School bag got year 7 dd

[xsquared]

Just looking for some inspiration please.

Dd will be in year 7 in September and would like a bag that doesn't look as if she's hiking.

We've had a look at some generic sports brand one but she doesn't like any of them.

I think she's going for fashionable without looking as if she's tried too hard.

If you have a similar age dd, what sort of thing is "in" now please? TIA

[TigerCameForTea]

The girls at my daughter's school all seem to use the shoulder bags from Primark - kind of an open bucket bag. My daughter refuses to use a rucksack of any description!

[seaeagle]

Vans make some nice ones - my 13 yr old loves hers. www.vans.co.uk/backpacks.html

[QueenofCBA]

Hype or Kanken rucksacks.
Check school uniform policy as well.
I would strongly discourage over the shoulder bags, so bad for posture!

[BiBabbles]

I second check the school uniform policy, and if possible talk to parents of those students already there. My DD has big 'no logos on bags or shoes' policy on the website that I panicked about -- and only weeks later found out it doesn't really enforce it. I've heard others where they have to put their bags away in lockers through the day.

We ended up going around the shopping centre looking for bags without logos and she picked a backpack from a sports shop. It's very pretty and girly while also being comfortable. A lot of her friends' bags have a similar patterned bag. Hers has flowers as do some others, space bags seem popular here and one that looks like a painted pattern - like you say, they really don't anything that looks like they're going camping, more arty looking.

I had a shoulder bag one year as a teen for fashion and it was fine at first but ended up so uncomfortable especially walking long distances with slowly getting more full throughout the year. I think it could work at some schools where less gets carried but at others I think it could be an issue.

[EduCated]

Does she have something plain and generic she could use for a few weeks until she can diss out what’s in and what she might like?

[xsquared]

Thank you for the replies. I shall definitely check out hype and Kanken.
There doesn't seem to be anything about bags in the uniform policy. I definitely won't be getting a shoulder bag for her. We've looked in town today but she wasn't taken by anything on offer.
She has a maroon Harry Potter rucksack which I suggested but she's a bit reluctant to take it.

[MeMeMeYou]

We got DD a super dry one that’s both practical and looks nice, altho understated (dark blue with little metal gold stars on it). We looked at what the other girls had and there were hiking ones and fashion ones so let her just choose what she liked

[iwantavuvezela]

Adidas ones are pretty neutral, and big enough. I found them well made.

[DerelictWreck]

Kanken would be the best bet - it's what all teens - 30 yo use round here!

[christmas2020]

Eastpak and Kenken round here..

[sitlux]

We got this one for £25:

www.superdry.com/womens/bags/details/146776/pixie-dust-montana-rucksack--navy

DD's backpack in primary was also superdry and she used it from spring term year 4 until end of year 6 so why change...

[LolaSmiles]

There's loads of great suggestions on the thread. Hype and Superdry are good starts.

Many of the girls in our area seem to like the oversized shoulder handbags or the rubbish Michael Kors ones that fall apart easily. I hate them because they contribute to poor posture and back issues.

[TheDrunkMoth]

I bought my daughter this one from New Look. www.newlook.com/uk/womens/accessories/bags/black-leather-look-drawstring-front-backpack/p/617193001?comp=Search

It’s generous enough to slot her workbooks in (A4 size - I’d say you’d probably fit around 6-8. But i’m hoping there won’t be as many as that in there at one time!) and you can adjust the drawstring if she’s only carrying her lunch.

[xsquared]

Thanks again for all your suggestions. I will take a look online as well take a trip to the bigger city with dd.

[CarlaJones]

Dd had this one for year 7 in her comp and it has lasted very well
www.tradesports.co.uk/products/adidas-originals-classic-trefoil-school-backpack-red?variant=14123767562301&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&gclid=CjwKCAjwg-DpBRBbEiwAEV1_-JtdQlKVVToBWI4qjFFWofrxWIOpZO7Hj2uuv2FQN5hVgEjFsYkVkxoC92QQAvD_BwE

[peteneras]

Please, may I have your opinion(s) on this bag for a 11-year-old girl starting secondary school in London this September? More details are given on link on the left.

[ImTheCaddy]

Kanken are by far the most sought after here. Hype are used a lot too but the quality is crap.

DD has a kanken and it was bloody expensive but it's been brilliant and is still going strong a year later. They sort of look better and better too!

I would recommend a darker colour though, ours is yellow and it's pretty grubby!

[MrsPnut]

My daughter has had a Kanken for 18 months and it is still going strong.

[friskybivalves]

@pateneras The Lipault bag/ sac à dos is beautiful but unless you can afford to lose £200 on Day One I wouldn't send a child into school with such an expensive possession. The Kanken ones are bad enough!

[sitlux]

@peteneras ignoring the cost... that's a fashion backpack, not a school backpack. It doesn't even have a compartment for a water bottle and it seems small (9l volume).

Unless you want your daughter to make a fashion statement with her backpack (case in which go for a Gucci one), stick to

[Mummymonika]

My little sister has a Herschel backpack

[peteneras]

Thank you, @friskybivalves and @sitlux for your responses. I've already bought the bag!

It's not for me or my DD. I wanted to buy something 'decent' and suitable for school use for a friend's DD who'd worked very, very hard in the last couple of years and is now rewarded with a place in a super-selective London grammar - my daughter's old school. I've never met the girl nor know anything about her except that she's eleven years old and the family came from Eastern Europe. But I'd been advising my friend about the complexity of UK schools admissions and am very happy for them with this success.

And the small size @sitlux, is actually what attracted me about this bag in the first place. Something I thought would be most suitable for a young girl of eleven?

[ImTheCaddy]

It's a lovely bag. I'm sure she'll use it even if not for school. DD needs at least 16L to get her stuff/books/etc in.

[IsobelRae23]

PLEASE LISTEN TO A PP! Regarding over the shoulder bags. I’m 38, and me and several friends have neck and shoulder problems which have been put down to 7 years of carrying books, PE kits and instruments over one shoulder. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, we didn’t think at the time- we felt fine, the odd twinge but it would be fine, and it was fashionable. Oh how I wish I could have seen into the future!
Please get decent backpacks.

[sitlux]

@peteneras small bag means she won't be able to fit her school equipment in it, it's as simple as that. Most school bags are 20l capacity, that's double your bag. And again, no water bottle compartment.

You've already bought it so no point in commenting more. Best wishes.