Cascade Backpack - Standard

My 7th-grade daughter and I selected the Cascade Backpack - Standard together online, and our only issue was that there were so many great colors that she took forever to decide! She eventually landed on the unique chocolate shade, and it looks amazing in person. She uses it daily and absolutely loves it. The build quality feels truly premium—a big step up from the common JanSport bags most kids carry. The wide opening makes grabbing books and supplies effortless, and the side pocket actually fits her oversized water bottle, which was a dealbreaker with other brands. A huge feature for us is that all the zippers come with rubber guards, providing great weather resistance so I don't have to worry about her gadgets getting soaked on rainy days. Stylish, practical, and well-made—we couldn't be happier!

There is so much I love about this backpack. The cloud color is fantastic, it has a ton of room, is very lightweight (despite what I had read in some external reviews), and the pop top style is great. I also like how easy it is to clean. There are a few things that I think could be improved in subsequent versions: - The small pockets on the inside (opposite of the laptop pocket) are very small and do not open up well. It's very difficult to fit your hand in there to grab things out, and I have relatively small hands. Only very small items can be stored in there without it being a pain to get out. - I do not like the elastic and Velcro closure of the laptop pocket. I've had these closures in other backpacks, and the elastic tends to stretch out very quickly with a large laptop, not to mention that the Velcro easily snags on sweaters if not tightly secured. I would much prefer something like a snap closure with multiple attachment points that would be more durable over time. - It's great how adjustable the straps are since I am short. However, needing to adjust the pack almost all the way up, the straps are very long and left dangling awkwardly. I tucked them into the D rings, but they are still loose. It would be nice if there was a plastic clip or belt keeper loop already attached so I didn't have to buy them separately to keep the straps secure. - This is more related to the shipping rather than the design, but to ship the backpack flat requires that the plastic pieces on the button have to be a bit warped and bowed out. It take a while for them to naturally flatten out without wanting to bend them severely in the other direction and risk damage, so it took a while before the backpack would stand up on it's own without falling over.

This bag has everything I ever wanted. It is now my new favorite bag. I see no flaws in its design, materials, or construction of it. The price is so reasonable too. I highly recommend it to anyone.