As our children have gotten bigger, the need for them to carry a few more items than just a stuffy and a blanket have increased. We needed a way for the boys to carry some of their own gear with them in a backpack that could fit their small frames. The pack also needed to stand up to the constant use that our family puts them through.
While there is no shortage of options for backpacks for kids, finding something well-built, durable and capable is tougher. Because the pack was for children, finding something stylish, but tough was difficult to find. Many children’s backpacks are built with cheap plastic and vinyl that would crumble under the pressure of adventure travel. We discovered a backpack made by one of our favorite travel gear brands, the Deuter Kikki Children’s Backpack.
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What we liked best about the Deuter Kikki Children’s Backpack
We wanted a backpack that was light, easy for a toddler to carry, yet large enough that our 5-year-old would still find it usable. Having something future-proof was important, we wanted to invest in a product that would last us a few years of heavy use. We knew from experience, that a child’s narrow shoulders often have a hard time with backpacks sliding off of them. A sternum strap to keep the bag snug to their bodies and limit chances of our 2-year-old toppling over backwards from the bulk was important.
The Deuter Kikki Children’s Backpack fits the bill, with strong, lightweight, weather-resistant materials all built into a fun and friendly design that our kids absolutely love to take with them. Our packs were to be used not only for our travels, as a personal item to carry coloring books, tablets, headphones, crayons, and stuffies, but also as a school pack for their activity days and field trips. We’ve gotten far more use out of them than we ever expected.
The Deuter Kikki is built for small bodies
Deuter Kikki Children’s Backpack Features
- 600D Super-Polytex fabric
- Shoulder straps with chest strap
- Reflective detail at the front and sides
- 2 two external hook-and-loop pockets
- Name label on the inside
- Access: Top
- Pockets: 2 Side
- Weight: 340g
- Volume: 6 litres
- Warranty: Lifetime
The Deuter Kikki for Kids
- Great Style
- Our kids love the style and the size of these bags and have really embraced carrying them on our trips. The fun, bird styles make them a bit of a plaything.
- Easy to carry
- With the sternum strap done up, the boys have had no problems with the backpack falling from their shoulders.
The Deuter Kikki for Parents
- Less dropping
- The sternum strap is great for parents, as it means less leaning over and picking up dropped backpacks off the ground.
- Durable materials
- These packs have been to several countries and on countless local trips. They still look like they’re brand new. The quality of the materials is obvious as soon as you touch it.
- Lots of storage, but not too much storage
- Kids like to carry all their toys with them. The Deuter Kikki has enough room to carry a few things, but not enough for the toy chest. This make’s it easy to set limits to “what will fit in the bag”
These are our personal opinions and the Deuter Kikki Kids Backpack was great for us, but may not be perfect for everyone, so make sure you try it before you buy it!
Have you had a great experience with the Deuter Kikki Kids Backpack or do you have another children’s backpack that you’d like to tell us about? Let us know in the comments what you use with your children!
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I love the look of these – especially the bird design! I will be looking into kids backpacks soon too, as my eldest is finally getting too big for her Trunki!
Oh, I love a good backpack for kids. You are right about narrow shoulders and small frames. Chest straps are essential to keeping shoulder straps from slipping. This Deuter backpack looks really good for smaller children. My girls are 10 and 12 and we’ve upgraded them to 15 or 20L backpacks for travel, as they now double as cabin luggage with their snacks, some clothes and books. In the UK, the Deuter backpacks I’ve seen also cleverly include a rain cover which, honestly, is a godsend when it starts raining.
That looks like a great little backpack for small children. Looking for something for my 2-year-old and that might just be it.
This is amazing. I much prefer to wear a pack over dragging suitcases around and he is getting to that age where I can expect him to wear it and he will do it. Passing this on to the money-maker right now.
I was just thinking my kids could do with a proper backpack and these seem perfect: I like that they seem to fit different ages and the sternum strap is genius: I spend my life picking up bags!!! Love the bird design, my kids just asked for one pink and one green 🙂
My little girl is a bit big for these now but I love the design. Functional as well which is a rare combination.
This backpack is so cute! I like small, lightweight backpacks for my weekend adventures and trips. It helps me apply the “bring what fits” rule because I hate carrying heavy loads. I think I might get the green one to try out for myself =P thank you for this fun recommendation!
This is so cute! I wish I’d known about it when my kids were younger. I wound up carrying all their stuff because we couldn’t get anything that was comfortable and the right size.
Really nice backpack! When it comes to backpacks, Deuter is one of the top brands IMO. I have mine for 6 years, still as new. They are made to last:)
Love the backpacks, do they come in grown-up size too? Great looking functional packs for kids!
My kids would love this bag, and it’d be great for all our outdoor adventures.
I don’t have children but these look great! I love the colours they come in. It’s important for a backpack to be functional and sturdy.
That are cute little backpacks. Unfortunately my kids are to old for that. But I have to look what kind of other designs they have…
Love the call-out of “lots of storage, but not too much storage.” We’ve faced that exact problem and had to deal with too-heavy packs.
These backpacks look adorable! I bet you kids must love them. It’s a bonus that the packs are so cute as kids are probably less likely to leave them behind. And with the bright colors, I imagine that it is easier to spot your kid in a crowd if they do a runner. Great to hear that they are really durable.
How cute! I like that more companies are paying attention to the needs of families who travel. It seems like it’s both durable and functional, perfect for families on-the-go.
I absolutely adore this! I really like the fun bird design. It is playful yet functional.
Haha these are very cute backpacks. I’ve been looking for a gift for my little nieces for a while and might really look into these a little closer. Thanks for the feedback and honest review 🙂
These backpacks are too adorable! Great design!
I like them. A few years ago I discovered Osprey packs. They have the most amazing guarantee- basically anything goes wrong, ever, they will fix it or replace the pack. I bought them for my young nephews figuring it will be a pack they have for a long long time!
My new pack is an Osprey Stratos. It’s fantastic.
I dont know about the kids, but I sure would like one. Those are some really cute bags.
I must say those backpacks are cute, and I want one for mysefl hahaha… I have a friend who swears by the durability of Deuter backpacks, in fact he prefers them over North Face. I have yet to have my first Deuter and I hope when I finally buy one I can have something as cute as those Deuter for kids.
Our Kid Carrier and my travel pack are both Deuter and they have been excellent products.
The backpacks look cute and colourful and more importantly if the kids are comfortable with these, than that what more can you ask for. Also another important factor is the durability, which seems to be taken care of.
Its great to have children carry their own things during travel, teaches them to have a sense of responsibility over their belongings. Love that it looks like a bird too, so cute!
Oh my gosh, these are so adorable! My daughter would love them, she is such a huge animal fan.