Daylight Backpack for 7 year old?

[Amy]

Picking up on my enthusiasm for Tom Bihn products, my 7-yr-old granddaughter has decided she wants to become a Bihnion. Her current school bag is a typical inexpensive made-in-China kid's backpack with a fraying strap. She loves to carry my black S19 when we go out somewhere (she wears it with the sternum strap), but she really loves the look of the plum Daylight Backpack-- she even shopped the website herself, found the bag, watched the video, approved of its organization, and asked me to please order it for her ASAP. She thinks it would be a great bag for school and summer trips.

My concern is that it's going to be too long for her torso, and will be awkward for her to carry without a sternum strap. I feel like the S19 is a pretty good size for her, but the DLBP is an inch longer and has no sternum strap. Have any of you forum members tried this bag on a skinny 7-year-old? How does it work? Also, if she carries pointy/hard school things like folders and notebooks, will it be uncomfortable on her back? Am I better off to get a different sort of bag with more padding or built-in organization? I prefer a 2-shoulder carry bag for her rather than a cross-body, because I think it'll be better for her back. (I carried a backpack on one shoulder during my youth, which made one shoulder end up an inch lower than the other.)

In other news, my daughter in law (my granddaughters mom), who is an elementary school teacher at the same school my granddaughter attends, is admiring the Dyneema Synapse 19. We test packed her teacher stuff in my S19 and it fit well-- even the big 3-inch binder she carries daily. She thought it was comfortable on her back, and she likes the idea of using it this summer as her single carry-on for their upcoming trips on Spirit Airlines. I think the S19 is a perfect teacher bag and carry-on travel bag for her.

I like the idea of both of them marching off to school with their Tom Bihn bags, but I want to make sure I'm really getting each of them the most practical bags for their uses.

So... anyone have any experience with the DLBP as an EDC and travel bag for an elementary school child who weighs about 50 pounds dripping wet?

[Ilkyway]

I did pictures with my 5 and 7 year old last summer, but I have tall girls (because I am tall). If you give me measurements I go and measure them and take a new picture with the girl of mine near the same hight.

You have to consider, that there is no sternum strap on the Daylight Backpack. My 5 year old often uses one of my S19s around the house because she can secure it with the sternum strap.









(Disclaimer: These pictures are heres somewhere in another post too, so nothing new.)

Ilkyway

[Amy]

Ilkyway, thank you for the pictures. I remember seeing them a while back when you first posted them, but couldn't find that post. I'll measure my granddaughter when I see her next (1 or 2 weeks from now). I know the S19 is a good size for her because she wears mine around and tries to carry it for me whenever we go out, always with the sternum strap. I just worry that the lack of sternum strap and lack of shoulder and back padding will make the DLBP not as comfortable for her as the S19. Do your kids prefer the S19 to the DLBP? I suspect my granddaughter is mainly interested in the purple color.

[Ilkyway]

They never use my DLBP because the straps do not stay on when they are jumping around (these girls do no know how to walk. It has to be jumping or running or what have you).
I had asked them to model for these pictures. As for a purple (or pink) S19: I am totally on board! Darcy, what do you think? Sometimes girls gotta be girls, right?

Ilkyway

PS: If you are in no hurry, than I can do pictures with the Synapse 19 too, but not before London, I am starting to feel giddy. So when Easter has past... but than I'll have a 6 year old and a nearly 8 year old. How time flies by...

[Amy]

Thank you so much, Ilkyway. That's my suspicion: she won't really want to use it because the straps will be too loose and the bag too big and unstructured for her. If I'm going to put her in a Bihn bag, it should probably be an S19 which I know for a fact fits her and is easy for her to carry.

So now my challenge will be to either get her to warm up to blue, or to find a different brand of bag for her altogether!

Thanks for your help. By the way, your kids are adorable.

[Ilkyway]

What about gray/uv with very cute and girly zipper pulls in purple or pink and maybe a cute charm on one zipper bull? Have you seen my S25 in gray with the Tom Bihn UV Zippercord? I think on a smaller bag it should cute everything up quite nicely.

Ilkyway

PS: Have to give a ton of credit for considering such a great gift for your granddaughter

[nimikor]

Having sent 4 children through the school system I was continually shocked at the weight of the children's EDC bag.

One way I was able to manage that with my children was to not let them carry bags that were too big for their body size. As we all know with bags - contents will always grow to fill available volume.

I LOVE Tom Bihn bags because they allow me to be efficient and manage the size/weight of my packing.

With that said, I believe these back packs are too large for children to use as EDC for school books. Given their design and price point, they seem to be targeted to adults.

I would suggest getting a smaller, size fitting, bag for a 7 year old and replace it as she grows. That will allow her to learn how to limit the amount of things she carries and it will be much more comfortable for her.

Just my opinion.

[Bijouxandbeads]

That's my suspicion: she won't really want to use it because the straps will be too loose and the bag too big and unstructured for her. If I'm going to put her in a Bihn bag, it should probably be an S19 which I know for a fact fits her and is easy for her to carry.

This doesn't address the issue of the bag possibly being too big and/or unstructured, but I don't think it would be difficult to have a sternum strap added to the DLBP. you can pick up the webbing from someplace like REI (they sell by the foot), and the clip also. You could either have it sewn directly to the shoulder straps (anyone with a sewing machine could do this, or a shoe repair place if you don't have access to a seamstress or a machine). If you didn't want to sew directly to the straps, the webbing could loop snugly around the straps and be adjusted to the correct position when clipping.

I also like Ilkyway's suggestion of the S19 in gray with UV interior, then UV cord pulls and other decorations - I saw those pics and that makes a striking combo. Add in a few UV accessories (or even a plum Q-kit that could attach to the outside), and that might even thrill a 7 year old, especially once she saw how the UV interior just pops when a zipper is unzipped.

Anyway, you have lucky grandchildren! You'll have such fun getting them different bags as they grow. And think of the presents that can be "wrapped" inside, like art supplies in a spiff kit for a budding artist, or a winter hat inside a TSS...

[timothy]

One thing -- besides the wisdom of that nimikor says above -- is that some kids, no matter how smart, adorable, or otherwise good, are not ready to carry around hundreds of dollars in losable stuff. I was a notorious loser-of-stuff as a child, and it can take quite a while to reach a more responsible state. I haven't lost any Bihn bags yet, though

So, if you gave an expensive bag as a gift to a kid, how at peace are you with the idea of it getting left on a school bus or left behind on a field trip? (Maybe it would never happen, of course -- some kids are utterly perfect on this front.) When I was a camp counselor, I saw some kids (teens or pre-teens) being berated by parents for losing or staining or otherwise besmirching some expensive item or other, and it always made me cringe a bit -- mostly the damage done seemed to be within reasonable expectations, and I thought the angry parents should go jump in a lake. They set themselves up for that situation ...

So, unless it turns out that they're way more mature than I was at young school age, when I have kids they are likely to get a series of cheaper, increasing-in-size bags, so reduce the pain of any given "left it on the bus" experience.

All that said, boy, an S19 would be a fantastic school bookbag, generally speaking.

[Amy]

Thank you all for chiming in on this. Ilkyway, I like your solution for adding a bit of girly color through cord pulls and little customizations. Bijouxandbeads - what a great idea to give little pouches and attachments as gifts to keep her organized. So much fun potential! I am always buying little fun outdoor/camping/travel stuff to play with my grandkids when they come over (camping games, tiny collapsible chairs, tiny travel blankets and pillows, hammocks, a ball that makes ice cream, a quick-setup cabana, etc.). They get really excited by all that stuff. I've taught them how to set it all up and put it back in the Camping Bag when we're done. I think it's good to show them how important it is to take care of your stuff so it's always there when you need it.

However, Like you, Nimkor and Timothy, I ended up at the conclusion that there really isn't a perfect bag for her in the current Bihn lineup, and that a Bihn bag is overkill for a 7 year old. I drove over to REI today and found what I think will be a good little backpack for her. It's a whole lot cheaper, is sized for a child, and has a sternum and a padded waist strap. Obviously it's not Bihn quality, but it's light, has plenty of organizational pockets and clips, will work for both school and and as a travel bag, and even includes a sternum whistle for safety. (I think all kids bags should have this.) Plus, it comes in a cute teal and purple which I know she'll like.

I like the idea of her learning to pack her own stuff. It'll teach her to think ahead about her needs, and to keep up with her own belongings. I think that's a great lesson for kids to learn.

I know there will be a Bihn bag some time in her future, just not yet.

[moriond]

However, Like you, Nimkor and Timothy, I ended up at the conclusion that there really isn't a perfect bag for her in the current Bihn lineup, and that a Bihn bag is overkill for a 7 year old. I drove over to REI today and found what I think will be a good little backpack for her. It's a whole lot cheaper, is sized for a child, and has a sternum and a padded waist strap. Obviously it's not Bihn quality, but it's light, has plenty of organizational pockets and clips, will work for both school and and as a travel bag, and even includes a sternum whistle for safety. (I think all kids bags should have this.) Plus, it comes in a cute teal and purple which I know she'll like.

I know there will be a Bihn bag some time in her future, just not yet.

@Amy, In a post in another thread titled One week trip, 1 adult and one child..carry on only? @haraya similarly mentioned the option of using day packs specifically designed for children (in this case, Northface's Sprout, which is for even younger toddlers, although they also have backpacks like the Happy Camper for young children.

There really isn't any current TB backpack designed for children, although there used to be a Rucks' Sac that you vpcan read about in an old thread that was similar to yours: Could Daylight be suitable for elementary school backpack?

Good luck with your selection!

moriond