School bags - secondary

[Meeda]

DD starts secondary in September and we are starting to look at the stuff she needs - starting with bag. She's gone through primary with Smiggle but needs something more grown up and 'cooler'! Can anyone point us in the right direction please?

In my experience, a lot of the yr7’s have fairly plain sports rucksacks, Nike, Adidas, etc.

Most of ours seem to have Super Dry bags.

vans, Nike, Adidas backpacks along with Kankens, superdry and Eastpak up here

Plain rucksack best. There are some that are better than others for her back for hauling loads of books around. My DCs used their "sensible" one until Y9 and then got their preferred ones in plain black.

Brilliant, thank you all. Feeling a bit out of touch with it all - will investigate the brands suggested.

I bought my DD a Hype rucksack. All the girls at her school have black handbags and carry all their books in their arms My DD still loves her rucksack!

Superdry here. They seem to last well, have plenty of space and be comfortable to carry.

Superdry, eastpak, hype around here, or Nike/Adidas.

And knock-off fjallravens

I could have written Everythingmagnolia's post word for word! Lots of carrying books in arms at DD's school too.

Yes, we started off with sensible rucksacks. Waste of money as within weeks they were replaced by cheap black handbags from Primark. Only losers have rucksacks apparently.

Rather than buying an expensive bag now, I’d get a cheap one and let her pick one once she sees the big trend.

Dd1 started y7 with a rucksack...by the end it'd been replaced by a black handbag (and on occasion a very shiny holographic one). Their books tend to live at school though so she only really has planner/pencil case/phone and PE kit (on PE days) to carry round.

I'd second the suggestion to maybe get a cheap bag for now, and let her see what others do.

My eldest has loved Under Armour backpacks for secondary. In her school the girls with handbags aren't well thought of so she was keen to have a proper bag going into year 8 too. It'll probably be fine for year 9 at this rate.

Think about how they are going to get to school and what else they are likely to be carrying (sports bag, music instrument etc). My children went to school by train and carrying loose books under their arms was not an option.

Their school was worried about the impact on children's backs of having to carry lots of stuff around. They chose a particular backpack as part of the uniform and everyone used it until the end of year 11. It was very well designed, not expensive (not cheap, but cheaper then super dry type brands) and made carrying heavy loads relatively easy. The backpacks were pretty sturdy too. My children each had two over a period of five years. Everyone used them until the 6th form.

Eastpak and HYPE

Oversized hand bags. Not seen a girl with any kind of rucksack for years!

DD1 is in Y10 at a school where rucksacks are compulsory, no handbag type things allowed. They nearly all have Eastpak or Kanken backpacks which are expensive but seem to last i.e. her original Eastpak from Y7 is still going strong, four years on.

Everyone at DD1's - all girls - grammar have rucksacks. She is yr9 and still using the one she had new for starting yr7. Just bought DD2 the same, but she chose a different design, for when she starts at the same school in September. They have a lot of books and folders to carry round all day and DD1's is showing no signs of wearing out after almost 3 years of daily use.

They have Animal bags. Specifically Women's Bright. Both bought reduced on Amazon for around £18.

DD needs a bag for a laptop. She’s tried backpacks but finds a laptop handbag more comfortable for her.

I think to be honest it’s trial and error until they find what suits them!

Thank you all. I'd normally think of just looking at what the girls carry at her new school but obviously that's not possible at the moment. I'll wait to see if school send any guidance on bags - what's allowed or not and make a decision from there.

Dd has had a kipling backpack that has lasted about 4 years. Ds has an Adidas backpack

Something cheap as whatever you buy will be wrong and it varies school to school.
DD bucked the trend and had a satchel.After 6 months at college shes bought a new(secondhand,)satchel.Most at college have rucksacks.