I bought the large messenger bag and was really surprised at its size! The bag isn't structured, so it becomes bigger than the dimensions listed, losing it's shape and giving a tad bulky feeling. I'm petite and it's almost too big for me.
I can fit all the things that I'd normally take to work driving my car, such as my purse, lunch, umbrella and extra layers. I'll be able to put a change of shoes in it when winter comes to Michigan.
There is a lot of places to store items. The shoulder strap is well padded and easy to adjust. The clasp for adjusting it does come open easily and a few times I've had to tighten it up again.
If it was a tad smaller and more structured, this would be a five star instead of a 4 star rating.
Ordered a medium- the size is great for packing daily essentials for school/work on campus. Can hold a few notebooks along with my lunch, or can even squeeze in my laptop (though not much else will fit in with it!). Love the number of zippered pockets to keep small items separated and secure. Used an LLBean Deluxe Bookpack for YEARS but found myself carrying around too much weight. This smaller sized bag makes me decide what I really need to bring, and no more over-burdened back.
I bought 2 med. bags. For my daughter in 5th grade it is fine, however my son is in 6th and it is not big enough. His trapper keeper takes up all the room. In middle school the kids have to carry so much more stuff. I had ordered a large bag but it was way too big. The difference between the med and large bag is huge. Plus when my daughter goes into 6th we will need to buy another backpack, not looking forward to making another purchase as I usually get 3 years out of the LL Bean backpacks. It is a nice product but it doesn't take the place of a backpack.
I ordered a pink, medium sized messenger bag for college. I love the style of the bag but would not recommend it for someone with textbooks! Carrying my bag around campus with just one textbook and binder tends to get a little uncomfortable on my shoulder. Also, if you're someone who always has exactly what you need for class (pens, highlighters, mini stapler, post its) there isn't as much "storage space" as I've had with other backpack.
