Review and Giveaway!: Alpha Sherpa Backpack

Ever since Crystal posted on her Ju Ju Be Be Right Back and Gitta Bag 102 I've been craving a back pack diaper bag for two and kept debating between them but never validated pulling the trigger.

I really loved the JJ Cole System Bag but it's really only good for one child. Now I have to carry a change of clothes for two kids which is what really puts it over the edge (see baggie below).

So, I was very excited for the opportunity to try the new Alpha Sherpa Backpack from Baby Sherpa.

Click on "Read More" for my full review and to learn how you can win one of your own!

This is an impressive bag...lots of bells and whistles. Overall I like it very much but think it's too much for everyday usage. It's perfect for trips or longer excursions.

Design/Functionality ***: This is a well-made bag with a lot of space. It easily fits everything I carry on a daily basis with plenty of room to spare. Their are two unique features in this bag that differentiate it from other diaper bag options.

1 - It has a padded laptop compartment (up to 14"), and a padded pouch for any other electronic schtuff you may be schlepping around.

2 - It has a very big cooler compartment along the bottom of it with an eight can capacity (or in family terms it holds two sandwich tupperwares and two smaller round tupperwares, see pic).

These two things are really enticing if you travel a lot with your kids and don't want to deal with a separate laptop bag, video camera bag, dvd player bag, etc. Plus, the bag can easily be used as a laptop bag in the future...it doesn't always have to be used as a "diaper bag". In fact, it is close to what we were looking for for my husband to ride his bike to work with. He needed a backpack that would protect his laptop and have insulated space for his lunch. So, we're likely going to be using it for him when he rides to work and for the kids on a trip basis.

Other features include:
- A detachable insulated bottle holder and a detachable water bottle holder. The fact that these are detachable is nice. It allows you to grab one or both and go (they have velcro straps that can wrap around most stroller handles). Plus, if you don't need them you can take them off to make the pack less bulky.

- A changing pad and storage pocket along the back (the pad is nothing to write home about).

- 10 total pockets. If you love pockets, this has a place for everything. I almost think that there are too many options and it's harder to remember where I put stuff.

- Ergonomically designed with padded shoulder straps and padded air mesh back panel with ventilation channels for breathability. This is an extremely comfortable backpack, again maybe overdone for every day usage but great for long hauls.

- Reflective tape on the outside. This is great for when my husband rides his bike to/from work with it.

- Bungee X cord, key clips and carabiners. These are handy for stuff you need to be able to grab quickly but aren't worried about it getting lost or stolen. (The key clips are inside the pockets of course).

The biggest downfall to the design is a totally personal one and I doubt others are annoyed by it as much as I am. I want my bags to stand on there own when I put them down. This bag does not because of the insulated pocket along the bottom of the bag. Even if that pocket is full it doesn't stand upright, and that drives me crazy, mainly because I usually have things that can leak.

Another thing I'm not a fan of is the double zipper opening along the top to gain acess to the main compartment(s). You can basically unzip one zipper for some access to the front of the pack or the other for some access to the back. You can never just open it up all the way.

It's great that it's on top, but I'd prefer there to be one zipper across one of the sides so the top is just a flap that comes up to provide a wide top opening to the main compartment(s). The way this is designed is more practical for accessing a thin laptop but I keep my wipes (I carry the big Kirkland bag of them) on the top and it's not as accessible as if the whole top opened up. I hope that this makes sense, sorry if it doesn't!

Materials/Durability ***: It's made of weather resistant 600 and 1000 ripstop nylon. The top handle is also heavy duty. This looks and feels more like an actual "backpacking" backpack and should last a loooong time.

Style ***: I actually like that it doesn't have any frilly options...you'd never know it's intended to be a diaper bag. It's a multi-purpose bag that we'll be using well beyond our diaper bag days.

Price ***: It's $120, not cheap. But, it's right in-line with the higher-end diaper bag back packs out there and I'd venture to say it's probably made better than them in terms of durability, padding, etc. If you travel a lot with your kiddos I definitely think it's a good investment, especially if you want to take your laptop or a portable dvd player and don't want to deal with extra bags just for them.

Overall***: If you carry more than me on a daily basis or travel a lot with your brood than this is a great diaper bag. If you don't, it's more bag than necessary for two kids in my opinion. I'd be very interested in trying Baby Sherpa's Short Haul Packs for a daily bag, it is smaller and cheaper ($85).

The kind folks at Baby Sherpa have provided one Alpha Sherpa Backpack for one of our lucky readers. All you have to do is visit the Baby Sherpa site. Come back here and leave us a comment about your favorite features and why you thing they are great and you will be entered in our giveaway. All entries must be received by midnight on Wednesday, October 28, 2009. Winner must be 18+ and a resident of the U.S. to win. You can read the rest of our giveaway rules here. Thanks for reading and Good Luck!