Everything I've ever purchased from L.L.Bean has lasted multiple seasons and been worth the price. This backpack is no exception. It is made with that classic bean backpack quality, but is very large. I ordered this for my 9 year old daughter and it was difficult for her to manuver for the first few weeks of school. She's gotten the hang of it now, and will be able to get years of life from this pack. But parents...beware, it is much larger than it appears. The straps also get caught in the wheels when rolling because my daughter is not always mindful to tuck them away. But I am satisfied with this backpack and with the wonderful customer service I received when I made this purchase.
I purchased this backpack in July 2010 for the new school year for my 10 yr old daughter. She had been through tons of rolling and no rolling backpacks in her 6 years of school. I decided to take a chance and spend a little more money on a backpack and I am SO glad I did. The colors are beautiful and it is now Dec 2010 and the bag still looks brand new! I couldn't be happier! It is a perfect size for her and rolls so smoothly.
Family of 4 travels internationally for 2 weeks every year for past 5 years. Each gets ONE backpack. We have 2 rolling and 2 without wheels, all deluxe. Bought them all on remarkable sales throughout years. Each holds all our stuff (books go in bottom of rollers) and the kids get to click the handles up and down while waiting in line! Win, win.
ProsDurable, Great Value, Performing as Expected, great material, quality seams and zippers, quality handle and wheels
As a elementary school employee -I bought 2 of these after seeing tons of children at school with them. The children with LL BEAN rolling backpacks would use them year after year- and children who bought other brands would have to buy new ones each year- and some would even have to replace them before the school year was out. I have seen other brands rip, have handles to break, and wheels to fall off. However, I have never seen that happen with any of the LL BEAN bags used by kids at my school. My children use them as carry-on luggage when traveling and can pack 3 days worth of clothes in the bag along with other items. It saves us money by not having to check luggage. While at school they are able to pack it full of heavy books and not have to worry about hurting their back while rolling it from room to room. It has a sturdy handle on the top which helps you to lift it to go up stairs, curbs, or onto the bus. The handle is very sturdy and easily pulled up and pushed down. The hard plastic bottom does make it a lot less flexible than a regular LL BEAN backpack. So sometimes trying to cram stuff in it is hard- but the quality of the seams, zipper, and material are top notch and will take tons of abuse. One of our bags was dragged upside down across pavement and got a small rip/tear across the top of the bag (where the plastic support sheet is) and it has not grown in size. It has remained the same size even after cramming it full of books every day for months and months. That shows the quality of the material that is used. I would recommend this to everyone that has an elementary aged child in grades 3 and up. Depending on the height of the child... a second grader might even find this bag a great fit. However, if your child is really small, short, or has a hard time controlling pulled-wheeled items then I would wait until they are in 3rd grade to buy one. The bag stands upright - making it easy to put beside their chair or desk while in class- or near them on the bus. It has a top handle which means it could be hung on a hook if necessary. It has back-pack straps that tuck under a sheet of material and can easily be accessed if you want to carry it on your back. My middle-school aged child now only uses her rolling backpack for travel and spend-the-night parties because she cannot get it into her locker at school due to the plastic bottom. She now uses one of the regular fabric LL BEAN backpacks. (one that can be crammed into a tight space) This is a great product. It is well made. It is worth the money because it can stand up to abuse and should last for many years. I highly recommend this as an educator and a parent.
