Does the Baby Sherpa hold more than the Land's End Triple Compatment Backpack?

[DAKnits]

OK, experts, here are my questions -- I appreciate any advice or help!

Does the Baby Sherpa (large version) hold more than the Land's End Triple Compartment backpack? Does it fit under the seat in front of you in an airplane?

Does the Baby Sherpa Short Haul hold more than the Land's End backpack?

Does anyone have the LE's backpack and either version of the Baby Sherpa? If so, do you have pictures of them side by side, or even some action shots?

Thanks so much!!!

[audball]

I will defer to the experts who own the Baby Sherpas, but I just saw the Short Haul and the Original Sherpa at a local baby store IRL this week and in my opinion, I don't think the Baby Sherpa holds as much as a LE TPB. The space on the bottom of the bag (in both sherpas) are strictly cooler space - it's difficult to tell in the pics on-line, but there is no "continuation" of the main compartment of the bag in the short haul. So essentially, there are two compartments, if I remember correctly- top space and cooler space. The original sherpa is larger but has the same config, I think.

The LE has three separate compartments, and while they squish down at the bottom of the bag (so essentially the each compartment narrows as it hits the base of the bag), there is space there. My reasoning in purchasing the LE bp is I am a pretty organized packer. If I need to put a cooler (like the JJB snack capsule, which I think may work in this case - or another one), I can, but otherwise I can use that space for extra clothes or something else I don't always need access too.

It really depends on how you pack. If you think that you need to "see" everything every time you open the bag, the sherpas may be a good idea. But at their price (running $70-$89?), I could get two LE's backpacks! I didn't see much use for the extra cord thingees and clip stuff on the Sherpas, but I know others here love the bag.

The LE BP can fit under the seat, but you have to put it laying down, so if you have a bottle or sippy on the side bottle pockets, I'm pretty sure you would want to remove them (yuck! airplane floors - LOL!). The short haul would fit no problem and the original Baby sherpa could probably lay flat on it's back too.

HTH!

ETA: I think ebags has some pretty good shots of the sherpa bags too! And they are going to be having a 20% memorial day sale soon...

[DAKnits]

Thanks for your help! Ebags is selling the Shorthaul for $68 and the regular size for $71, which is why I am considering them. I actually bought the LE TCB, and did a test run to pack for the airplane trip, and it's coming up a little short ... why is it that every bag I own is a couple of inches to small for what I want to use it for???

As far as the Sherpas, if I don't use the bottom portion strictly as a cooler -- if I put 3 snack containers of dry snacks, one container of cut fruit, 3 cloth bibs and 3 burp cloths, 3 bottles, 3 Lil' milk containers-- essentially everything pertaining to eating, do you think this would fit in the short haul cooler section, or would I still need the regular size Sherpa?

And for the top part of the bag, I'd like to put all of her toys: party favor size play doughs with shape cutters, her stuffed Tinky Winky doll that she can't live without (ughh), a portable DVD player and DVD/CD case, a couple of books, crayons, stickers, and paper. I would also need to pack one change of clothes (pants and a T shirt), a sweater, sun hat, blanket, 4 size 6 diapers, hard wipes case and a travel size wipes, diaper cream, and my long wallet and sunglasses(not sure where this would go). Ideally I would want to pack my camcorder in there, too, but if that's the one thing that wouldn't fit, I wouldn't buy the larger bag just to accomodate it. Do you think all of this would fit in the short haul or in the regular size -- or in neither of the Sherpas?

Is there a better choice than the three of these? The LE TCB holds a lot, but I don't have enough room for the camcorder (not essential), and not enough for the amount of bibs,burp cloths, milk, nd snack containers I want to bring. I can squeeze two bibs and a burp cloth, and maybe two snack containers -- not sure how I would get the milk in there.

I am also bringing the Swagg (or LE LT depending on how desperate I am for space) as my easy access bag to my ID, camera, and money. I *could* bring the LE LT and put the extra bibs burp cloth I need,two more snack containers, and a milk or two, but it would be a pain to have that as my quick little bag since I would fill it up quickly with the overflow that the LE TCB didn't fit, and it wouldn't be easy to access everything.

[audball]

Wow! I'm thinking that all of that stuff would be a challenge, even for the original Baby Sherpa backpack! :) I can tell you that based on the food you are thinking of packing, you should definitely consider the larger of the two bags. But honestly, the top compartment, with the camera holder thingee (not sure it's removable), would make stuffing all you want to stuff in that difficult. The space in these bags (someone who owns one correct me if I'm wrong) is not truly "open" for you to configure as you need. You would have to squish things in and out...

If the LE BP isn't for you, another large backpack with good organization is the dadgear backpack (Www.dadgear.com). I also checked out that one and, like the LE BP, it's triple compartment. It has a diaper hammock which may or may not accomodate your dVD player, which would be handy (and safe for the dvd player). The main compartment zips *all* the way down and it's depth can expand to 12". It looked huge on me and there are no current coupons that I know of out there for them, so you're looking at about $99. But it has lots of neat features (wipes are immediately accessible through a front panel, side bottle pockets which are zipped into the bag as opposed to being exposed in side pockets [has those as well!])....I just didn't think it was worth $99, because again, for us I could get away with the LE BP and the DG backpack wasn't 3x as nice! :)

Someone on babybags is considering selling her messenger. Maybe you should check that out on the website too!

[nfowife]

Rachel,
I just used the BSSH today for my trip with DD. It worked well, but I had it crammed full of stuff. If I had to do it over I would get the regular size sherpa instead of the short-haul. It's a great bag, but I would have liked more room so it wasn't so full I had a hard time closing it :) .I literally had something in every single compartment, inside and out!

[DAKnits]

Thanks so much for the responses!!!

I think I am the heaviest packer I have ever met or read about on these boards ... seriously. Funny thing is, even reading over my list of items, I don't think it's excessive -- I really "need" it all, LOL!

There's no sense to ordering yet another bag that won't fit my stuff, but I so like the idea of the bottom section being separate and that a cooler was part of the bag. Maybe the Baby Sherpa would be a good bag to have for zoo trips, Disney, etc... so I'm still torn about ordering it (as usual). I love the LE TCB and woudn't want to sell or return it -- whether I use it for this trip or not. I'm sure it will eventually be my two children bag for an all day outing.

I "could" force myself to not bring whatever doesn't fit in the LE TCB -- I've been trying this on a daily basis in an attempt to travel lighter during the days. I keep picking smaller and smaller bags, and whatever doensn't fit in the bag, doesn't come with me. For me, this is a big step, even though I've got extra supplies in the car LOL! Today, I actually forced myself to just bring the Swagg (we were only going to Mommy and Me class, LOL), and it was a little tough for me, but I did it and I was happy! :-)

I am going to check out the Daddy Gear bag now -- I had seen it on a site recently and it looked cool, but I thought it wouldn't fit on a woman's body b/c it's specifically made for men. I'm going to read about it again, thanks!

[audball]

Their new line for women is called Daisy Gear. That line will also have a backpack but it's still 18" long. But at least it will be in a feminine color (although personally, I do like the retro red!). They emailed me that when the Daisy line gets more established, they may consider altering the dimensions of the backpack.

Good Luck!

[basketcase]

You are in luck, my friend. I have ALL THREE backpacks (Sherpa, Sherpa Short Haul, LE TCB) in my possession, currently. My obsessive-compulsive/indecisive behavior got the best of me and I decided I had to "try on" all three backpacks in order to make my decision before my upcoming trips to NYC and London.

I will post pictures in a minute, I promise. But first, I will make you sit through reading my thoughts... : )

After getting the feel of all these backpacks in person, I have decided to return both Sherpas and keep the LE TCB. The regular Baby Sherpa was way too big and bulky for me to carry around all day; the cooler section alone is ginormous. And while the Short Haul cooler was a better size for my needs, the main compartment area just wasn't big enough for all my stuff. I decided my love for the LE TCB and its ability to hold and organize all my stuff outweighed my desire for a cooler.

Now, that said, I must add the disclaimer that I think I'm a MUCH lighter packer than you. Your needs are obviously different than mine, so you may very well decide differently.

In answer to your questions:

*The Baby Sherpa Short Haul does NOT hold more than the LE backpack. Period. I think you can safely cross the Short Haul off your list.

*In the battle between the LE and the regular Sherpa, it's a tough call. My personal feeling is that the LE TCB will hold more than the regular Sherpa because of the configuration. (Obviously this is a concern because you said you can outpack the LE.) The LE TCB is much, much deeper, and because of the three compartments, I feel it can fit more things. The Sherpa leaves you with a shorter main compartment. Yes, you can put other, non-food items in the cooler, but the cooler is short as well so that limits you. I needed a *longer* (taller) space for packing my stuff. But all in all, it's really a judgement call. Maybe there are more efficient packers out there who can fit more stuff in the Sherpa than I could. (This could very well be the case!)

Now, what else was I going to say? I can't remember. I've digressed. Let me see if I can figure out how to post pictures in my next post...

[basketcase]

Okay, I lied. I am having issues with Photobucket. How do I post pictures so they don't end up being ginormous on this page?

And now my son is stirring from his nap (figures). Will come back later tonite to post pics, I promise.

[nfowife]

Just make a photobucket album for all the backpack pics, and post a link to the album. Much easier!

[MamaKath]

The bags hold a similar amount. If you found the LE bag packed to the max, I don't think you'd find the Sherpa and better. The Sherpa distributes a load better IMO due to the multi level packing. If you decide to try a Sherpa don't get the Shorthaul, no way it would work. If you go with the Sherpa, you will need to use the cooler for more than just food. It sounds like either will be a stretch for the amount you are hoping to carry.

HTH~

[basketcase]

nfowife, thanks for the tip! That made it so much easier!

Okay, here is the link to my backpack pictures:

http://s69.photobucket.com/albums/i75/CrazyBagLady/

There are two albums, one for the regular Baby Sherpa and another for the Short Haul. (I didn't post pics of the LE backpack because DAKnits said she already has one.)

I took a side-by-side comparison picture of all three backpacks. Then I took some pictures of the insides packed with a few toddler items to hopefully give you an idea of size.

I'll be sending back my Sherpas in the next couple of days, so if you want any more pictures taken, just let me know asap and I'd be happy to snap some more shots!

I really wish the Baby Sherpa had worked out for me. It's a fantastic bag; it just won't work for what I need personally.

You can always order it from Ebags to try it yourself. If you don't like it, you can return it within 60 days and they will refund your money, less $4.99 for shipping it back.

Good luck deciding!

[Snowbaby 2]

I just took the Baby Sherpa to WDW and it worked great. For the long stings you need to carry I put my DD's books in the back next to the diaper pad. I hang jackets and toys off the bungee, stuffed animals and dolls also! It does fit underneath the plane seat and the cooler is easily accessible.

HTH

Snowbaby AKA Lynn

[hudsonam]

A friend of mine has the huge backpack from One Step Ahead, and I think that one might fit all your stuff. She loves it.

Here it is:
http://www.onestepahead.com/product/86208/354766/117.html

[DAKnits]

OMG, I can't thank you enough for taking those pictures! Based on your pictures, it looks like the Short Haul would make a great bag for going to the zoo or an all day outing, but definitely not for a ariplane travel bag (at least for me -- the heavy packer). The regular Sherpa *might* work for travel better than my LE (although I love it dearly), depending on how I pack it, but I won't know unless I have it in front of me. So, after seeing your post, I ordered it from ebags, and then I'll return it if it doesn't work out, like you said. It looks like it's worth a try, although I think, like you, I'm a LE TCB devotee!

The Shorthaul is a somewhat tempting b/c for a day at the zoo or a museum, I would bring a separate cooler if I brought the LE bag, and I kind of like the idea of having an integrated cooler. But I don't think it necessarily worth another $70 to have a bag just so I don't have to bring a cooler. Besides, the backpack would be heavier since it would be packed with all that food, and if I was carring the backpack on my back, it would load me down even when I didn't need to have the food with me.

Thanks so much for the IRL pictures! This really really helped!!!!

And thanks to everyone who weighed in -- it's definitely a concensus -- the Shorthaul isn't going to work for this trip! Either way, like you said Kath, it's going to be a stretch!!! If DH was travelling with me, I would have another bag to spread out the items, but since it's just me, I have to limit it to the one bag and a small bag for easy access to the important stuff (I think I'm going with the LE LT instead of the Swagg).

As for the One Step Ahead bag, the measurements seem smaller than the LE TCB, but it's so hard to tell from the website!!!! I'll take another look at it on the website, though. Maybe someone has had these two bags and knows which holds more?