L.L.Bean Original Junior

Reviewers say the L.L.Bean Original Junior backpack is a simple but durable pack for kids in preschool or kindergarten. It's based on the same design as L.L.Bean's popular Original Book Pack (*Est. $25), but it fits younger children ages 4 and older and has a smaller capacity of 950 cubic inches. The backpack has one large compartment and two smaller sections with an organizer for pens and small items. A reflective stripe on the front is great for visibility, but parents say it attracts smudges and fingerprints. While most parents have nothing but praise for the L.L.Bean Original Junior, some reviewers would like to see a side pocket for water bottles, and we saw a number of complaints on L.L.Bean's website that the zipper gets stuck easily. For children ages 9 and older, reviewers recommend the Lucky Bums Dragonfly 15 (*Est. $60). This pack, which also comes in a smaller version for children younger than 8, has water-bottle pockets and both hip and sternum straps.

We found the best review of the L.L.Bean Original Junior backpack at Slate.com, where several packs are evaluated and subjected to various torture tests, courtesy of some kid experts. Even though the review is several years old, the details on the Original Junior are still valuable. For more recent reviews, L.L.Bean's website offers several hundred opinions. We normally don't give much weight to owner-written reviews on manufacturer websites, but these have a good amount of balance.