Bought this for my 5 year old grandaughter for kindergarten. Just the right size so she won't hurt her neck carrying books. So glad that L.L. Bean recommends sizes of bookbags for age groups. Too many kids in ER with neck injuries. Quality is so good, I am sure her 2 1/2 year old little sister will use it when she outgrows it.
I usually love LL Bean products and this one is no exception. The quality of the backpack is excellent. It is the perfect size for my 1st grader. The design is cool and different. Why then did I give this backpack only 2 stars? Because of two things:
1. The backpack does not have an outside pocket to hold a water bottle. While this occured to me when previewing the backpack, I didn't realise the importance of having a pocket until my 6 year old started school. I used to put his water bottle in the front pocket, UNTIL the day that the bottle accidentally leaked and soaked the entire front pocket! In my opnions, kids backpacks should not be made without a pocket for the water bottle!
2. The zip mechanism on the backpack is "hidden" meaning there is a flap covering the zip. It looks cool but is a complete pain! Its hard to open and close the backpack easily. My son complained about this the first day he took the backpack to school and it took him longer than necessary to open. His teacher eventually had to help him. I have taken to folding back the little "flap" of fabric before unzipping. This helps, but only marginally.
Overall, I think I am going to investigate returning this backpack to LL Bean and getiing him another one from their collection that is better suited for us.
I usually love LL Bean products and this one is no exception. The quality of the backpack is excellent. It is the perfect size for my 1st grader. The design is cool and different. Why then did I give this backpack only 2 stars? Because of two things:
1. The backpack does not have an outside pocket to hold a water bottle. While this occured to me when previewing the backpack, I didn't realise the importance of having a pocket until my 6 year old started school. I used to put his water bottle in the front pocket, UNTIL the day that the bottle accidentally leaked and soaked the entire front pocket! In my opnions, kids backpacks should not be made without a pocket for the water bottle!
2. The zip mechanism on the backpack is "hidden" meaning there is a flap covering the zip. It looks cool but is a complete pain! Its hard to open and close the backpack easily. My son complained about this the first day he took the backpack to school and it took him longer than necessary to open. His teacher eventually had to help him. I have taken to folding back the little "flap" of fabric before unzipping. This helps, but only marginally.
Overall, I think I am going to investigate returning this backpack to LL Bean and getiing him another one from their collection that is better suited for us.
My son (now 8) has been using this backpack everyday since he started his pre-school which is 5 yeas ago. Amazingly, it's still in great shape! No tear, no lip, and no damage at all! We are planning to get a new one for my son, since it's getting a little too small for 3rd grader. That is the only reason, otherwise he will still use it. LL Bean makes really excellent products!
