Customer Reviews L.L.Bean Stowaway Pack

Well made and durable but I wish it had a few more inside compartments. It is definitely small, which is perfect for my frame. The outside mesh pockets, which are normally used for a water bottle, do not hold a tall water bottle easily. I have seen backpacks which have a strap above the mesh pocket which hold the water bottle securely. My water bottle kept leaning and tipping out of the mesh pocket.

Great design with lots of useful features. Size is perfect for me, it's bigger than I anticipated and easily can fit everything for the summer day hike and plus some. A minor note that the stitching at the end of the strap got undone after first hike, but it's easily fixable.

This has been one of my favorite backpacks ever since I bought it in 2015. This backpack lasted me a good 3 years (I stuffed it with a backpack, gym clothes, sneakers, everything!) and it treated me well. When the corners finally grew holes given that I use it to transport my laptop, I needed a new one but found the new colors and style to be so bleh!! I loved the color block colorways and stitch patch LL.Bean logo it came with. It was super stylish, unique, and functional. I plead you guys to bring back the old color styles and stitch patch logo! I'd be sure to be purchasing again if so!

Love all the pockets, the light weight and double strap for good alignment on the body. Today I walked 5 miles in the rain, and when I reached my car to leave, I realized the pocket on the lower half had filled with water so needed to dump it out before putting it in my car. Hopefully, I won't be hiking in the pouring rain too often!

Thinner material than I expected, but appears to be a good size

The pack is great (inside zippered compartment, comfortable, and roomy pockets) except for side pockets, which are too small to hold bottled water securely in place plus no pull tie on side pockets, which previous backpack had. My former pack lasted many yrs so I bought another one despite the side pocket issue. Pls bring back better side pockets.

seems nice. just purchased. need to use before i can justify a "5".

I have worn out several of these and love that they are compact and light. This one is a bit heavier, appears to be waterproof, and, I expect, more durable. My only quibble is that the little pockets on either side for holding water bottles, etc, no longer have a drawstring. I have storee sunglasses in these pockets on the old Stowaway and I'm afraid they may fall out in this new model.

Not what I thought it would be. It does fold up but does not fold into itself

I love this backback for weekend travel or a carryon bag. Its a little smaller than i expected.

Nice and light backpack, issues with the water bottle holder outside of pack. There is nothing keeping it tight so larger water bottles fall out. Other than that nice pack

I purchased one of these stowaway packs 4 years ago and used it sparingly on day trips in the city and on vacations with discount airlines. It's great to pack it up and fit it in a pocket but then have a daypack on vacation. It's got nice padding on the back and on the straps and plenty of useful pockets and compartments. However, it tore a few months ago under conditions that were a little surprising. I had a piece of pottery in there and an edge that may have scuffed another bag ended up tearing right through this. LL Bean has great customer service and I got this new bag which unfortunately costs quite a bit more than the same bag from 2017. The design is the same but the material on this bag feels different. It feels stiffer and denser so I'm hoping this iteration of the bag is just as useful but more durable.

I've had this pack a couple of years and appreciate it's light weight and durability. The small outer zip pocket is good for keys and anything you want to access quickly. The larger inner pocket is good for small things like phone, glasses, masks, and tissues. I haven't found the outer "flap pocket" useful. It seems too easy for things to fall out. But I'm disappointed with the bottle holders. After just a couple of uses the fabric tore. Doesn't seem up to LLBean quality. Maybe the water bottle pockets in the newer version are more durable.

My family owns 3 of these packs. They are great to pack away and stash in your car until needed for a quick hike or day trip. My only complaint is the water bottle pockets need to be much deeper. The current design being to shallow allows normal to larger size bottle to fall out constantly. I usually just end up carrying my water bottles in the main compartment and just use the water bottle pockets for items I'd like to be able to get to quickly, like snacks. ;0) Other then that I really like this daypack and would recommend to others.

Lightweight, large interior pack with lots of convenient pockets. The Stowaway process is too hard to do and the stowed bag feels heavy for its size and is bulky. Easier to lay flat. The water bottle pocket could work better if it was 1/2" deeper.

Lightweight. Strong backed fabric. Fabric seems water repellent. Easy access pockets. Smaller size and capacity than I expected but good for day hikes and some travel. Initial hike or 2 in warm weather made me question how cooling the perforated backing is...but it may be fine.

The quality and functionality is similar to the previous LLB version, which i loved and used a lot. The main difference between the new and previous versions is the lack of felt lining is the side pocket of the new version, which was a real plus in the previous style. It was perfect for protecting my phone and/or sunglasses. Luckily, the key fob in the smaller front zip pocket remains as does the front "stash" pocket and two side pockets for water or other beverage bottles.

I have returned this item For a Refund! It did not meet our expectations!

I have used this design for over 15 yrs. The past 2 bags both had the same issues with crappy cheap stitching. Lasted about a yr or under. Went to 2 LL bean stores one did not have a replacement and by the time I got to the other store a few months later no more switch out option. They both agreed the stiching on the inner pockets is not quality.

There isn't a hydration pack included in price of backpack. Sold separately

Bought as an airline bag to fit under the seat. Somewhat disappointed because it's not nearly as well made as the stowaway day pack I bought several years ago for day hikes. The bottle holders don't have a cinch strap like the old one and this one won't fit the larger airport water bottles. And the zippers and fabric don't seem as durable. I would have gladly paid more for my old stowaway model.

I loved the color and size of this back pack but it has a few drawbacks when in actual use. The chest straps are useless for women because they cut right across the breasts. The external pocket access is actuated by straps that leave dangling strap left overs. The two inner pockets are difficult to reach and once they are full make items in the bottom of the pack difficult to reach. One has to constantly rearrange the order of packing according to the day's or hour's need. The back pack is strong and well constructed but poorly designed. I expected it to be lighter than a standard book bag but it is lined and with all the straps does not meet that need. I did not use the waist straps so they also were dangling modifiers.

On the plus side, this pack is extremely lightweight and holds quite a lot. It works well as a "personal item" for air travel for that reason. I like the straps, including a waist strap. On the minus side, one of the inside pockets is virtually unusable the way it is positioned underneath another inside pocket. Even worse, a small outer pocket came apart during the second week of use, and several small items ended up lost in the lining. It took a lot of effort to retrieve the items that fell through the hole in the pocket. Sadly, it will have to go back.

I loved this pack for being light but sturdy. It held a volume of items while trekked through Switzerland. Sadly, the major drawback was on rainy days. The "stuff" pocket on the outside was wonderful to stash a light jacket or sweater for easy access. BUT, when it rained, I needed to protect the pack from the elements, as water would accumulate and drip into the pocket. Since it is waterproof, there would be a substantial amount of water lodged into the compartment, requiring it to be turned inside out after every excursion.

This is a back-up pack to [the stowaway water-proof] reviewed above.