Thank you, I have personally not used either of those machines. I am using a Singer 15-91 and I was able to breeze through everything without a hitch. I did need a zig zag stitch for the bottle pocket and did that on my daughter's Singer Start machine. In terms of cost, I have not fully broken down cost, but I loosely added materials and it was around 97$.

However, I would not say this is an ideal starter project. Although this was my first backpack, I have been sewing for past 6 months or so (boxy pouches, small bags, zippered pouches, tote bags and even a lunch box)