Recommend a school bag/rucksack for a 13 year old (year 8) boy - It must have really good straps as his bag weighs a ton!

[JohnnyBee]

ok, maybe not a ton, but 3/4 of a stone and it's a mile walk to and from school so something to disperse the weight evenly is important.
It might be good to have one where the straps can be connected together at the front ... though that might be deemed uncool!
Preferably something quite plain and durable ... willing to spend £30 or £40 if neccessary.
Any thoughts?

North face backpacks are excellent. Probably nearer the £50 mark but very durable so should last a while.

My son has Adidas or Nike. Have you asked your son? In our school the ones that clip together at the front are a huge no but pretty much anything else is fine

Jansport are very very good.

DD had one from Superdry. She had one last year as well and they seem pretty tough Really she didn't need a new one this year but she begged.

Another vote for Jan Sport or north face

My Yr 8 DS had a Superdry one when he started Yr7 - it was one of their more expensive ones (but I had a voucher so not too bad!) and 18 months later it’s as good as new. It can weigh a ton some days with all his books but there is no wear on it at all. Very impressed and I’d certainly buy another when (if!) this one eventually wears out.

My other boys had mostly Nike or Adidas but they rarely lasted a whole school year. My yr11 actually got a Superdry one recently as he was so impressed with his brothers one.

I just bought DS a Nitro Hero rucksack (you can find them on Amazon). Very impressed with it quality wise and it looks cool. We went for the dark grey/ green version.

My boys have both got Under Armour backpacks - the oldest's was bought in Year 7, he's now in Year 10 and it's still going strong.

We usually go for a hiking-type rucksack with good padded shoulder straps, and in a dark durable colour. Another thing that helps is to choose a waterproof or at least water repellent one, to help keep the contents dry. We've also got an Under Armour one, which is roomy, durable and water resistant, although one part of the logo did start to peel off after a year of heavy use. The other thing is to get him to be ruthless about clearing his rucksack out daily, leaving anything he doesn't need at home or school.

Thanks for the replies. Does anyone have links to the specific bag/rucksack that you have mentioned?

I use a regatta hiking one. It’s shower proof on its own, and has a hidden cover you can pull off for when it’s utterly heaving down. It’s grey with green zips, has padded straps, and is generic enough to pass unnoticed in day to day wandering.

It was £20 I think.

My daughter has a Kånken- very sturdy and she says v comfy.

www.fjallraven.co.uk/equipment/kanken/

Thanks everybody.
The Jansport ones look good.
Any other links to bags/rucksacks you've been happy with?

www.google.co.uk/shopping/product/1?lsf=seller:80823,store:14649723486657163750&prds=pid:2319936801492034169,oid:9271316909088456395&q=backcare+backpack+john+lewis&hl=en&ei=bXNIXK-WOPCc1fAPrsyDoAo&lsft=s_kwcid:2dxLIA,tmad:c,tmcampid:2&lsft=gclid:EAIaIQobChMIuOjEmoiE4AIVDrftCh2lZwnPEAQYASABEgI3XPD_BwE,gclsrc:aw.ds

These are the recommended bags for our school. I like that they are designed with back care in mind

DS (16) has used his North Face throughout secondary (he’s in year 12). Also his Jansport was given to him when he was 7 and he uses it now as his photography bag. I had a jansport in high school in the States which I wish I’d hung onto.

Definitely Jansport or North Face. Jack Wills is also great. DS has a Jack Wills for his art. It’s a good size.