Just received it and it looks to be made of quality material, good wheels, and 3 very large compartments. We were able to fit binders, books, a lunch box, pencil bag, clarinet and case and a sweatshirt with some room to spare. BEAUTIFUL print with the Starry Nights - a big hit with my daughter.
Cons: No water bottle pocket on the outside of the bag for easy access (and to keep leaky water bottles away from all the books) and the handle does not extend very far. My 5 ft 11 year old maybe be squatting by the end of the school year to pull.
As an educator, a mother, and someone who is concerned about thoracic outlet syndrome (due to the weigh of backpacks carried over the shoulders and compressing the nerve tunnels that use that area as a pathway down the arms creating a carpal tunnel syndrome effect and NOT truly repairable), I applaud LL Bean for making a sturdy, simple, child-friendly backback that withstands my son's normal thrashing and trashing of equipment. Our backpack looks NEW, and it has suffered MILES and MILES of walking to and from school in the blistering sun of the Valley, being smashed against the cement sidewalks in LA, thrown into the water and into puddles in Toronto, Canada, on trips back and forth to the UK, and up and down stairs to and from the London Tube, over cobblestone in Wales... Our deluxe backpack is 4 years old. It has been through everything and is still in perfect condition except for one thing: The handle -- it is moveable, so it jostles all the time, and it eventually doesn't want to stay up only when you are not walking and stand the backpack upright. Yes, it doesn't carry legal sized envelopes and pads--unless you fold them -- and I, too, wish that there would be a few inches added to this length-wise. I want to focus and send this to people who have read the comment from the parent (Mother2235543) who stated that the handle was too short and the pack hit their daughter's knees: Make sure the handle is all the way up, and also: Your daughter in the picture is walking incorrectly with the backpack. We travel all the time and walk to school -- people who are 6 feet tall have the same backpacks and are fine with it. As Grant and Jason from Rhode Island would say: On to the next!
As an educator, a mother, and someone who is concerned about thoracic outlet syndrome (due to the weigh of backpacks carried over the shoulders and compressing the nerve tunnels that use that area as a pathway down the arms creating a carpal tunnel syndrome effect and NOT truly repairable), I applaud LL Bean for making a sturdy, simple, child-friendly backback that withstands my son's normal thrashing and trashing of equipment. Our backpack looks NEW, and it has suffered MILES and MILES of walking to and from school in the blistering sun of the Valley, being smashed against the cement sidewalks in LA, thrown into the water and into puddles in Toronto, Canada, on trips back and forth to the UK, and up and down stairs to and from the London Tube, over cobblestone in Wales... Our deluxe backpack is 4 years old. It has been through everything and is still in perfect condition except for one thing: The handle -- it is moveable, so it jostles all the time, and it eventually doesn't want to stay up only when you are not walking and stand the backpack upright. Yes, it doesn't carry legal sized envelopes and pads--unless you fold them -- and I, too, wish that there would be a few inches added to this length-wise. I *ALSO* do not like that I am seeing ONLY PRINTS on these backpacks. No one at University wants these two prints. Seriously, now, that has to change. Perhaps LL Bean is just out of stock, but I am NOT seeing a plain-coloured one with the reflective stripe. C'est la vie. I certainly hope that you are reading, LL Bean -- those prints are too limiting on choices for people!
