I don't recommend the tote method, personally. I mean, for tomatoes or peppers or other bigger plants. However, a lettuce raft in a tote works great. The lids are just too flimsy for bigger plants. If you used something sturdier for reinforcement, it would be better. My first system was one of the totes systems, too. I made an
aeroponic one with mysters out of the book How To Hydroponics. The peppers ended up too heavy and fell through. There is more to it, but it's long. I must admit, the pepper plants got bigger with
aeroponics than any pepper plants I've grown before or since.
You could also be sure to support the plants from above to alleviate stress on the lids.
What you described is deep water culture. I find 5 gallon buckets to be perfect for this. I'd also have a separate reservoir. That tote would be perfect. Whether you do DWC or use a
pump to drip (my preference after trying both) you could just run a 1/2 inch line from the bottom of the bucket to the tote. This will allow you to keep more solution in. The advantages include ease of
nutrient change, ease of checks (pH, temp, EC, etc.), more solution which means longer between topping off, more solution to provide buffer against pH swings, and probably more if I were thinking more clearly. The advantage to using a pump to drip is that you don't need to run an air pump all the time as the water gains oxygen from dripping and falling through the medium. You also don't have to run the
drip system all the time. I run mine 15 minutes for every hour.