Herschel Supply Co.  Retreat Mini Travel Pack

I bought the Retreat Mini backpack for my 9yo daughter to use as her carry-on for a lengthy airplane ride. It fits her iPad, headphones and a few fidgets and snacks. It's very cute. And she loves the blue stripes inside. (Vs my larger "Little America" Herschel backpack that has the red stripes. For some reason she did not want those. Kids :) My only compliant is the straps were quite long without enough ability to adjust, so the back pack didn't fit her frame. I still gave this item 5 stars because maybe this backpack isn't intended for kids? I was able to have my mom fold over and sew the straps so they weren't as big.

The drawstring closure on these mini retreat bags is an odd design. Instead of the toggle with the button you depress to pull it out/in to open/close the bag, you have a fabric loop attached to a similar mechanism that you pull down on to release tension on the toggle to open the bag. It’s hard to explain, you definitely have to see it. It’s anchored to the seam where the drawstring channels are attached. I can see this ripping out over time if the toggle stays as stiff as it is now brand new. It’s a lot of tension on the seam. I’m not sure why they went with this design. It feels more secure for a drawstring, but I’m going to have to leave it open a little at all times in order to gain quick access to my wallet if I’m shopping with my kids.

I love the quality and the size of this backpack. The unique drawstring pull on top takes a little time to get used to. The little pocket in front is cute but fairly useless. Nothing is safe in there from falling out or being pickpocketed. The inside pocket isn’t very helpful either as it is more of a sleeve. I wish there were a few smaller pockets inside for a cell phone and pen - and a cord for keys. Otherwise everything just falls to the bottom and you have to fish around to find anything.

I purchased two of these. It was fast delivery, but the straps for both backpacks were so short, and it looked funny when wearing them as an adult wearing a child’s backpack. It would have been helpful if there was a description how long the straps were. Would love to return, but as the return cost is on customers, so I am stuck with these two. Please have a consideration to see the backpack and size comparison in person at any stores selling this item before making any payments!!

This is the exact size I was looking for. It’s perfect for 1 day in a city : water bottle, umbrella, a sweater and I am covered just in case the weather changes. Only bad note is that I would have liked for the straps to be more comfortable and less thin, maybe with a little padding. Small bag does not mean it’s not heavy (when you are small and thin, everything is heavy :joy: especially when using it for a few days in a row)

I saw my coworker with this bag but bigger and I fell in love with it I got the mini one and it fits everything, I was worried my stuff was gonna fall out but it doesn't, just wish it had a zipper inside, but u can't always have everything lol. I use to buy the fjallraven kanken bags but as soon I brought the Simpson mini bag I fell in love <3 !!! its a to go bag!!!

Don’t waste your money, there are so many backpacks of equal quality, similar size, and better storage in this price range. So I’m a big fan of mini backpacks in the 11-7 liter range so I thought that I would love this backpack. Unfortunately, there’s only one internal compartment and a very small front compartment. I couldn’t fit a pencil, an eraser, and a lipgloss in there. So either I would have to buy tiny bags to put my stuff in which is ridiculous or I’d have to deal with all my things strewn about in the main compartment which would lead to chargers getting tangled and my kindle being scratched among other things. The only internal compartment itself isn’t useful at all, I’d only recommend it for storing flat objects otherwise it will bulge. I was so disappointed and since returns shipping is quite expensive I was even more disappointed. The bag is good quality and a good size, but I would feel less cheated if I had just thrown my money about instead.

Overall a cute bag but the straps are terrible and surprising. I have loved all of my other Herschel items but the color of the leopard print is weird and not very pleasant and the straps are dollar tree straps. Hopefully it holds up. If the straps were even a bit higher quality I would be 100% satisfied with this purchase.

I ordered this small backpack because I wanted something that would help carry a few of my items but would not be too big to carry around. I’m able to carry my headphones, my ereader, a portable charger, and a few other essentials. I’ve really enjoyed this little backpack and the convenience it brings!

The perfect lil backpack! I have the mini and I loved the blue so much I had to get a second one in black. It fits my water bottle, umbrella, and a light sweater. It holds more than you would think. I love that you can dress it up or down. So happy with this bag.