School book bag rage

[pieceofpasta]

Does anyone else really hate school book bags? I realise we're probably in the minority walking to school but it drives me mad every day having to carry every item separately (no bag other than the book bag allowed) while juggling water bottles, school shoes (because it's so wet he needs wellies) etc and a 3 year old. I'm sure if you're only walking to a car is doesn't matter but these bloody book bags don't even have a cross body strap and the velcro constantly opens spilling the paper contents into the massive puddles everywhere. Because of a lack of a proper bag lb has left his wellies at school which means on Monday he'll get wet feet on the way to school. I really think in bad weather only rucksacks are sensible. We have tried giving him a plastic bag with the other things; the bag doesn't come back (because they don't want multiple bags) and I only have a handful of plastic bags now. Why do they make walking to school so hard! (I'm mainly pissed off about the leaving the wellies at school which is mainly my husbands fault). Lol 😨

@drspouse

Not when each peg is only 5cm away from the next.

If the school insists on their branded bags then I would insist they source products suitable for purpose.
At out school the younger children have book bags with a long cross the body strap. Wellies are hole punched and string tied through each one so they can be hung on a low peg. Wellies have to stay at school.

I have no issue with book bags as such as I get the space considerations. My main issue is that they are poorly made, the velcro goes, the inside starts to fall apart and leaves trails of plastic over the house and I end up replacing most years. My DD now in year 4 by contrast has a small Trespass rucksack, which is completely waterproof, outside waterbottle pocket and has already done a year (her junior school has lockers) and still is in excellent condition.
I would like to see a book bag style rucksack, so nice and thin and would fit in a tray, zipped top with the velcro flap so no rain can get in, and a pocket on the outside for a waterbottle to avoid leaking over the books. Properly lined so it doesn’t start to break up. Surely somewhere someone could start making them?

@IckyIsAFuckingStupidWord how can you even fit coats on them then?
My DD school has the KS2 coats all round the old Victorian hall and my DS school has them in a long corridor not that near the classrooms. Both have quite cramped KS2 areas but they manage to allow backpacks.

I sewed a cross body strap onto my son's book bag, and I use one of the really big karrabiner clips to carry everything so I've only one handle to hold (book bag, water bottle, 2 lunch boxes, rucksack).

Take a plastic bag to carry stuff and when they get into school and have emptied it fold it up and put it in the book bag

@drspouse

They are these portable racks that they’ve put outside the classroom. The hooks are literally 5cm away from the next. The rack has a bench but to sit on and under that is storage space. They’re not the best designed things. The school is 110yrs old and isn’t massive.