I got this backpack for my son when he started Kindergarten. He just finished 1st grade and the backpack has held up great. The outside looks just about as good as it did the day we bought it except for a little bit of the reflective strip has worn off. We are buying him a regular sized backpack this year and I will be sending my Pre-K son off with this one.
I've used the Junior Original Book Pack for years. I'm an adult, 5'2" and it fits me perfectly. Holds my MacBook Air, file folders, and everything else I carry around, including having a pocket for essential oils and another pocket for more stuff. I tried many, many packs and various bags before settling on this one. I bought it in black many years ago and one strap is just now beginning to fray where it is sewn onto the body of the pack. My ONLY complaint is that it's no longer available in black. I settled on red for now, but if black comes back, I'll order another one. My daughter used the larger LLBean pack all through high school and college; it was rugged and perfect for her.
Bought this pack for my son when he entered Pre-K (seven years ago). It served him well during school and was 'officially' retired as school backpack after two years. Since then, it has been: a summer camp pack, a swimming pool pack, a library book pack, and an all-purpose about-town pack. Most recently it traveled from St Louis to Prince Edwards Island (Canada) strapped to the back of a motorcycle. Although it has seen better days and looks quite scruffy, it still hangs on the rack ready for action. I am hesitant to let it go. Maybe it will be retired to the car trunk as an emergency supply pack. We definitely got our money out of this backpack and I would highly recommend it to others.
My son is going into 2nd grade and has used the same Junior backpack from preK4 on. Considering we went through 2 backpacks from a local big box store the year prior to this, it is a huge accomplishment! He rips and wears out everything he owns with the exception of his Junior backpack. I tell everyone when they are looking for a new backpack to buy this one. Thanks LL Bean for making such a quality product!
