With back-to-school excitement in the air, I have seen all sorts of backpacks pop up in stores and on the internet. But I always wonder how well do these backpacks really hold up? Today I’m bringing my tried-and-true experience with Skip-Hop Zoo Packs.

Three years ago, I ditched the diaper bag when my son turned 1 and purchased the frog backpack. I wanted a small backpack that I could use when I dropped him off at a friend’s house or at our church nursery. I was also hoping the bag would hold up until he went to preschool. Thankfully, the backpack has exceeded my expectations and we used it for preschool last year. After a full year of preschool, this is what the backpack looks like now:

Something spilled in his backpack and I never took care of it properly. Shortly after taking this picture, I threw both backpacks in the washer, on gentle cycle, and air dried them overnight. The stain isn’t completely gone, but the backpacks are spiffed up and ready for one more year of preschool.

Despite being a small size, the bag easily holds an extra change of clothes, diapers, wipes, water bottle, snack, and special things in the front pocket.

It is a little small for a regular-sized lunch box. I didn’t get the coordinating Zoo lunch boxes, so I don’t know if those fit inside the backpack. I noticed last year, my son’s preschool teachers preferred to stick his lunch box in his backpack. There was some difficulty doing that, so my son ended up carrying his lunch box home most days.

I love all the details on the zipper and eyeballs and other things that make the backpack look more like the animal.

I purchased the ladybug for my daughter when she turned one, a year ago. I also use the backpacks for holding special toys during road trips. They are a great size for small children. After three years, Skip-Hop has added to their Zoo inventory. If I was to choose again, I would probably pick the dinosaur for my son and the butterfly for my daughter.

What is your favorite backpack?