Our second grader is on the petite side of life. She had a need for a bookbag with some style and flair, but would be durable enough for the comings and goings of a 6 year old. We saw that ubiquitous LL Bean Deluxe backpack was an option, but it was much too large for her frame and her schooling needs. While a great backpack, she needed something a bit smaller but not as small as an un-useful tiny backpack. This fits the bill perfectly. She looks the look, and we love the quality of the backpack.
Still waiting for more colors to be added to this line of back packs. Great bag with limited color selection. I have an OLD navy blue one that I use on the weekends but do not want another navy blue, or any shade of blue for a bag I can use during the week. And I'm not a red or faded purple kind of gal. LL Bean used to have a great deep green back pack, that would be a nice change.
I bought my daughter one in the 7th grade and she carried it in college. I have bought one for each of her girls, too. You can pay more, but you will never beat the quality.
I bought this backpack in the shark print for my little guy heading into JK, also had it monogrammed (he has a 3 letter name so it worked well!) I love that the monogramming thread is very monochramatic with the rest of the colours on the bag, which makes it easy for him to identify his bag but not easily visible to strangers. The print is amazing and the quality seems great. He is very happy with it, and the size is perfect for his LL bean lunch box, change of clothes, water bottle, books and notes from school. One star off for not having an external water bottle pocket - this small design improvement would make this product excellent.
