what school bag does your y7/8 girl have? worrying 11 year old seeking style advice

[hatwoman]

dd - dues to start y7 in september - chose one of these in pale blue the other day. Now she's not sure if she likes it . It hasn't actually been used yet so it could go back to the shop. It's a pita but because she is a bit of a worrier and has already had one difficult change of school I guess I'm prepared to change it. However neither she nor I have got any idea what every self-respecting 11/12 year old is using (not helped by our rural location meaning that we rarely even see the secondary school kids). I'd be really interested to know what your dds use (pics would be great) and what you/they think of her choice. many thanks.

That's good to know - thanks jellybeans

My 15 year old year 11 has just looked at your link and said "ooh I like it" [SMILE] so I'm sure it will be fine. She says she has seen people at her school with bags like that.

Jane Norman bags and pencil cases (usually a make-up case given another use) are the norm around here. However, they wear at the corners and eventually wear right through, and are not quite wide enough to comfotably fit books in.

Having always been happy with a rucksack (which I had hoped might continue as I think it is easier to carry and less damaging), I am afraid fashion won over common sense. But I refused to buy it ;O)

DD going into Y8 had a Roxy backpack last year and we have just bought a Gola messenger bag for this year.
She says she will still use her rucksack for sports kits as she could never fit all her stuff into one bag last year and frequently took stuff in other random bags!

She was going to go halves on a Cath Kidston saddle bag, but then decided it was much too expensive!

DD has got a dark pink canvas Hollister rucksack, I've got no idea what's in round here at the minute bag wise - it seems to be Jane Norman carrier bags I think!

This one:

cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=400152620056&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

my dd used this in year 7~ bit.ly/WK8B5h
its great but breaks in the corners after a year, there are many patterns, look on www.cathkidston.co.uk and search carry all bags. Price £28

now she is in year 8 and she is using a superdry satchel bit.ly/ZDI67V also there are more colours, price £40 ( she had to buy these out of her own money, there too expensive!)

lots more kids also have gola bags, price £24.99

dd is still at primary school but I got her this today as her rucksack has given up the ghost.

hadnt even noticed

DD1 is in Yr7, she uses a Jansport backpack and knows it is not fashionable. She has a lot to carry though, and she doesn't give a damn - in fact, she finds it highly amusing to see her fashion conscious peers struggle with their unsuitable but trendy bags.

It's strange, it's the only thing she's totally confident about. Long may it last.

I bought a cheap addidas messenger bag in the hope she'd hate it and let me get her a ruck sack.

She did hate it, used various other hand bags from round the house, all to small.

Agreed to get a nice animal ruck sacksack (house is full of rucksacs, but not cool brands)

Used that for a bit and is now back to the original addidas bag AAaaaggghhhh!

DD1 has a sensible plain dark rucksack from the outdoor outlet shop.

She doesn't end up standing on the doorstep because her key is in her other bag.

(Fortunately, we got back from the dentists only two minutes after the bus)

Sorry that doesn't read very well.
She is DD2 Y7, who worries about this sort of rubbish.

DD1 (Y10) couldn't care less, She'd much rather her drink didn't leak on her books and that she did have door key, phone, lunch card, iPod, head phones and book all in their allotted pockets.

Soggy HW, food, having nothing to do on their long bus journey or finding Mum is out when they get home does bother her, fashion doesn't.

"From experience I'd say buy something cheap to use for the first term and then they'll know what's in and what's not and then you can buy something that will last"

Hear Hear!!!!

My daughter started in September with a bag from the range OP linked to. It just about survived till Christmas! (they have a warning not to load with more than 5 kg on the label)

So, although it is social death to have a ruck sack at her school, she has had such sore shoulders that she gave in and now has one. We found a compromise in Superdry, almost as sensible as Mummy prefers, and still with a tiny bit of street cred. Price tag around £35 so could have been worse

In Essex the girls carry bags that we would refer to as "granny bags" in the States. Seriously, my grandmother carries bags like theirs. Makes me laugh!

My dd, Y8, was the only girl in her school to carry a proper rucksack on both shoulders. She was not popular for it -- though they appreciated that we made the effort to at least buy a SuperDry one! But that's only because dd is a huge fan of Japan.

Don't spend money getting it wrong. I bought DD an expensive and sturdy ruck suck style bag, only for her to use Jack wills canvas shopper bags and similar.

My DD2 (following advice from DD1) has a Superdry bag so she could be one of the cool kids. Since she has started most other people in her year have got one.

Zombie thread from 2011.

My daughter started year 7 last September and doesn't give a damn what bag everyone else has, she asked for a back pack and a back pack she got. She still loves it and will probably hang on to it until it's falling to bits as she does with most of her stuff.

Obviously girls want to fit in and look good for their first day. why not let her pick something out that inspires her. i mean i have Quadruplets 3 girls and 1 boy and one of the girls loves makeup and handbag she would stand out from the crowd

Traditional school bag (backpack) here for Y8 dd (and Y12 ds 😀). Only the one with the school logo bought from the uniform shop is acceptable. I know MNetters have strong views about school uniform but it makes life so much easier when these things are totally non negotiable.

We had the same when dd changed schools last year. Cath Kidston favoured by all in yr6 did not cut it in yr7. All the kids here seem to have Fred Perry bags but DD doesn't like them much (slight wobble over Christmas when everyone seemed to get one!) but she now uses a few different bags. Designer seems to be key here.

OP can you check out what the older kids at the school have. I asked a couple of people I knew with children already there.

When I was in school all the girls carried their stuff round in a Jane Norman pink carrier bag type thingy. Or a Morgan black zipped shoulder bag (big).

Ah the memoried.