Backpacks

[abm234]

My girls have used their LL Bean backpacks for kindergarten, first grade and second grade. They are actually still in fine shape but just really dirty. (Amazingly nobody told them you were suppose to get a new one each year) My Mom is a teacher and was shocked when I told her they had used them that long. She said most of her students go through two a year! My DH is insisting we buy them a new one for third grade and I was looking at the Pottery Barn Kids ones. Super cute but super spendy. Has anybody bought one from Pottery Barn? Do they last?

Thanks in advance!

[Jenn Barrette]

I don't know...but I would go with another one from LL Bean if they lasted that long! LOL

[Stacey42]

Mine are from Land's End and they last a long time plus they give you a life time warranty so if there is a problem they exchange for a new one or give you credit for the purchase price toward a new one.

My oldest got his in kindergarten & at the end of 3rd grade his bag had a seam give out near the zipper. Land's End no longer makes that style but I got a full purchase credit toward a new one & I could return it to Sears for the exchange.

[scrap2day]

If they are just dirty I would start by washing them.

If not, then I would say to either go with LL Bean again (because they seemed to have worked so well for you) or Land's End because of their unbelievable warranty.

Here is info on how people wash their LL Bean backpacks.

I wash various cloth shopping bags that I use at the store. Some don't wash as well and some come out great.

[SirScrapalot]

We got the girls LLBean ones this year too...You can't really go wrong with the price and how long they last. We've never bought Pottery Barn backpacks, but some of the things we have purchased from them look really nice, and cost a lot, but don't always last...again, though, I have no idea about their backpacks.

[isaacsmom]

I'm another LL Bean believer. I bought my son a backback and a lunchbox at the beginning of Kindergarten and he is now going into 2nd Grade and they are both still in perfect shape!

[YepBrook]

We have Pottery Barn rolling backpacks and they are such great quality!!! My friend's son had a strap in his PB backpack come loose on one edge and she sent it back... they replaced it without any questions. If you buy PB backpacks, grab the ones on sale: http://www.potterybarnkids.com/shop/...-luggage-sale/

[Jennilyn]

If there's nothing wrong with the ones you have now, just wash them! Or if the kids are getting bored with them and want something new, don't spend a lot of money on new ones that will last long because they'll get bored after a while with those ones too! My girls have had LL Bean ones for a year and will continue to use them until they are run down!

[rach3975]

We've been using Lands End, and they hold up very well. DS1 used his first one for K and 1st. It was still in good shape, but he needed a bigger backpack last year so we got a new Lands End. DS2 is very hard on his things, so I expected his bag to last only 1 year. It made it through K in good shape, so he'll be using it again for 1st.

[nikkiARNGwife]

DS has used the same one from pottery barn for K and first grade. It still looks brand new but I will have to get him a new one this year bc it's the small size and he's outgrown it.

[julifish]

I second washing the ones you have first. We have always bought cheap ones at Old Navy or Target and they end up with holes in them by mid-year. So last year I decided to buy JanSport and High Sierra. They not only lasted all year, but they both have Life Time Warranty so if they get a tear or the straps break I will be able to get them replaced.

If they just want something new I'd go with one that has a good warranty and that way if something breaks you can send it back and get a new one. They could also switch them out when they want.

I know in college I bought a JanSport and use the warranty twice to get new ones when my husband's dog at the buckle off it once and then the strap fell off another time. They aren't as cute as some of the other ones out there but you can't beat being able to replace it if it breaks - no matter what brand you buy.

[mariewilcox]

Being that I'm from Maine, we are an LL Bean family all the way. Cheyanne is upgrading to the huge size this year since 7th grade requires multiple 2-inch binders and text books the size of unabridged dictionaries Can't beat the quality and the warranty.

[nesser1981]

I've gotten my kids new ones every year, but I don't spend a lot on them. Keira's have been from Target the last 3 years and I got Cooper's at Target last year for 3 year old preschool and then I got him a new one at the Children's Place for Pre-K.

[SmallMoments]

We got Luke a PB one his first year of preschool. It still looks brand new and he'll be in 3rd grade next year. I'm holding out on getting a new one until he complains that having his name on his backpack is uncool. lol But when we do, I wouldn't doubt it if I got another PB one. FWIW, we got his on clearance for $20 plus embroidery & shipping.

ETA: And just cuz he was so cute with a HUGE ol' backpack in preschool, here's a layout. LOL

[Milmomma]

My Ds got a Lands End one from grandma before Kinder and used it through 1st grade. He is such a shorty he's gonna use it again this year. (Year #3 with no issues) We got him a plain colored one so it wouldn't go out of style really.
My Dd starts Kinder this year and I'm planning on getting her a Lands End one for her too. Can't beat the warranty.

[lovely1m]

So glad I read this thread! My son starts kindergarten this fall and we just ordered him a LL Bean backpack. He loved it and I am so happy to hear it will last a long time. He picked red camo. Too cute!
This one:
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/62783...8&feat=818-SL0

[Sherri Tierney]

You mean backpacks wear out?

I bought my daughter a cheap Walmart one for kindergarten (because her preschool one wasn't large enough to carry a folder in) and she used it for kindergarten and first grade. *I* got tired of it so I found another cheap Walmart one on clearance and she used that for second and third grade. Last year (4th grade) I bought her a messenger bag and a matching backpack because she wanted the messenger bag so bad but it seemed so big for her. Both are still in perfect shape and will be used again. I got rid of the one she had for kindy and 1st but the one she had for 2nd and 3rd is still used as her emergency backpack (storm kit). My son had outgrown his preschool one too (our kids only needed to carry a change of clothes in preschool so we used really tiny backpacks for them) so he got a new one for kindergarten. It still looks brand new. I was really surprised to hear that some kids go through 2 a year. Yikes! I've never paid more than $10 for one and they have always held up really well. I'm glad my kids don't think they need a new backpack every year. In fact, it has become kind of a game to make everything last as long as possible. They reuse pencil boxes and notebooks and all of that stuff any time possible.

Lunch boxes on the other hand... I ruined DD's first one. I put it in the dryer and it melted. Oops. Her second one she got partway through kindergarten and it is still in perfect condition but it is Tinkerbell and she is going in to 5th grade so she needs a new one. Now, my son. Yikes. He wanted this Toy Story lunch box from The Disney Store. He had that thing wrecked within the first 5 months of school. He finished out the year using it but the plastic character appliques had torn off. The rest of it is still intact though. He'll need a new one this year too though.

I should add that while I get cheap backpacks, I pull at the seams and the zippers and the straps to make sure they are good quality.

[robinforman]

We have a PB one that my daughter has used for two years- still looks great! I throw it in the washer a couple times a year to clean it up, but it is definitely still going strong

[jessica31876]

my daughter used a Jansport one for her entire high school career. I bought my son a Fox backpack (these are for older teenagers of course) and it is still in really good shape every thogh he used it almost a year. He is rough on cheap backpacks. But Jansport have a lifetime guarantee and they are seriously amazing. I had one that was over 8 years old and still looked brand new!!

ETA:I got my son's Fox backpack at Tilly's. It does not have the lifetime warranty but it is meant to carry alot and pretty hevy duty reinforced stitching etc so I was ok with it.

[jessica31876]

oh just wanted to add when I bought a cheap one from walmart I would end up replaing it least once a year. The kids were not any rougher on them then they were the Jansport ones but it was just the quality of them. I dont have experience with PB or others mentioned as mind were bought for older kids but Jansport comes in plain colors like green or blue or black so they doont look to mature or to babyish and could easily go from elementary school to middle school.

[kristijoy]

I'm looking at the Lands End pack for my son starting kindergarten. I'm just not sure he'll like any of the colors in the style that I think is right for him. I'm hoping I missed something when I poked around on-line. I was hoping to just find one with a solid color!

[jessica31876]

these have solid and fashion colors. They will easily last several years too.

http://www.ebags.com/product/janspor...uctid=10192379

[AmberK]

Im letting my kids get the cheap character ones while they are still young and think they are coo. I remember getting a new backpack every year and it was my favorite part of school. Ryan is starting kinder this year and he chose an angry birds BP and Drew is going into 2nd and he chose a Mario BP.

[Sherri Tierney]

I guess my kids are just easy on their backpacks. They aren't easy on anything else so I guess there has to be something. LOL Really though, they carry them back and forth to school with a single folder in it and the occasional library book. Their jackets go inside once in a while and their lunch boxes, that's it. They rarely have anything heavier than their lunch that they are carrying and half the time they carry their lunch boxes separately.

Originally Posted by AmberK

Im letting my kids get the cheap character ones while they are still young and think they are coo. I remember getting a new backpack every year and it was my favorite part of school. Ryan is starting kinder this year and he chose an angry birds BP and Drew is going into 2nd and he chose a Mario BP.

That was my original intention. Then the backpacks held up so incredibly well that there was no need to replace them. My kids agreed that they would rather have a new video game than a new backpack

I have a backpack that I used part of high school and in college and I still use it for things and it is still going strong. It has a leather bottom on it and I've had probably 40 pounds of books in it and no problems.

[ZaCola3]

My boys have always had Land's End bags. At 18 & 20 I think that I have bought a total of 6 book bags their entire school careers. Zak used his HS one at college last year and will do the same this year. Connor will also use his HS one for college this year.
Landen has had two already one for pre-school and kindy and I upgraded it last year to the elementary age one and he will use it for 5+ years I'm sure.
I think Lands End and LL Bean are similar in construction.

[emmasmommy]

Originally Posted by AmberK

Im letting my kids get the cheap character ones while they are still young and think they are coo. I remember getting a new backpack every year and it was my favorite part of school.

this is totally us too we were just at target saturday and the girls were scoping out which ones they wanted LOL

[abm234]

I'm glad I asked. Very helpful thread. So, I washed up their LLBean bags and feel like a scurzball for never doing that before (did not know you could). Anyways, they washed up beautifully, look great, smell great and I convinced DH that they don't need a new one. My daughters are little pack rats like me and actually they are just fine with keeping them another year. So problem solved! Thanks ladies (and gentleman).

[color of my heart]

we always had LLBean backpacks. didn't help that my dad's father is in maine, and we drove past the outlet once each summer. we're big LLBean fans.. i'm trying to convince the boy that we should ask for LLBean luggage/duffels as a wedding gift.

back to backpacks- i got a new one my sophomore year of high school (2001), and i used it for the rest of high school. and it's still in perfect shape, 11 years later. it has some wear and tear, but nothing crazy. they wash REALLY well. wash in cold, but don't dry. let them air dry. mom usually hangs them on the clothesline when she does wash one (she has one, i have one, my brother has one). their replacement policy is awesome too.

no real advice on the PB backpacks. but my niece has one, and she prefers her LLBean one. the PB one seems to get dirty faster. then again, it's light pink. so i can see why it gets dirty.