Back-to-School Week: Backpacks

Without question, one of the most important purchases parents make before school starts is their child’s backpack. Backpacks take a lot of abuse on a daily basis and need to to be well-made. They need to be able to hold books, notebooks, lunch boxes, and more AND not fall apart during the mad dash every morning to catch the school bus.

Recycla’s younger daughter on her first day of kindergarten — 2005.

Eco-purists would say that you should buy a backpack made of natural or recycled materials, but Recycla is just not THAT idealistic. The fact is, eco backpacks cost a lot more, they’re not terribly fun to look at from a kid’s perspective, and Recycla questions how durable they are. But to be fair, here is a short list of what’s out there so that you can decide for yourself:

Some hemp options:

• EcoBodyWear has a hemp backpack that’s $52.99. Recycla thinks it looks a bit flimsy. Also, while she likes earth tones, her daughters would balk at carrying a backpack that is the color of dirt.
• Rawganique has a nicer selection of colors and sizes, but Recycla again questions the backpacks’ durability, as well as balks at some of the prices.
• Simple Shoes offers some nice messenger bags, but messenger bags don’t work as well for younger students who need the weight of their books evenly distributed across their shoulders.

Recycled rubber is an eco possibility to consider, although the same issues with cost and appearance still apply. Green Home offers this backpack that would be nice for an older student, but wouldn’t work for pink-loving second graders.

So what is an eco-minded parent to do? Recycla suggests that you forget about buying eco in this case and instead focus on buying QUALITY. Buy a good backpack that will last for years.

Hands down, the best backpacks Recycla has seen come from L.L. Bean. The company carries packs of all sizes, colors, and configurations, so there’s something to suit every student’s needs. Prices range from $24.50-$49.50, but most of the backpacks are around $30. One of Recycla’s daughters has carried her L.L. Bean backpack for three school years now and it shows no signs of wear and tear, other than the usual levels of dirt associated with active kids.

Lands’ End also makes excellent backpacks. See that backpack in the photo at the top of this post? Recycla’s younger daughter is going into 3rd grade this year and her Lands’ End backpack is still going strong. Prices and styles are comparable to L.L. Bean’s.

What you want to avoid is a backpack that is made with cheap plastic or PVC. You know the kind; they’re sold at big box stores and are usually priced in the $10-$20 range. Rarely do they last through an entire school year, so parents are left scrambling for a replacement in February or March. Furthermore, there have been some recent reports that suggest that some backpacks — usually the kind that promote TV shows and movies — are made in China and contain unacceptable levels of lead in them. Yes, lead. In a child’s backpack.

A backpack that costs a little more may seem like an unnecessary expense, but do the math: Recycla’s older daughter’s backpack was around $40 including shipping when it was purchased three years ago. Recycla’s daughter will carry it for at least one more school year, not to mention countless weekend excursions, sleepovers, and vacations — both past, present, and future. That is, at most, five cents per use and the number goes down every day.

But let’s open this up for discussion. What kinds of backpacks do you or your kids carry? What has worked for you and what has not?

Top photo courtesy of Recycla. Second image courtesy of the L.L. Bean website.

The Eco Women are not employed by any of the companies mentioned, nor were they paid to review these products.