them will be something I will also like.