Customer Reviews L.L.Bean Kids Kids Original Backpack

Background: I am 35 years old having graduated in 2005 and my parents bought me a navy blue "Deluxe" book bag in 1999. That bag held up to all kinds of abuse, being stuffed full of heavy books, guitar cables and pedals, and all kinds of other items every day, all day for years. After high school, I still used that backpack for gigging with my band, travelling, hiking, canoeing, and even used it as a diaper bag when my son was born. I still have the bag to this day (24 years later) and used it daily to keep a change of clothes and some essentials I need for work. The inside of the bag started peeling and leaving white flakes on everything in it so I shelved it. I truly was and am completely satisfied with the old Deluxe backpack. That backpack is an old friend, and was with me through so many stages of my life. Enter earlier this week: I decided to replace it because I was tired of my clothes having white flakes all over them. I stopped into the Cranston, Rhode Island store to see what my options were. I had the choice of the new "Deluxe" backpack, the "Classic Mountain pack" or this "Original Book Pack." After careful consideration I felt that the Original book bag would fit my daily needs and it fits like my old one did. I purchased it in royal blue, disappointed that the "Original" only comes in bright kid colors but I don't care too much about that. This "Original" pack is an icon in the industry. Originally designed for adults and children in 1982, it is a shame that L.L. Bean doesn't market it as such and offer a wider array of colors. Onto the bag: This bag is a literal perfect design for a simple effective backpack. One large compartment, one pocket with organizing panels for keys, pens, flashlight, first aid etc.(which I LOVE) and one very handy "quick access" pocket in the front of the small pocket which has plenty of room for anything you want quick access to. I love the reflective stripe on the front of the pocket especially when cycling with it and I really love the addition of a bottle holder to the side. It fits my 32oz Nalgene bottles easily-yet securely and I love how it isn't a mesh pocket (like the new "Deluxe"). I wish the carry handle, straps and trim weren't silver colored. I understand L.L. Bean is marketing towards parents of small children but the bag would look great in it's classic 1982 form in black, or go back to the classic khaki color straps/trim. This bag is a classic through and through with a design that looks great no matter where you carry it. The quality is where I start to take points away from this bag and even the newer "deluxe" model. The backpack by design is made to be strong, with seam taped seams for no fraying of the nylon but the detail work on the seams is horrible on my example. The extra fabric sticking out of the seam tape is stringy and fraying on a brand new bag and although it doesn't affect the function, it really is miles behind my old bag which had surgically-precise seams inside. The second issue is the nylon material itself. It is noticeably thinner and cheaper feeling than the smooth nylon my old one is made out of. The nylon almost feels like polyester. The material is thin, and I doubt it will hold up like my old pack especially on the bottom of the bag. I felt the "deluxe" model had the same cheap fabric and has two garish silver, cheap looking mesh water bottle holders on the sides. Seeing reviews of that bag, my suspicions are clear about the cheap fabric and mesh holders and the way they break and fall apart. The next point is the zippers...these are cheap, chrome plated zinc zippers that are found on all kinds of lower priced product. These are not YKK quality like on my old one and used on some other bags by L.L. Bean. I use a zipper lube on all my zippers to make them smooth and these are still low quality feeling where they resist way too much. Maybe with time they will break-in and become smooth, but I have my doubts. My last and biggest complaint I have is with the fabric rain flap covering the main compartment zipper. This is useless (my old bag didn't have any) and always catches the zippers when I try to open the main compartment with one hand while driving or active. I wish this bag didn't have the flap. Final thoughts: In total, I really like this bag. It's low cost, great design and iconic look all make for an appealing product. I really feel like L.L. Bean is missing out on marketing the heritage of this bag, and the how long lasting and frankly "cool" it looks on both adults and children. That said, my old "deluxe" bag made in 1999 had better components/construction and because of that lasted 24 years (maybe I can repair the inside to remove the peeling coating) and use it for another bunch of years. I would hope that L.L. Bean would manufacture these bags to a standard and not to a cost, because I feel that the old L.L. Bean did exactly that and earned the loyalty that customers like me have to the brand.

Hey, Beans, as a lifelong Mainer, we LOVE your products! But we've gotta talk about backpacks for a second... please bring back some better colors! We had some amazing colors in the 90s and 2000s when all the kids in our family had these bags. Now, we all have our own little kids and they need backpacks soon, but the colors and patterns aren't as cute as they used to be. The patterns won't last a kid 13+ years of school because they're way too juvenile and then the solid colors have been majorly boring the last few years!! Why are the only good colors on the Deluxe bag? Kids don't need such huge backpacks anymore because textbooks have been replaced with online versions, so the Deluxe size is kinda overkill. The Junior and Original sizes need those same cute colors, please! Lastly, can we PLEASE have TWO water bottle pockets? I'm still using my old LLBean Original bag for a diaper bag and my old Deluxe in eggplant for traveling, so these bags go the distance (they were purchased in 1993 and 1998). But I often carry water and a coffee or water and sippy cups, so a bottle pocket on each side would be a game changer.

Backpack came looking used and a bit scratched up which was unusual

It's not the same as the backpacks we had as a kid! The material and zippers - you can just feel the difference. I hope LL Bean sees this and brings back the old quality! I'd pay more for the old quality bags!

Honestly, disappointed!! I bought 2 backpack for my daughters.. the 1st one was perfect!! High quality, well made and color just right. This one is the total opposite!! Cheap thin material . Color is lighter than the picture . And no any compartment inside the bag. It's just a big no no, but unfortunately I couldn't return it because it shipped really late and I received it 2 days before school started.

The straps were really uncomfortable for my son and daughter so I ended up returning these.

Why is the monogramming so small? First no original colors now the size of the letters. Three stars because Ive always loved LLBEAN backpacks but they doing too much now.

My 4th kid, but 1st boy going off to kindergarten so I need to find a good "boy" backpack. After reading the reviews, I had high hopes for this bag. We live in upper Midwest and need a bag that can hold snow pants, shoes, and a lunch bag. If your child's needs are the same, keep looking. This bag is way too small.

We've had this backpack just under a year now and, while it performs like a backpack should, I can't say it's worthy of anything other than an "average" rating. It's the durability (or lack of it) that drops the rating - particularly with the stitching. The backpack has several places where the seams have simply pulled apart. It's a shame because LL Bean has a reputation for high-quality, long-lasting goods...this product, at least, seems no better than cheaper options from big box stores.

I want to love this backpack- it's such a classic, simple design. Unfortunately for my 5.5 year old, it's way too big for her and the straps are SO classic I.e. basic that there is no way too adjust it to fit her torso better.

Custom lettering is much smaller than expected, and with thread ends extending out on some letters.

These are well-made, classic school backpacks. I used one for probably 20 years. But these don't work for my kids because the straps cut in at their necks. My older son used one for a few weeks in 3rd grade, but his neck was rubbed almost raw and we sought another brand. Tried this style again for my younger son, going into 3rd grade. Same problems. Returned.

We have ordered 3 previous backpacks for our children with no issue. However, I ordered 2 of these backpacks for my twin boys and was not 100% happy with what we received. For some reason the lettering on one of the backpacks was much smaller than the other, it just looks strange because it's so small. I would have returned it but my kiddo doesn't seem to mind (he's 6 and was just excited it has his name on it). I just found it annoying that one was normal sized and the other abnormally small.

Love this backpack but it only has one mesh side pocket. All the stuff I need to grab - water, glasses, pepper spray, won't fit in one pocket.

Have used this backpack for many years (in light purple). Love the highly visible wide reflective strip, since I ride a bike. This amber color is a bit dull - would prefer a more gold-orange hue.

My daughter wanted the teal backpack we saw online. I didn't see the difference between the teal and what looked like darker teal... but when we got it the colors looked bad together. It looked like two backpacks had been patched together. Overall the backpack was decent but they need to nix the color combo ideas and stick with solid, or a nice print.

My 7yo loves the new bag and color (red). I find it to be rather large for him (despite him being average size for his age) and the material feels a bit cheap. It's so thin that after one day of using, the material at the zipper got stuck in the zipper (luckily we were able to yank it out without tearing). His taller water bottle also falls out of the side pocket rather consistently, so we put it in the inside larger pocket. I'm not sure how long this material will hold up, but for now it is fine.

The double colors are terrible looking. I wish you made a solid colors like the deluxe and juniors.

We absolutely love LL Bean. Their quality is second to none, and this includes backpacks. My kids other LL Bean backpacks have held up beautifully, but my oldest needed a size upgrade. The backpack itself still gets a 5 out of 5, but the monogramming is extremely disappointing. It's TINY, and the font style seems to have changed somewhat as well. Bummed I have to return this one and get one without a monogram, but there's no point in paying for a monogram you can barely see. Photo comparison of a previous (Junior Size) LL Bean backpack monogram.

I, like other reviewers, had an LLbean backpack in school (early 2000s). My backpack was incredibly quality and lasted for years. I decided to purchase this one for my daughter so she could enjoy a great quality backpack as well. To my surprise, I opened the package today and saw a cheap, thin, nylon feeling bag. I'm so disappointed in the quality. I'll let her use it but I won't be purchasing again.

We bought this for my son and had it monogrammed with his name, but the name is so tiny it looks silly when there is plenty of space on the backpack to make it bigger. A year ago we bought the same backpack for my daughter, and they both have the same number of letters yet her name is twice the size. (Though we got her backpack in person at the Freeport, ME store). I spoke with a customer service rep, and she said the monograms are standard sizes and there is no way to request a bigger one. I'm really disappointed with how ridiculously small his name is. You can barely read it.

I bought this backpack for my kindergartener and noticed the reflective material peeling off during the first month of school.

The backpack is fine, a little cheaper quality than I remember but fine. The embroidery is so small, it looks like a joke.

Back pack is cute, but the water bottle pocket and front pocket have a lot more pilling than expected for basic use of a 1st grader. I don't see it lasting another school year before having holes. The lilac color is out of stock though so she won't let me try to exchange it. Got it for the durability, bummed.

Book bag was great the embroidery was not. But I must say customer service was amazing!