Customer Reviews L.L.Bean 42 L Comfort Carry Portable Locker

We bought this because my son has to haul SO many books and a big binder to his classes. His other bags have ripped within weeks. While this bag did start to rip/come apart at the shoulder straps, it only went about a centimeter on each and stopped. It lasted the whole school year. No issues with zippers or fabric ripping and believe me! Is really heavily loaded down with books. While waiting for this one to come in the mail, we got him a cheap one and it was shred to pieces, fabric coming apart, zippers stuck by the end of day ONE. He starts high school next year and we're hoping it will hang in there for one more year. I wish it was quality like the backpacks from 30 years ago, but we'll take what we can get.

Great option for my son but the strap tore after only a few months of use. Plenty of space and compartments to keep him organized.

Very roomy, solid and well designed! Only quibble is the side pockets could be deeper to keep the H2O bottle from sliding out. Otherwise makes excellent use of all the space. Great device section. Perfect for teens who have a lot to carry.

My son says he likes it overall. He does with the straps were closer together because sometimes they slip off his shoulder when his winter jacket is on. Other than that, it's a good backpack.

Pros - It is the largest capacity book bag we've found. Works great for middle schoolers without locker access. Able to carry all notebooks, laptop, lunch box, and sweatshirt inside this backpack. The bottle holders on sides are generously sized. Comfortable to wear fully loaded without chest/waist straps. The zipper for the laptop section is covered by a flap, which makes it harder to open which is likely by design (water proof) and could be considered added security. Cons - Fabric where shoulder straps attach at the top were fraying after a couple days. The LL Bean logo was peeling off at 1 month. Will be researching options for warranty/replacement once summer break occurs. The little pocket on the top would have been better designed as being horizontal shaped, as it hangs down into the sections were notebooks are stored.

This comfortable backpack has a useful variety of pockets. The fabric and zippers are not as sturdy as similar past models.

I do love how much space this backpack has. I like the separated compartments. It feels flimsier than other L.L. Bean backpacks I have had. I wish there was some reinforcement on the bottom and insides to make the compartments a little sturdier. Unless it's packed my stuff just kind of flops over and it's easy to lose stuff in there. There are 3 pen/pencil slots but only two are useable. The third one is sewn so close the edge I can't fit anything in there. It's comfortable and easy to wear, but the lack of sturdiness makes me cautious about how much to really put in it.

I had an older model before this one and the water bottle pockets completely ripped out. These are better but barely big enough for a Nalgene and the mesh on the side pockets are fraying already. Other than that I really like it

I bought this for my 12 year old daughter. She rates it a 4 because she is unable to withstand the weight of the pack when it is filled to capacity. She prefers to carry her laptop in a separate shoulder bag, but she also refuses to use the strap around her waist. I rate it a 5 on account of durability, the number of compartments and overall appearance. It might just be a little bit large for a small female.

It's heavy and the first pocket stuff falls out of it

It's a sizeable backpack with useful chest and waist straps for support. My high schooler wishes it had a few more pockets.

Overall pack. Wish it had more pockets and the side water bottle pockets were larger.

So far so good. Roomy, bottle holder much deeper than deluxe which ripped a month before school ended(the book bag not bottle holder) hence why we purchased this one. Hopefully this one will last the entire school year for the price we paid.

I got the bag and it was extremely large. I really like the bookbag and it fits alot of my school stuff including 3 2 inch binders, and huge text books. I have been trying to get a replacement/return it as the handle broke, but the color is out currently and i can't get a replacement

My daughter got this for college last year (2021). It carries so much, which is great when you have back-to-back classes and no time to return to the dorm. There is space for the laptop, charger, etc and it stays organized. She got a bright blue which makes it easy to spot among the sea of backpacks. The kids use open cubbies or corners to drop their bags in the dining hall or group meeting places (often there are 50-100 bags...seriously). Having the bright color helps to locate bags quickly to move on to the next class or meeting. My only request is that LL Bean bring back the color selection with bright colors. All the colors available are muted or muddied. When you have a group of bags like that, it is more difficult to differentiate your bag, even if you add a trinket on it. We have another child leaving for school his year, wants the same bag, but not the colors available. Please bring back this back pack in more colorful options.

Lots of room for binders and books while still allowing space for a laptop. Expandable and comfortable to carry.

Comfortable. Lots of compartments but shoulder straps are a little too wide.

This backpack was the largest size we could find. It holds all my sons books. The school does not have lockers so he has to carry 5 text books and 3 note books. plenty of room. It is comfortable to wear. We did have to return the first one due to the strap coming apart. But the return process was easy. The replacement backpack works fine. The top u strap is coming apart, however that was mentioned in previous reviews. but overall a good backpack for a middle school kid.

All around good backpack. Carries all of a highschoolers books and sports gear.

I bought this backpack for my son to use for college. He carries it every day to classes. The laptop sleeve does a good job of keeping his 15 inch laptop secure, and the interior compartments are good at providing space and organization for everything else. The exterior water bottle holders also work well, a feature that has been improved from earlier designs. What I would change about this is the front pouch pocket that is awkward and flaps about unless he latches the side buckles. The backpack also has an excess of straps and buckles that seem overly-complex and unnecessary. Otherwise, the pack is great and I expect it will see him through the duration of college and beyond.

I have been using this backpack every day as my work bag. I love it! The pockets are good, the small one on the top is my favorite--perfect for my cell phone and keys!

We like the backpack overall, but the top loop broke in less than a month without being used for carrying the pack. We liked it enough to exchange it for the same pack, but I expected more from L.L. Bean.

Great back pack. Holds so much. A little heavy for everyday use.

I ordered this backpack for my daughter for school since the other large bag is no long available. She does not like the front part of this bag. She says it sticks out and looks weird. She preferred the bungee tie front. She also says she wishes this bag had the bottom zipper pouch for her shoes like the other bag. Also, my daughter had asked me about me not having it monogrammed. I told her I did not remember it being an option on this back. I went back to look and did not see an option to personalize. It is not a bad backpack, we just both agree the other style was better for her needs.

I am back at work and use this backpack everyday to carry everything I need. I take the train, so it is important I have all that I need for the day. This backpack is great and it is indeed VERY roomy. I love all the pockets and the zippers are smooth. The side bottle pockets fits my big LLBEAN water bottle. I love the front pocket to carry an extra sweater in case the train is cold. The reason I did not give this review 5 stars is due to the shoulder straps. I read this by other reviewers before buying, but still went ahead, and now I know what they mean. When you have a lot of items, the shoulder straps do not sit comfortably over your shoulder. The solution to this is to use the clasps over your chest and your waist. Which.. for back support, I would prefer this anyways. It isn't a deal breaker, as long as you will use the clasps. Overall, it's my new go to backpack. I am female, 5ft 5inches, 120 pounds. It is not too huge on my back. Hope those details help someone, as I wish someone had shared that when I was reviewing whether to buy!