“Best school backpacks and bags” |
| Best school backpacks and bags Posted: 23 Aug 2010 12:30 PM PDT By Nick Mokey Forget loops for ice picks and built-in hydration systems. Unless you happen to attend school on a precarious mountain perch in southwestern Peru, you need a backpack that caters to a different set of needs. Like room for your laptop and MP3 player. A separate pocket to divide sweaty gym clothes from notebooks. A pocket that can keep a can of Coke cold until lunch. And we've found backpacks that deliver. These slick back-to-school backpacks could almost convince us to revisit the forlorn halls of high school. Or the tree-shaded greens of a college campus… which would take significantly less convincing. JanSport Unhinged -- $110 While we appreciate the retro appeal of JanSport's classic Superbreak, the Unhinged adds plenty of utility with a larger main compartment, padded 15-inch laptop pocket, and even a hidden security pocket. We also dig the blocky duffel-looking style and the unhinging (appropriately enough) front pocket, which swings out to accommodate long cargo underneath -- like a skateboard, or a rolled up poster. Customized Timbuk2 Laptop Messenger Bag -- $140 Rather than marking a bag up with Sharpies and Wite-Out, buy one that has "you" written all over it right from the get go. TimBuk 2's custom-designed messenger bags let you pick every fabric, panel by panel, then choose the binding, logo and liner. You can even order one with a built-in laptop sleeve and "shagg bag" for gadgets. Patagonia Lightweight Travel Pack -- $89 Patagonia's minimalist travel pack won't accommodate everything but the kitchen sink like some of its SUV-inspired counterparts, but it won't weigh you down from class to class, either. At only 14.3 ounces, it adds barely anything to the weight of what you decide to cram in it, yet offers a back pad that doubles as a seat cushion, a lid that doubles a s compression sack, mesh pockets for water bottles, and a hideaway waist belt to help distribute the weight, should you decide to really load it up. Columbia Circuit Breaker CyberPack -- $100 If you can excuse the dated '90s name, Columbia's approach to a commuter pack actually carries over quite a few smart additions from its overengineered hiking bags. The company's Omni-Shield fabric, for instance, will keep your gear dry on that sprint to class through a downpour, the compression straps will crush that fluffy sweatshirt into nothing, and the "rescue whistle" might not be that bad idea for late walks home in sketchy areas of town. You also get a padded laptop sleeve with its own dedicated zipper and a unique front pocket swings open like a locker, for easy access to small items. Nike Cheyenne Classic 2000 iD Backpack -- $85 Dig the customizability of the TimBuk2, but prefer a backpack… or just something a little cheaper? Nike's Cheyenne follows the same formula as the rest of its NikeiD line, allowing you to pick every color, from the seams to the colors of the polka dots, stripes or houndstooth, then embroider it with up to 24 characters of your choosing. Oakley Flak Backpack 3.0 -- $75 Say what you will about Oakley's awful foray into mating an MP3 player with sunglasses in the Thump, the Flak 3.0 actually shows a fair bit of gadget savvy. Besides the standard padded laptop sleeve in back, it has a dedicated cell phone pocket, headphone port for stringing cables through, and our personal favorite: a compartment for cables and chargers. You'll even find a pocket just for sunglasses -- just don't fill it with the Thump. Saddleback Laptop Bags -- $411 The younger you buy one, the sooner you can start breaking it in. And trust us, you'll need some time. Saddleback's bags all come with a 100-year warranty, and you'll spend the better part of it turning this incredibly sturdy bag from rock hard boot leather to a work of art. The laptop version seems particularly useful for school and work, but we make no guarantee that you will still need a laptop in 100 years, so check out the backpacks, pouches and satchels, which will hopefully have room for your collapsible hover board in 2056. Dakine Campus -- $50 This unassuming bag from the popular surf, skate and snowboard manufacturer could pass for just another school bag, until you unzip its insulated cooler pocket with room for a couple of Capri Suns or Cokes -- depending on which level of school you're returning to, of course. An organizer pocket also has a slew of divided pockets for gadgets, pencils and notebooks, and you'll find a padded sleeve inside that can accommodate laptops up to 15 inches. Did we mention it's $50 and comes in a bazillion different styles? Chrome Citizen Medium Buckle Bag -- $140 Whether you commute to class on two wheels or just crave instant hipster credibility, Chrome's citizen buckle bag will do the trick. Ultra-tough 1000-denier Cordura backed by a truck tarp liner make it supremely durable and water resistant, not to mention quick to open and close thanks to the zipperless main pocket. An inside divider pocket has plenty of room for pens, pencils and a calculator. Make sure to spring for the $40 laptop sleeve, which zippers into the bag, if you plan on bringing your MacBook along for the ride. North Face Borealis Backpack -- $79 Don't let the bungees fool you, it's a school bag, complete with a 15-inch laptop sleeve, organizational pockets, and dual mesh pockets for water bottles. A sloped bottom panel shifts heavy cargo like books towards your back, rather than letting them droop uncomfortably, and cushy FlexVent shoulder straps take a load off. 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