Customer Reviews L.L.Bean Kids Bean’s Explorer Backpack Print III

This was an upgrade for my third grader. There are multiple compartments and enough room for her Chromebook and everything else. She loves the look and feel of it and I know it will last her a few years.

We have purchased the Original Book Pack for years, but have found a new favorite in the Explorer. It is the perfect size for my first grader, and she loves using the mesh front pocket for extra sneakers on "boot days". The folder pocket inside of the main compartment has been invaluable for keeping her papers and tablet organized, and the small pouch pocket in there makes a great spot for storing extra face masks and mittens. Overall I find the Explorer backpack to have much better organization and utility than the Original Book Pack, and the size and layout of compartments and pockets seems to be better thought out.

This is a wonderful youth backpack. One important thing I would suggest to LL Bean is to add parachute buckles on the straps along the chest to keep the pack in place. If your child is small, the backpack will fall off their shoulders. It's hard to run with the backpack on your back if the straps are falling down.

The standard for school backpacks

We haven't begun school yet but Beau has used his backpack everyday. It works for holding tools as well as books!

This is the perfect backpack for my Kindergartner this year. It has plenty of room but is not too big and bulky for her to carry. We also plan on doing some traveling soon, so this will be a great backpack to take traveling too.

I bought this for my 8 year old daughter for school and I am very impressed with it. She has gotten several compliments from peers; it is sturdy, bright colors, lots of pockets and perfect for her age and size.

Niece needed a backpack that wasn't too "kid-y", i.e., more like the big kids. This met with her picky approval. Tons of space and well thought out design. A Winner!

This is the 3rd one of these bags I have bought. It has become a right of passage to get one of these backpacks when each kid started school. They are great for school with a great inner pocket for the homework folder, a zip pocket for snacks, and outside pockets for water bottles. Great for family and scout adventures with lots of space and shove it pocket for sweater or rain jacket. Love these bags!

So glad we stumbled upon this backpack in our search for a "camo" print. So many pockets and compartments---definitely will hold up to lots of use. Hoping to get through 6th grade with this one! Very happy with purchase and LLBean service.

I bought this for my grandson that lives in Hawaii and he picked it out for me to buy him something for his first day in kindergarten!!! He loved it and I told my friend about it and she brought it for her son the same age!!! So cute and well made!!

Got this for our son in first grade after he outgrew the L.L. Bean Junior backpack. This one is fantastic! Big main compartment stores binders and books. Second large compartment great for lunch. Outer mesh pocket is perfect for the days where he wears a jacket in the morning but it's too warm in the afternoonor for bringing home awkwardly sized projects-all sorts of stuff can smush in there and get cinched in with the strap. There are a few extra accessory pockets here and there. He doesn't really need them yet, but has enjoyed putting little treasures (legos, matchbox cars, etc.) in the small interior (almost hidden) pocket. Love the water bottle pockets and reflector patches. He's seven and this bag fits his body well with room to grow for several years. I can see him needing to upgrade once he gets to middle school, though. overall extremely pleased. Highly recommend!

This backpack is awesome! It is very well made and sturdy. I use it every day to go to work and the straps are very comfortable. The colors are even more beautiful in person than online. I did a ton of research before deciding which backpack to get and I'm very happy with my decision!

The backpack seems great, and I bought it to last for a few years, but it seems TOO big for my second grader. Even he complained that it is too big for him. Gets confusing with so many pockets.

Granddaughter loved it. Very well made and lasted for years!

Bought this backpack for the third grandchild to start first grade in daughter's family. She LOVES the colors and her mom loves the way these backpacks last!oldest is in 6th this year and still using hers from first!

Our daughter is going into her third year using this backpack and it's still going strong. I washed it this summer and it came out looking great. After two years of daily use, the letters that spell "explorer" came off and the mesh water pocket is showing some signs of wear, but it should still last us through this year and possibly the year after as well. It's worth the money and I would buy it again.

It's been great so far! I've been using it as a school bag and I love all the compartments as they help me section things away so they don't get crushed by my laptop. My only complaint would be that there's no shark or other animal print for the larger backpacks. I was hoping I could get something that also doubled as a travel bag, but this one is a bit tight.

The backpack color (bright pink and tie dye) is amazing - all the fifth grade girls want one for themselves. The pockets are spacious and very functional. My daughter was able to squish her whole XL raincoat into the front bungee portion with the backpack already full of notebooks, school books, Chromebook, lunchbox and two thick library books. I took off one star because the water bottle pockets should be deeper to make it a perfect bag. There is elastic at top of bottle pockets, but a deeper pocket would feel more secure.

I love everything about this backpack except that it is missing a chest buckle to help keep it on. It is a little big for my 5 year old girl so a chest buckle would improve comfort and help keep it on. It is high quality and has lots of room!

Perfect size backpack for my elementary school kids. It is very well made, feels, sturdy, and has lots of great pockets. Only downside is no chest strap, but I ordered some online and added them. Now they are perfect!

I'm a little hesitant on the build quality. Was expecting slightly thicker material. Hopefully it will hold up.

We love LLBean backpacks, they are the only ones I buy for the kids. We just upgraded to this size for my 3rd grader and it's perfect. Only disappointment is that after only 4 days of use, the felt letters "Explorer" on the front pocket are already starting to crack and rub off.

This bag is great. It fits my 8 year old nicely with some room to grow. I like the contrasting orange with the camo a well as the multiple pockets. My only complaint is the mesh water bottle holder isn't deep enough. A 20oz bottle tips out of it very easily. We ended up putting it in the rear netting area. This works better.

This is a well built backpack but there are two things about it I don't like... First, the pockets on the sides for the water bottles don't go to the bottom of the bag. As a result, when you pack your child's bag and put in their water bottle, it immediately tips over. It would be better if the pockets went to the bottom so that the bag would stand up right. Second, the straps are really stiff. I am not sure why, but they aren't as soft and flexible as other Bean backpacks we have purchased. As a result, not as comfortable to wear.