I also posted this on the main forum, so I apologize if you're reading this twice.

Does anyone have any experience with school back packs from Hanna Andersson? My trips will be starting kindergarten and I love the cute patterns of the new HA ones. I'd love to get my dd one, but am wondering about their quality and durability. We do love their dresses and other clothing, and these are made well, but I've never seen their back packs up close. Any thoughts?

Otherwise, I am considering Land's End. I am thinking I'll get Land's End for the boys anyways. These seem to be sturdy enough to last a whole school year with the boys (I hope!). Am I correct? Or are there other options that are better out there? For preschool, we have always gotten the character ones that are sold at various retail stores. They held up ok, but weren't used every day, so I worry that the wear and tear of constant use will make them not last.

Thanks!

Kim
Mommy to Constantine, Nicholas and Gracelyn
Born Aug 18, 2005 at 34w6d
Baby brother Matthew, born Mar 3, 2008

Can't speak about the Hanna Andersson backpacks but I LOVE the Land's End backpacks. The quality is amazing and if there are issues, the return policy is wonderful. The backpacks easily lasted a few years with my rough and tumble boys. Kindergarten and 1st grade paperwork isn't heavy. There are not a lot of heavy books that come home. Thus, the backpacks for the younger grades tend to last longer. Lands End is a great choice.

Sharon
14 year old bbb + 18 year old son

Thanks Sharon! From the ages of your kids, it sounds like you should definitely know. My boys will put their backpacks to the test, as they are rough on everything. Must be a "boy" thing. I know we don't need super-big ones, as they won't bring much home, but I know they will be dragging them all over the place.

Kim
Mommy to Constantine, Nicholas and Gracelyn
Born Aug 18, 2005 at 34w6d
Baby brother Matthew, born Mar 3, 2008

They need to be able to hold a 1" 3-ring binder, even for K or 1st. Otherwise even the cardboard folders will get mangles. AND little kids don't necessarily bring home heavy books, but mine brought home HUGE library books. Not thick, just big. I would suggest not getting the Small Haul or smaller sized packs. The regular ones look huge on the little guys, but they all look like that.

MonsterMom6
10 year old ^b^ b twins @ 30w5d (1 survivor) and
8 year old gggg quads @ 32w0d

Lands' End backpacks are guaranteed forever. I bought my kids cheapo character packs for Kindergarten. Two reasons: their brother had one and that's all they talked about.

When they started 1st grade (and my DS 3rd) I bought Lands' End and told them my expectation was that they would last through elementary school. One has a hole in the leather bottom (following 2nd grade) and we will be replacing it. I'm going to try to buy on sale and then use the $12 I paid to apply. It won't cover the entire cost of a new bag, but we'll have a new bag for a pretty good price. The only thing is that I got them on clearance so I didn't pay $30 and a new costs that much. You need to keep your receipts, especially if you pay full price. Otherwise they'll pay you lowest clearance price. They change the patterns enough that you won't get exactly the same.

I had the plan to do the same with their LE lunch boxes too. But they really only lasted one year. Glad I bought those on clearance. Two had some quality issues with the liner, so I replaced them during the school year. The rest just got stinky and couldn't be unstunk.

MonsterMom6
10 year old ^b^ b twins @ 30w5d (1 survivor) and
8 year old gggg quads @ 32w0d

I bought Disney backpacks for K since they were cute and I thought, "what could happen to a backpack in K?" Well, we replaced them with Lands End backpacks for Christmas that year. Those backpacks lasted through fifth grade and are now used as sports bags, over night bags, church camp, etc. They are indestructibe - they've been dropped, drug on the sidewalk, spilled upon, and washed in the washing machine and hung to dry and they still hold their shape. We replaced them with LL Bean backpacks because of the size and pocket options and I've been extremely pleased with those, too. Hopefully, school books will be on ebooks by the time I need to buy another backpack...

Robin
mom to b/g/g 6/26/99
Seventh Graders

Well, I have decided on Land's End and am hoping the quality is as good as it has been in the past. My next decision is what size to go with. I am torn between the med vs large ones. I feel like *maybe* the med ones will be too small, even for Kinder, yet the next size up most certainly seems like it would be too big this year... but better for the next several years. So, do I get the smaller ones and know I'll need to replace them sooner than what I was hoping, or go for the larger ones and have the kids lugging around backpacks that are much too big for them this year? I think I'm leaing towards the larger ones. Hmmm.

Thanks for all the input everyone!

Kim

I know this sounds CRAZY, but get the extra large. We learned last year when purchasing new for middle school that Lands End had redesigned their classic back packs - good, but books and binders are still square from bottom to top. The traditional classic that we had was larger than the redesigned large. The inside compartment as well as the straps are adjustable so you'll be able to use it longer without the kids being swallowed up by the size. Also, there are usually very helpful comments from customers as well.

Robin