Rethinking the Backpack

Pens and pencils? Check. Notebooks and folders? Check. You’ve got your supplies, but what do you carry them in? It’s no wonder the sight of a student without a backpack would be almost as odd as a turtle without a shell. It’s hard to imagine going to school without a backpack. 

Believe it or not, using backpacks to carry school supplies is a relatively new idea. The first packs made for students appeared in the 1970s. Before that, most kids carried their books by hand. 

Over time, backpacks changed to meet students’ needs. Designers made the bags sturdier to hold more books. Then they made the bags bigger to hold more school supplies (and homework).

“The backpack is a student’s life source,” says Curt Nichols. He manages backpack creation at L.L.Bean, one of the first companies to make a student backpack. “It needs to accommodate a kid’s total needs for the day.”

Pens and pencils? Check. Notebooks and folders? Check. You've got your supplies. But what do you carry them in? It's no wonder the sight of a student without a backpack would be almost as odd as a turtle without a shell. It's hard to imagine going to school without a backpack.

Believe it or not, using backpacks to carry school supplies is a relatively new idea. The first packs made for students appeared in the 1970s. Before that, most kids carried their books by hand.

Over time, backpacks changed. They were redesigned to meet students' needs. Designers made the bags sturdier. That's so they could hold more books. Then they made the bags bigger. That's so they could hold more school supplies (and homework). 

Today, students are likely to carry gadgets such as laptops, tablets, or smartphones, as well as textbooks. So backpack-makers are giving the bags a tech-friendly update. Big, bulky versions are out. Sleeker models designed to carry tech devices are in.

Some designers have added protective sleeves for electronics, gadget-sized pockets, and waterproof liners to their bags. They’re also inventing accessories to keep cords, chargers, and adapters organized. Some new backpacks even have built-in technology, like a hidden battery to charge your phone!

Thanks to these updates, Nichols thinks backpacks will remain a back-to-school essential. “The backpack is so practical,” he says. “You have your hands free and everything you need in one place.” 

 “The backpack is a student's life source,” says Curt Nichols. He manages backpack creation at L.L.Bean. His company was one of the first to make a student backpack. “It needs to handle a kid's total needs for the day.”

Today, students are likely to carry gadgets. Some of these include laptops, tablets, or smartphones. Plus textbooks. So backpack-makers are giving the bags a tech-friendly update. Big, bulky versions are out. Sleeker models designed to carry tech devices are in.

Some designers have added new parts of the bags for electronics. These include protective sleeves, gadget-sized pockets, and waterproof liners. They're also inventing accessories. They keep cords, chargers, and adapters organized. Some new backpacks even have built-in technology. Such as a hidden battery to charge your phone!

Nichols thinks these updates will help backpacks remain a back-to-school essential. “The backpack is so practical,” he says. “You have your hands free. And everything you need in one place.”