just bought one for my daughter. she loves it. the handle is easily to be pulled out and put in. The bottom of the backpack is protected. The LED wheel are so special from other brands backpack. When my daughter uses it at school. I saw other kids' eyes are shining too. :)) We love it.
This backpack has a great concept, but it is far too heavy for a child aged between 7 and 10. There is no extra support strap to go around the childs waist to shift some of the weight. LL Bean needs a lighter version of the backpack with the extra support.
My son is only 7 but was begging for a rolling backpack. I normally wouldn't spend this much on a backpack, but I wanted one that would roll well and not fall apart. This was WELL worth the money!! The lights flashing when it rolls are too cool and it is VERY durable. My son shows no mercy on those wheels and they hold up GREAT. Lots of pockets for storage. I will be buying one for my daughter when she starts kindergarten.
My daughter is in third grade and all of her text books and folders barely fit into this pack. Being that she's probably going to have more items to transport in the next two years in elementary school, I'm not sure this pack will be uselful for her. For the money it's a really nice pack but unfortunately it's not big enough. The top is rounded. Perhaps if it were squared off it would work a bit better.