help me choose a school bag for dd please!

[donnie]

She starts Y7 in September; there is no specified bag but her uniform is light and dark blue and she will need something strong and roomy. Will she inevitably have to get a boring dark blue rucksack? I was wondering if anyone had good ideas for something a little funkier (not TOO funky of course!)

thanks in advance

Something cheap, she will change her mind three times and eventually return to the bag you bought to start with.

Or she'll be sensible, buy a practical rucksack at the beginning of Y7 and still be using it in Y11.

You can tell I have one fashion conscious pain in the neck (DD2) and the ever practical (99% of the time) DD1

you may well be right!

It depends on what she likes and what kind of journey she has.

My ds walks a fair way so has a relatively expensive swissgear/wenger one designed to take a 16" laptop. It's light and strong, the laptop pouch is just the right size for a folder/textbook, it is waterproof and has internal structures to balance the weight so it doesn't do as much damage to your back - it also has clever padding to leave a gap down your spine to stop you getting a sweaty back (but that only works if you wear it with both straps and few pre-teens/teens do).

The school told us that it needs to be large in order to hold lots of books etc. She did have her eye on a satchel type bag but they are too small, so she opted for a funky rutsack from river island (got silly cartoon graffiti on it, £25).

Starboll-never even thought of that !!!, will warn her now that there is no funds to accommodate a new bag each term.

thanks folks....keep the ideas coming please!

From experience, try a sports shop (Sports Direct or similar) and go for a good, roomy, sturdy rucksack as that will distribute the weight evenly, rather than a one-shoulder satchel that can end up in sciatica.
Sports shop bags are not expensive and won't fall apart after a couple of months, unlike fashion shop or supermarket ones.
If dd needs to carry a laptop, and you have £40-50 to spend, try Staples (own brand or Wenger) or Amazon (something similar) for a roomy laptop backpack - usually black but they fit an A4 ringbinder plus laptop and are worth their weight in gold.

DS1 has had the best success with laptop bags; they seem to be sturdy with comfortable straps and they have plenty of room for A4 stuff.

I think your priorities should be:
Comfortable and roomy enough to carry 10% of her body weight.
Waterproof and fairly sturdy.
Don't spend a fortune as the one you choose now might be socially unacceptable after the first term!

Lots of the girls in dd1 school like the Cath Kidston type satchels (waterproof/pockets etc) or the retro messenger type bag. Was your first thought 'comfort' and 'back support' aged 11?

Try searching Anna Smith rucksacks on ebay. We actually looked at these in TKMakk at the weekend. Lots of designs to choose from. My DD is going into year 7 too and I think they fit all criteria (including looking cool).

John Lewis do some funky looking but sturdy rucksacks..lots of room, my DD thinks hers is 'cool' and they have padded backs so shouldn't be too uncomfortable to carry lots of books.
Unless you have a hugely 'label conscious' DC it might do the trick. Only cost £18 too!

DD is starting Y7 in September too and she got a Jack Wills one in their sale yesterday - its a rucksack type one. Its roomy but material. However, she doesn't need to carry everything around all the time as she has a locker in her form room for them and only needs to carry the books for the morning or afternoon, or for homework.

Cheapo thing from Primark, until your DD finds out what's popular at her school. At my DD's school all the year 7s (boys and girls) seem to have Superdry messenger bags - but at the next school along, handbag style bags seem to be the popular choice.

And given the amount of stuff my DD lugs about I'd say size really is important here.

DS2 (13) has asked for one of these - Mi Pac's

He currently uses a Fred Perry Messenger bag.

The girls at the secondary school I work at use large Gladstone type handbags, Cath Kidston bags and messenger bags.

little monkey had a cheep adidas messenger bag, then I told her off for borrowing a pretty bag of DD1's that isnt strong enough for books.

Therefore, she got me to get her a very nice animal ruck sack she used for a week, before returning to the original messenger bag. Grrrrrrrr!!!!!

My dd is also going into year 7. she bought herself a dark blue and slightly aztec patterned rucksack from hollister with her birthday money. Lovely bag but not waterproof so don't know how practical it will be in the rain or winter but she loves it

If she plays any instruments that she has to carry that can influence the sort of bag. Dd wears her instruments using gig bags with rucksack type straps so the only bags that go with that set up are messenger bags.

thanks so much everyone, loads of great ideas here
xx

We got lucky with DD - we spotted a really funky, yet still practical, one seriously marked down at the Paperchase concession (like £25 down to £7.50) in House of Fraser. Not a place I would have expected to get anything cheap from, but you live and learn. I treated myself to a laptop bag for £3.75 too !

BTW she would have liked a satchel but understands the bit about spreading the load to protect your back - evidently v grown-up my 11 yo.