I thought this pack was a little on the expensive side but I love LLBean quality and my kids needed a rolling back pack to carry around their mountain of school books. I bought two packs. They lasted one whole school year without problems. Just this year the metal clip for one of the straps broke on my daughter's pack. The school is enforcing a policy of no rolling backpacks so she has to use the straps this year while she's on campus. Today I called LLBean to see if they could send me a replacement clip which I could take to a shoemaker and have repaired. LL Bean was kind enough to replace the whole pack. They really stand by their products. I don't know of another backpack I could have bought with that kind of guarantee. And, even though the clip did fail after 1 year, that's really the most I could have hoped for out of another brand of backpack and my son's pack is still functioning without problems.
One wheel on the first backpack my daughter had stopped lighting up within a couple months, disappointing but not worth the hassle of returning. However, well before the end of the school year, it stopped rolling all together, so we had to return it. What was the point of having a rolling back back if the wheels are dysfunctional? (Although after reading the reviews, I should be grateful it did not fall off!) We replaced it and so far this second one is fine.
It is a bit small overall, with her lunch bag and swim stuff, only a few books can be squeezed in, but she loves the multiple compartments and it is a nice looking backpack.
No problems with the actual product. However, we ordered the "shark" color. Nowhere on the page does it mention what color the backpack actually is. On our monitor, it looked hot pink, but when we received it, we were surprised to find out that it is actually red. Just a warning to fellow shoppers.
Every year before school started I would go out and but my daughter a new backpack, only to have it self-destruct half way through the school year. Last year I decided to check LL Bean's backpacks because they always have quality items. I wasn't disappointed. Although I initially balked at the cost of the backpacks, I am happy to say that the Critter Pack still looks brand new after a rough year of wear and tear. It is true...you get what you pay for, and this is a perfect example of that.
