R expensive lunch boxes and backpack's worth it?

[2002Disneybride]

Thank you for this!
Two years of preschool=two ripped backpacks!
I let him pick out one of the lands end ones and with free shipping, I am a happy camper--with a great pack for $19! I sprang for the monogram...

 

[MoniqueU]

My kids are older 11,12 and 16. None of them would be caught dead with a lands end or LL Bean backpack or lunch box. here in CA that stuff just is not popular like it is on the east coast. We end up with roxy, hurley and quick silver backpacks. They hold up fine and are in style. My kids also are too old for a lunch box, It's a brown bag or nothing at all. The would rather not eat then take a lunch box.

 

[gillenkl]

My daughter has been using her LLBean backpack for 3 years and I'm planning to let her use it again this fall. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it.

 

[JerseyGirl84]

How do the Vera Bradley bags/lunch boxes hold up. My DD10 wants a lunch box since many in school have one of those but not sure. We have no problmes with lunchboxes (I think I have 6 perfectly fine in the basement from other years) but I have to upgrade the backpacks.

My 5th grader got a vera bradley "vera" bag this year and a matching lunch tote. It's still in excellent condition and she will use it next year in middle school.

My 13 year old asked for a Hollister Book Bag and that has held up extremely well too. She just throws it around and it is extremely durable.

My twins that are eight, have matching backpacks and lunch boxes, one from Limited Too and one from The Children's place. The one from the Children's place was so cheap (price wise), but is also ready for another year.

I feel if you are sure you can get at least two full years out of a backpack, go for a more expensive one. I got the Vera one on a good sale of retiring fabrics.

 

[xmlguy]

REI and REI outlet have lots of quality travel gear.

If you want a virtually indestructible pack, look for the PacSafe products on sale. Slashproof, ripstop, with steel wire mesh internally and steel wire reinforced straps. When traveling abroad, I've used their backpack protector to secure my pack/luggage from thieves entering the room. I'd love to see their face when confronted with this, chained to the plumbing and fixtures:

It would be even funnier to see them after trying to get inside, only to discover that I've left nothing of value for them. I did it just to torment them if they tried.

 

[luvmy3]

I got dd an LL Bean backback 3 years ago on sale for $12 and it is the best backpack she has ever owned. With 3 kids I have been through my share of cheap character backpacks and if I totaled how much I have paid to keep replacing them it would cost more thanbuying all 3 kids new *good* backpacks. Of course I'm a budget shopper so last year I found my 2 dses backpacks from Land's End for $12 also, thanks to a post here on the BB. I can't compare the quality because they haven't started using them, but I have never had any problem with their products.

 

[kellia]

Oh, never get the character backpacks! Dd went through 3 kindergarten year, after that I got her a Jansport, we still use it and she's in 8th grade. We have an outlet here that I can get them for about $10, so I let her get a new one about every 3 years just because she wants a new one, not because it is worn. My twins are in Kind. this year, I have to wash their Jansport backpacks every other week because they get them so filthy (not sure how, guess it's just a boy thing). They wash great and still look like new! Dd had lighter color ones and those washed well, too.

As for lunchboxes, even the good ones don't seem to last forever with kids, especially when they spill milk in them, etc. I let them get a new one each year. They only cost about $5, and at least if they have a "cool" lunchbox, they won't mind me making them take their lunch every day, which save a lot of money!

 

[wdwmom0f3]

I love the LLBean ones for my son, but my DD insisted on the Vera Bradly back pack and lunch box. For what I paid for them, she will be using them for a while.

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

We also love the LLBean backpacks. My mother in law bought one for our oldest son this year and it is holding up so well. The Disney princess backpack I bought for our daughter on clearance at Kohls is falling apart in a couple places.

 

[Aristomommy]

I have bought various brands and it hasn't made a big difference. DD is rough on her lunch boxes and backpacks and we end up buying a new set each year. DS went through two lunch boxes at preschool this year as well.

I think we will invest in a nicer backpack this year for middle school, but the lunch box will be cheap and easy to replace. I did buy both of the kids a reusable water bottle that is PBA free. Those should last a while.

 

[mjkacmom]

I usually get LLBean or Lands End, and definitely worth the money. If they break or rip, you send them back, and they replace them for free, forever.

 

[2wildchildzmom]

Don't forget yard sales! I picked up 10 backpacks at various yard sales last year including a LL bean, most were a quarter and I think I paid $2 for the LLBean. I donate most of the packs to kids at school who don't have one (I teach 5th grade).

 

[Kanga+2Roos]

I found the best of both worlds with the backpacks/lunch bags at Disney Shopping. They are high quality, have great padding on the staps, lots of zippered compartments, and even a front pocket that has dividers in it for pencils and odds & ends. The lunch bags that they carry are just as heavy duty & they have clips on them to attach the lunch bag to the front of the backpack. All this & Disney characters on them to boot! I have been very pleased with how they hold up & haven't had any issues at all with them. They definitely will definitely hold up for a few years!

Last fall they came out with a larger version from the previous year so now they are perfect! You can get them personalized if you want & they always have great deals on the new styles for back-to-school sales or you can watch for them to go to the outlet section shortly after the school year starts.

I'll be using these until my boys outgrow the character stage, then I'll jump on the LL Bean/Landsend bandwagon too!

 

[dougsmom98]

I did not read the whole thread, so someone might have already suggested this. You could always sew a character patch onto the backpack. My DS had a Red Sox backpack and didn't want to give it up, but it had a hole in it. I decided to get LL Bean backpacks for all my kids and I promised I would sew a Red Sox patch on it. He was fine with that. I actually still haven't sewed the patch on it, but he hasn't bugged me for it either. He is perfectly happy with the backpack now.

 

[CanBeGrumpy]

My son has used the same backpack from first grade through 6th grade! It is an Eastpak that I got at Marshalls for around $25. I ask him every year if he wants a new backpack, but he wants to stick with this one! Frankly, I hope he wants a new one next year; I'm sick of looking at this one! Although, it is remarkably clean-looking considering it is in it's 6th year of use!

 

[Goofyzgurl]

DD got tired of her LLBean backpack before it wore out. I love them. I bought one when I went to college and I still have it, years later.

 

[chisnpeke]

LLBean makes GREAT backpacks. They last for years and years and are definitely worth the investment.

 

[maleficentmom]

I agree with the others regarding LLBean and Lands' End backpacks and lunchboxes. Both companies stand behind their products, and run sales/clearances on those items frequently.

Here are some ideas I've used for the "cool" factor: Choose a pack with embroidery/printed design (animals or camoflauge good for boys) or get a zipper pull with a character on it that can be placed on the backpack.

I agree, we were going through the cheapies like crazy. My daughter has caried her llbean 2 years and will carry it to high school next year, she drags it all over all day w/ a ton of books and doesn't use a locker so it is getting dirty, but it still is in good shaoe. She has twin friends that have carried theirs since 3rd grade and they are almost 15 now!

 

[JoyG]

My kids LOVE getting new backpacks every year. It makes them so excited about the start of school.

I have no problems buying a new cheapo backpack for them every year. So far, I haven't had to replace any mid year, but by the end of the year they're usually done.

My kindergartener has a Star Wars one this year too (got it free at Toys R Us with purchase) and I just noticed it has a hole in it, but there are only 3 more weeks of school, so no problem.

This year the twins wanted "flame" back packs...I found them for $10 each and they're holding up fine.

When they're in middle school or high school, I'll invest in a high quality one, but while they're young enough to get excited about characters or designs, I'll buy a new one every year. It's worth the expense to us.

 

[mommyrants]

DD5 has had the same lunch box for 2 years - it's an embroidered insulated sack from Lands End. I've found the backpacks from the Disney Store also hold up well (better than the licensed ones from Target). They aren't terribly expensive.