Kindergarten Backpack - Crocodile Creek

FYI: w Haute Look has Crockodile creek backpacks, lunch boxes, etc. on sale for 75% off!! I just bought my 7 yo and 3 yo lunch boxes yesterday SO CUTE! Can't wait to get them.

EDIT: They were up to 55% off, not 75. . . my bad, but still super cute!

My 13 year old has had her LLBean Original Book Bag for 3+ years and it shows no wear. My 10 year old has an LLBean Critter Pack and it also looks like new (I wash them at the end of each school year and occasionally in between, then air dry). We also have the LLBean lunch boxes and those also get thrown in the washing machine at times when they are too sticky to wipe with a cloth. Like another poster, we will never buy anything else but LLBean backpacks. Others at Target and Walmart are cheaper ($15-$20 versus $40+) but those only last one year, if that. But when they were smaller we used to go find the character backpacks they liked (mostly Disney Princesses) and then simply get a new one the next school year.

Hi,

I was looking at those for my Kindergarterner but they didn't seem big enough. We're going with Land's End this year. They have great sizes and even have a featherweight style for the little ones. I also confirmed that their back packs are lead, PVC and BPA free.

Good luck!

We have used LL Bean for years and usually get 3+ years out of them - the thing that goes first is usually the zipper, but that's when the kids are older and are shoving heavy textbooks into them. We have a zipper place that replaces just that part sometimes - depends on the seams and how they are constructed. I've actually never done it for the backpack but I have for jackets. Kindergartners don't usually bring a lot of stuff home - just papers and notices usually. You mostly want to put the lunch box in there and then they're always putting hats and gloves in when they don't wear them. The books start a few grades later. The best thing you can do is go to the bus stop or the school drop-off area and see what everyone else is using and how full they are. At our bus stop, the little kids have extremely lightweight backpacks because nothing's in them! By the way, the schools may say "no wheels" because they don't fit in cubbies or lockers. And younger kids drag them upside down and sideways, and they get beat up anyway.

When my son started preschool, I bought him a really nice preschooler backpack (it measured 11.5 x14). He used it for the two years of preschool and we started kindergarten with it, but we had to get a larger one to finish the year. He would bring home so much stuff, plus the lunch, snacks, extra sweaters, etc. that he would have trouble packing up in the afternoon. We found a quick Lands End replacement at Sears. For the price, it was a good backpack. Since then, we have gotten both a pottery barn and LL Bean backpack. I like both of them and they have withstood a lot of wear and tear. If you have either store near you, I would recommend having your son try them on and try opening and closing the zippers. More than a fashion accessory, it needs to function and hold up to every day use. If you spend more now, it will be a backpack your child can use for many years.
Good luck,
C.

Our kindergarten supply list said a "large, non-wheeled" backpack. After checking, it appears large is 16-17inches. We got a pottery barn kids one, as they are very durable. We looked at ll bean, because I heard how good they are, and I also heard they have a guarantee. But my daughter didn't like any of the colors/prints.

I have never used a crocodile creek backpack, but I can recommend Skip Hop backpacks. They are adorable and durable. Plus, they come with a matching lunch box, so cute! Here's the link

http://www.skiphop.com/product/21020.html

Best of luck!

I am in the LL Bean camp! I have 4 children and they have all used and still have their Backpacks. We got the smaller one for K-2 and then they wanted the deluxe after that well worth the $$$.

I have never used a Crocodile Creek backpack, so I can't comment on or recommend it. However, I do have a recommendation, the Lands End ClassMate Smallhaul (for ages 5-8) it's 11x16 in size. My daughter had her Lands End bag from kindergarten thru 2nd grade (at which time she needed a bigger bag for school) but she was still able to use it @ home for 2 more years (for sleepovers & such). Good Luck!

yes they do the job. They last long enough for the job at hand.

Here are some reviews:

http://www.amazon.com/Crocodile-Creek-4644-3-Dinosaur-Bac...

I recommend LLBean backpacks. You can either use the junior size or the regular (the reviews say the junior size is good up until 2 nd grade). They last forever (are very well made!)

I've wasted my money on the cheaper backpacks through the years. But we bought a Diadora Team Backpack a few years ago when my son was in 5th or 6th grade and it's still going strong as he enters 8th grade. It still looks great (yellow still looks clean...how'd that happen!?!), holds a ton of stuff for older kids (including a pocket for stinky sports stuff), and it's bigger than any of the backpacks I've gotten for him before (18" x 17" x 9"). This probably would be too big for your little one, but keep it in mind as your kindergartener gets older. I bought it on sale at a sports store but they're available at lots of places here online (see below).

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&amp...

I've got to say those skiphop bags look really cute! And I know lots of my son's friends have the LLBean bags. Good luck!