Going back to school with a new and quality backpack is a great way to start the school year: always choose products made with excellent materials and that are resistant, preferring, according to your needs, models with padding and pockets, forbear the weight of books and to better organize the space, or opt for models with wheels that can be dragged like a trolley, especially for the little ones.
An excellent backpack for the school must have wide and well-padded shoulder straps, a waist belt, and a padded and reinforced back. Thanks to the wide shoulder straps, it can avoid any type of shoulder pain while the padded and reinforced backrest is necessary above all for children to avoid walking kickbacks. Finally, the waist belt better secures the backpack at the waist without making it move too much.
Here we had selected some of the best models of the school backpacks that are given below.
Everything You Need to Know About School Backpacks
If you are choosing a backpack for elementary school, make sure that it also has reflective bands that, especially on darker winter days, signals the presence of the child on the street.
Choosing a backpack for middle school requires more attention: you bring more notebooks and books, so it must be large. In this case, you can opt for a spacious but separable trolley backpack so you can wash it.
The best backpacks for high schools are large and with many pockets. These are the two basic and useful characteristics of a more independent student.
The backpack for the primary school must be capacious, but also comfortable and child-friendly, with padded shoulder straps and back. The trolley models are excellent for not weighing down your back.
Obviously, it is important to choose the backpacks of the characters most loved by boys and girls, such as Marvel superheroes.
The Decisive Factors to Decide
Choosing the school backpack that best suits your needs or those of our children is undoubtedly an important decision.
It is particularly so if we consider the fact that the backpack is, for students, an object of daily use that will accompany them, for at least a few years, during their school career. Identifying precise criteria for choosing which is the ideal school backpack is not an operation that is so simple.
Often the choice falls on the brand of backpacks that can be seen wearing my friends and classmates and so the decision is influenced by aspects that, in reality, have little influence on the actual quality of this important accessory.
On this page, we will identify and describe the factors and characteristics to be taken more into consideration when you want to buy a backpack for school.
Structure and Weight
The structure of the backpack is a very important factor since it contains many relevant aspects to keep in mind when you want to buy a school backpack.
First of all, to be functional and practical, the backpack must have a light structure but, at the same time, be large enough to carry books, tablets, computers, pencil cases, and everything necessary for school.
Weight and capacity are, therefore, the first two elements that we will have to take into consideration when choosing this product. As for weight, a backpack for school generally has a weight ranging from 360 grams to 680 grams, for larger and more structured models.
Finding the right weight/size ratio isn’t always easy. Usually, the load of necessary books and notebooks depends on the school year and the school you attend.
But if you already know in advance that the number of books to be transported will be high, it is good to give more importance to the capacity of the backpack, so as to do not to risk buying a backpack that cannot contain what you need.
Conversely, if you are not used to carrying many books, a medium-sized but lighter backpack will be the ideal choice.
Dimensions of School Backpacks
Checking the size is definitely another important step before buying the backpack. It is especially so if you want to use your backpack to carry your laptop, for example.
On the market, we can find medium-sized school backpacks that measure a maximum of 38 cm in height, 30 in width and 18 in thickness, dimensions that can possibly contain a 13-inch laptop, some notebooks, but not much else.
If you need more space, it will be good to opt for larger school backpacks, therefore capable of containing not only many books but also, for example, a 15-inch laptop.
The dimensions of the largest school backpacks are approximately 42 x 32 x 25.5 cm. Smaller backpacks are to be avoided as they are unlikely to contain what you need for school.
Shape, Pockets, and Compartments
Shape, number of pockets and internal compartments are a part of the structure that must be assessed in relation to both what you intend to take with you when you go to school, and how you want to organize the objects that we will put inside the backpack.
As for the shape, currently, the most popular backpacks have an elongated rectangular or bag shape and, therefore, more rounded. Increasingly rarely do we find satchel backpacks on the market, once widely used for elementary school.
An elongated shape allows the backpack to adhere better to the back and shoulders and offers a more balanced weight distribution.
The appropriate number of pockets depends on how and how much we want to divide what we want to carry in the backpack. Books and pencil cases are usually the minimum content of the backpack for school: a main and an external pocket will, therefore, be sufficient in this case.
If you have the possibility to bring your laptop to school, you can opt for a backpack with multiple pockets, double compartments for books and computers, and an internal organizer, where you can store keys, mobile phones, earphones, and small objects.
If the lessons require the use of a computer, it will be important to evaluate the presence of an ad hoc internal compartment, which protects the laptop from possible knocks and keeps it still during home-school trips.
Closing Method and Shell
Currently, the most common type of closure is the hinged one, ideal for saving weight and space and for greater practicality.
However, there are still backpacks with an upper part that is hooked to the lower part through two straps, in which there is usually also zip or a drawstring that closes the main internal pocket.
The type of backpack shell can be soft, semi-rigid, or rigid. Backpacks with semi-rigid or rigid shells are less capacious and structurally heavier, although more resistant and safe.
The rigid shell is more common in satchels and ideal if you have special needs, such as the need to transport sheets or drawing material, usually more delicate.
Materials of School Backpacks
When talking about school backpacks, it is good to take into consideration the materials that are used, precisely as they can affect the weight and practicality of the backpack, and thus make the difference between a quality product and a poor one.
When choosing a backpack, it is important to consider whether the material it is made of has the following characteristics:
Waterproof School Backpacks
This is a very important aspect, especially if we consider the type of content of the backpack for school. The last thing we would like is for our books or our laptop to get wet due to a sudden downpour.
It is, therefore, essential to check that the materials used are water repellent. Among the most popular waterproof materials, we find nylon, a resistant and light material, although not very breathable. Another widely used and equally resistant material is polyester.
This material is less soft than nylon but certainly stronger. The materials to avoid as they are not waterproof are, for example, the canvas, even if we currently find types of water repellent cotton or other waxed materials that do not allow water to infiltrate.
Washable and Resistance
Given the frequent use of the backpack for school, it is important that the material it is made of is easily washable. We recommend first of all to check the label where you can find precise washing instructions.
For this reason, backpacks in leather or other delicate materials are not recommended and perhaps more suitable for use as bags or backpacks for going out and not so much for school.
As we have seen, the choice of materials is very important for various reasons, but for school backpacks, it is particularly important for their resistance.
If we consider that the school backpack will be used every day and for a long period, it is essential that the materials are strong enough not to tear when subjected to intense stresses due in particular to the weight of the books.
The parts most affected by loading stresses are both the bottom of the backpack, which can be reinforced with particularly resistant materials, and above all, the shoulder straps and the top handle, which must not only be made of quality materials but also be equipped with seams robust.
Comfort and Well-Being of The Back
Often the weight of books can strain the back and, at times, trigger some already existing pathologies affecting the spine, such as scoliosis and kyphosis.
These pathologies often affect children who are still in the growth phase and are aggravated not only by bad postures but also by an unbalanced weight distribution of the backpack.
For these reasons, when choosing a backpack for school, it is very important to evaluate some elements in order to choose a backpack that is comfortable and safe for the back.
First of all, it is important to consider the type of backrest. Backpacks with a solid, shaped, and ergonomic backrest that can adhere to the back in a symmetrical and balanced way are certainly preferred. I
f you are subject to back pain, therefore avoid backpacks with an unformed back and no ergonomic back. Shoulder straps also perform an important function in terms of the comfort and well-being of the back.
Better, therefore, if they are padded and if they can be adjusted according to the height of the person. One-shoulder backpacks that lead to assume an asymmetric posture should be avoided.
Some shoulder straps are also made of breathable materials and have an ergonomic S-shape to lighten the load on the shoulders. In some backpacks, there is also a horizontal strap to be fastened at the waist and to make the backpack adhere better to the back.
Accessories
A less important factor that can still be taken into consideration is the presence of accessories. The most common integrated accessories that school backpacks can be equipped with are the following:
- USB socket with a cable to connect your portable devices to a charger (also portable) and earphone jack, useful for listening to music from your device.
- Anti-mooring rear pockets usually positioned on the back of the backpack.
- An anti-theft system, often consisting simply of a combination lock or a metal bar in which to lock the TSA type hinges, typical of models designed not only for school but also for travel.
- Reflective inserts, to move more safely even in the evening.
- Case for pencils and pens.
- Internal key ring hook.
- The presence of these accessories makes the backpack more versatile and particularly suitable for high school or university students.
