Customer Reviews L.L.Bean Kids Kids Deluxe Backpack

Great bag except for the zippers. Basically it's brand new and where the zippers take a turn at the corners they are already getting stuck. It's not as good as it's predecessor. Those bags lasted 20 years of daily use.

This is overall a good backpack. Quite large with multiple sections. We had one a few years ago that did start to tear on the bottom. It was replaced by LL. We decided to order a new one this year because the zipper got stuck on the original one. (It seems to be a design flaw.) Now the mesh pockets on the side are tearing with only 2 months of use.

The bag is great except for the top zipper. It was for a 12 year old and I had to constantly try and unstuck it when he zipped it close or tried to unzip. The last time I was trying to unzip and it got stuck so badly I had to cut the flap above the zipper to get it open. The bag material is to close to the zipper and you have to move it out of the way when closing or opening.

This is the third LL Bean backpack my son has owned and to be honest the quality has gone down over the years. The zipper on this is more flimsy and kept getting stuck. Had to cut through the zipper to get his books out at school.

Plenty of room for all of my middle schoolers things but the two outside pockets ripped within a month of her using it.

Bought 4 backpacks for my kids for school and one of them has a broken piece already. I couldn't believe that for what I paid for them, that the one didn't even make it a full month.

The only reason I'm giving it 3 stars is because I've had 4+ llbean bags, and I love loved them and almost never had any problems. After using this at school for 3 weeks, as I went to zip up my large zippers, they BOTH got stuck on the "decorative fabric". I had several family, friends, and teachers try to help me, but the zipper won't even more. We will be sending this back to llbean, and getting a a new bag.

L.L. Bean backpacks are a 7th grade tradition in my family. My son got his brand new pack going into 7th grade this year and in the first week of school his zipper was stuck in the fabric and that side is now unusable. I got mine in 7th grade and still use it to this day, so I am surprised and disappointed that my sons pack is already broken. I don't know if the quality maybe isn't what it used to be, or if the design has changed. Everything else about the pack is still awesome. Great storage solutions, big pockets, and I love the addition of the electronics pouch. Would be five stars except for the zipper problem.

We love these backpacks but the newest order for my third child was a disappointment. We already have a water bottle holder tear.

I love the bag despite the issues I ran in to. I've had these backpacks since I was a teenager and in college. The last two I bought had to be returned or exchanged due to poor quality. First one had the top loop come apart after 8 months. I exchanged it at the store and then the second one had its zipper get stuck and broke apart while trying to free it from the material. That one was returned to the store for a refund. What bothered me was the manager telling me that there was no more in the store when in fact there was six when I went online to reorder the same bag shortly after I left. Wish he was a little more forthright and it as if I was going through bags at a whim. Both returns were in great shape and I've been a frequent customer at the King of Prussia location.

Liked size & features, but waist strap is too short. I wear pants with 36 or 38 inch waist size. With the adjustment at maxium it is uncomfortable and with a light jacket it would probably would no reach far enought to latch. I called and was told they do not have an entension strap available which would be a simple fix. Was disappointed something this simple could not be corrected.

The backpack itself is great. The seams and zippers are sturdy and my son loves the style with all the pockets for his stuff. It's perfect for him in terms of design and size (3rd grader). The only bad part is that the netting on the water bottle started ripping the 2nd week after we got it. We just had to exchange my older son's backpack for the same reason. I think the stitching on the elastic at the top of the holder isn't quite sturdy enough in some places. If the tear stayed at this size, it would be fine, but my guess is that it will spread and completely rip off. I was hoping that it was just a fluke with the other one but the same thing is happening with this one. If your kid doesn't use the water bottle holder, then it's a perfect bag. I called to ask about exchange options (can exchange for same item or return and buy a quad pack for $89) and they said that they hadn't heard of the water bottle holder ripping, so maybe it's just bad luck on my part but since two had same problem, I figured I'd share my experience.

Shortly after my grandchildren used their backpacks the reflective strips were wearing out from rubbing up against things. Since they only use them for school I figured they would last for a few years. They did not. The zippers are getting stuck on the seam material that has come off the seams. This is the first time I've been disappointed with anything I've ever purchased from LLBean.

If you're expecting to get a backpack as trusty and reliable as the one you grew up with, check resell sites, because this is NOT the backpack you're looking for. After only one school year, we had to replace it, as BOTH zippers were caught on the zipper cover and would no longer work. The straps were frayed at the shoulders, and the lining of the main compartment was peeling off. The padded straps, which are now curved, seem shorter and make for a strange fit on your back. They're also wider and stiffer. The keyhook, or USB hook on the interior is now plastic and breaks easier than the old metal ones. My backpack from 1996 is still being used, and we've had none of the issues listed above.

It was difficult to determine the actual size of the bag based on the information available on the website. I have rubbed raw spots on my wrists trying to put the bag on my back. The bag is bigger than I actually need, but the color wasn't available in other sizes.

This is a fantastic basic backpack. The biggest complaint is that the side pockets don't properly hold a decent size water bottle. My middle schooler can't carry his nice LL Bean stainless steel water bottle because it is constantly falling out, and when it falls out, it is very loud. The last think you want in middle school is to draw unwanted attention to yourself, even if it is just from your water bottle hitting the floor in the middle of class. His water bottle isn't even that big. Just a 20 oz Kleen Kanteen. I might try to rig an elastic loop so he can start carrying his water bottle again. For now, he is using a smaller plastic (gasp!) one. Aside from the lousy water bottle pocket, it is a good bag.

I am a third year college student. I have had my LL Bean backpack for a year and a half now, so I feel like I have a good grasp on the quality and practicality. Pros: Cute - The backpack itself is very cute, I got mine monogrammed with my initials and it looks great. Durable - Nothing on my backpack has broken. My straps are in tact and so is the handle. It does get tossed around quite a bit, thrown in my car, thrown on the ground, etc. My laptop has also not broken through those things. Cons: Uncomfortable: I store my laptop in the sleeve provided, and it is constantly digging into my back when I walk. Not weatherproof: The backpack is advertised as weatherproof. Now I know this does not mean waterproof, but I think even weatherproof is a stretch. My campus has buses that take us from building to building, and when it is raining, even the 50 foot walk from the building to the bus stop in a light drizzle has the contents of my backpack wet. My laptop gets wet constantly, and the tops of my notebooks are always wet when I pull them out in the next class. One time, I opened up my laptop and there was water all over my keyboard. TL;DR: It's cute. It's durable. It hasn't broken on me after 1.5 years; however, laptop digs into your back when walking across campus. If it rains even a little, your stuff will get wet. For these reasons, I do not think it is a practical buy for a college campus despite its advertised "lecture hall" readiness.

The straps and material are very stiff. The straps are sewn close together at the top of the backpack making the straps are very uncomfortable around my neck and shoulders.

I bought this a few weeks ago and the top loop is detaching from the bag.

The LL Bean backpack I got around 2015 or so was one of my most treasured posessions, a perfect backpack in every way. Time will tell on the nearly identical one I got for Christmas this year, but right off the bat i am not a fan of the diagonal zipper on the outer pocket! It was better horizontal! Feels less intuitive to zip, and makes tylenol bottle sized objects more likely to fall out on the bus when I forget to zip it! Rated 2 stars because LL Bean had acheived perfection 10 years ago and although this change is both minor and stylish, it ultimately feels unneccesary, and since i plan to use this backpack as my primary way of carrying groceries and things around in day-to-day life for the next decade, i must condemn it in the strongest possible terms. Do Better, LL Bean.

I bought the 37L Deluxe backpack for my grandson a few weeks ago. He has had it for 10 days and already the side pouch for water bottle is coming apart at the top. I have 6 LLBean backpacks and 4 of them are from the 1990's. The 5th is the 24L I purchased in 2021. The first 5 are still in perfect condition after years of use. This one-10 days in and it's coming apart! I guess they just are not what they used to be. The mesh pocket could be a design flaw. None of the others had that.

Backpack is already falling apart and I've had it less than 1 month.

Got this backpack monogramed for my daughter for middle school. She loves all the pockets and places to store things. But the zippers get caught on fabric and a week into this school year, one zipper went off the track for good and we couldn't get it back. Now I don't know whether to replace it with the same bag and just hope it doesn't break, or get another brand. Seems so wasteful to throw away an otherwise good bag but the zippers are critical.

I purchased two of these bags for my kids since it is the same bag I had in middle school 30 years ago. Mine is still going strong. However, the kids bags both wore out in one school year. Both tore between the mesh side pocket and the elastic strap at the top of the side pocket. I contacted LLBeam about it and they only guarantee their bags for one year now. Not what they used to be.

This is the 2nd year in a row I am going to need to send this backpack back because the zipper continues to get stuck on the piece of fabric above the zipper. Once i finally get that piece out of the zipper it works but this continued every other week until the zipper finally got stuck and now both zippers have fallen off the track and the bag is useless. I have never had this much trouble with L.L. bean bags.