Imagine having to carry all of your books by hand every day to school—this would make going to school almost impossible! A backpack is an essential part of the elementary, middle and high school experience, and everybody has different opinions on which brand will benefit them. This is because comfort and appearance greatly impact education and health. In fact, studies show that approximately 5,000 children each year visit the ER because of backpack-related injuries such as hip, back, shoulder, and knee pain as well as bad posture and the tightening of muscles. Therefore, choosing an appropriate backpack for school is important. When doing so, consider all of its different aspects including the brand, quality, size, capacity, and price.
There are many different backpack brands to consider when purchasing one. Some examples of popular brands include Herschel, High Sierra, North Face, Adidas, Nike, Swiss Gear, and JanSport. Everybody has different preferences, which can include pockets, many zippers, water bottle holder, and much more. High Sierra is a brand that is very strong, doesn’t break easily, and can hold a lot even if in some cases it doesn’t look like it can. They also have padding on the straps and suspension on back, which improves the overall comfort of the backpack. The price is also fairly reasonable, usually between $20 to $30. Jansport is also commonly used although they don’t have many pockets. Their price range starts $30, but extends fairly high. Another brand of backpacks, North Face, are also used often, with a price between $50 and $100. They have several compartments, which is useful if you are a very organized person, has a strong back, meaning it can stand upright without someone holding it, and are durable against several weather conditions, ensuring the stuff inside does not get ruined. This is not the end of this list, as there are many more brands you can consider.
Most students own and prefer Jansport, North Face, or Herschel. Some, however, described their experience with backpacks with poor quality. For example, one seventh-grader tells us her experience with a bad backpack: “I purchased a backpack from Rite Aid the day before school. When I was walking up the stairs, the backpack ripped with all the books falling out.” Nobody ever wants to be part of this embarrassing situation, especially on the first day of middle school. Virge Ramos, one of our staff members, also described having to deal with backpacks ripping and mentions how in most cases, “families had to buy new ones or get one from the Lost and Found. In fact, most students simply leave their backpacks in the Lost and Found at the end of the year.”
Based on numerous interviews of BSGE students and thorough observation of the products of the backpack brands, North Face backpacks are the popular. They having many favorable characteristics such as being sturdy, having several compartments, and being weather-resistant, although the price can be more than people are willing to spend. However, though North Face is a very popular brand, there are still others that will be a worthwhile experience. It should be noted that when choosing the right backpack, one should choose a backpack that meets their own personal requirements rather than the requirements of others around them. Still, North Face is a backpack brand several people at BSGE would recommend to you and thus one that will be worth looking into if you need a new backpack soon and are looking for advice. No matter what you do, though, never get a wheeled backpack. Any convenience to you is far outweighed by how much everyone around you will hate you for it.
The BACC Rag 