Another Secondary School Bags thread ... sorry.

[moosemama]

I have searched MN and not really found anything suggested that helps, so ended up starting a thread anyway.

Ds2 starts secondary in a couple of weeks. School has strict uniform requirements and he needs two bags. One for everyday school stuff/books etc, the other for PE. They both have to be plain, zipped bags, restrained in colour and without a pattern or obvious logo. (Lack of a logo rules out a huge majority of bags that would have been suitable before I've even started.)

Ds has joint hypermobility syndrome, which can be painful at the best of times. He will be walking a mile to school and back every day, so they need to be comfortable to carry as well. So, I'm thinking a backpack will be the best choice for his main school bag. (We've noticed boys from the school seem to have primarily a mix of backpack and messenger type bags.)

I've seen large rucksacks, like some of the North Face ones, recommended on here, but they are more than we wanted to spend at about £80.00 ish.

Realistically, how much stuff will he be carrying around all day every day? I'm assuming, his backpack will need to be big enough to fit A4 size text books? I seem to remember carrying all my exercise and text books around with me all day (verrry long time ago) but we didn't have lockers.

For his sports bag, if carrying it at the same time as his backpack, he'll need something with handles and a long shoulder strap, so I've been considering something like this which is plain and logo-free, but I'm not sure if it's too big.

He will have a locker, although I was told by the staff member responsible for pupils with healthcare needs that they are particularly small, so may not fit his PE bag. They have said that if this is a problem he can leave his PE kit in the SEN room though.

I have spent a stupid amount of time looking at bags online and still can't decide - decided to consult MN, only to find the site was down. Spent another day searching and have now come back to see if anyone can help.

Willing to pay more for his backpack, as obviously going to be using it every day and it needs to be comfortable and not a strain on his joints etc, but £80 + is a bit too steep at the moment, given dd's school chose this September to introduce their brand new uniform, just as we have to pay for ds2's secondary kit and ds1, who hasn't grown in ages, suddenly had a spurt and grew out of his compulsory blazer and school-branded PE kit that had lasted him two years.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Blacks are pretty good for this sort of thing

Do you know anyone with kids already at the school to see how strict they really are about the no logo rule?

My DC don't get text books, so it is mostly exercise books that they carry around, plus lunch, pencil case etc. They also cram their PE bag into the main bag if they can, so they don't have to carry 2 bags (they don't have lockers).

My Ds has the premier backpack - has had one for 3 years and still going strong. He has the locker bag for his PE kit. He manages to carry both on bus and train

Meant to say - we got them from the local school outfitters, quite reasonably. Even if your school doesn't have an outfitters, it may be worth trying another one.

It really depends on the school. I have worked in schools, as well as my DC attending schools. In some schools they have text books, some never issue them but just use them in the classroom, in others they may come home at the beginning of the year but then be hardly needed in school again (but are supposed to be used for homework), in others they may need to carry them around. And how much lockers are used can vary too.

I always suggest trying to get a cheapish bag to start with - Tescos often have quite good ones. A Tescos one lasted us for year with my DS, whereas a "good quality" one from John Lewis failed within a term. Its really hard to judge the stitching sometimes.

Hi, thanks for replying. I know it must get boring answering all these questions from mums of new y7's.

thunderbird yes, I know quite a few parents with kids already there and the school is very strict on dress code, including bags and shoes (another real pain to sort for ds2).

I was wondering if he could fit his PE kit in his main bag if I got him a larger backpack with two sections, but then he'd have to carry it all day, which wouldn't be great for his joints.

Seeline those are roughly what I've been looking at. We have two uniform shops associated with the school, but neither sell bags. Hadn't thought of trying online outfitters though, thank you.

All this was so much easier with ds1. He has SEN and was placed in a ms independent school who, surprisingly, are far less strict and more willing to compromise to meet health needs. Ds2's school will not allow any divergence from the uniform guidelines 'even for medical reasons'.

mummytime think I need to find another local mum to ask if they have to carry their textbooks. Everyone seems to be away at the moment though. I will get dh to have a look in Tesco when he pops in later.

If you could unpick the logo somehow, dd had this karrimor backpack, listed for £16 on sports direct website but I think we got it even cheaper instore. Really comfortable and long lasting (well, until our car got broken into and it got nicked!), as well as ok for A4 files it also has a padded laptop compartment if that is relevant.

Right, Ds1 has just finished year 7 and has this rucksack from BagBase. Completely logo free.

here

It lasted well and was less than £10. Ds2 has the same bag just in a different colour for primary school.

It does hold A4 books and has padded straps. If it helps we also have BagBase messenger bags. Ds1 had it for year 6 then used it all the way through year 7 for his PE kit.

I've just ordered the Caribee Rhine and it looks good(arrived). I ordered the Quadra one in your link and they've arrived.Doesn't look too big. It's almost full and there is no tracksuit or rugby boots in yet. The boy over the road has a similar one. Don't know if it'll fit in their lockers though.There is a back friendly school rucksack on John Lewis and Amazon sell it.

I have the Bag base one as a day bag and struggled to get everything I needed in during a week in Amsterdam. Once you put a raincoat in there isn't a lot of space.

When I was at school (a million years ago) the boys all crammed their kit into one of these www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/reviews/B004051WQW/ref=cm_cr_dp_aw_btm?qid=1440524520&sr=8-1 (and maybe the excess in their main bag?)

Probably wouldn't work once it's really cold and kit is bulkier but might be a good interim solution while you suss out locker size etc - and can be used for boots in a bigger bag later on!

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm been having a look through all your suggestions and think I'm going to go with the backcare backpack. It's out of stock in JL, but I've been able to find it cheaper elsewhere anyway. It does have two reflective stripes on one corner, but no logo, so I assume that will be acceptable.

I'd love to buy him the large healthy back bag, but at £60.00 that will have to wait a while. We'll see how he gets on with the backcare one first, as it's half the price.

Going to go with the Quadra sports bag for now and reassess once we know more about how often he'll be carrying it to and from school and where he's storing it while he's there.

Doh! "I've been having a look ..."

If you haven't already made a purchase, I found this one which I hope will be good. It seems solid across the back so hopefully the weight will sit well. We have had skate backpacks for hiking / snowboarding before so have high hopes for small backs carrying too much weight!!

Thus week I found a plain North Face one in Black's - they have a sale so reduced to £30.

Hi, thanks all, but I've already ordered the backcare one and the quadra kit-bag. I've saved the thread though, in case they don't work out.

Hi Polter the duffle bag looks like a really good option, but the school insist on zip-only bags for PE.

This morning has been spent sorting shoes and trainers.

... and I just found the other backpack thread, which somehow I managed to miss when I did all my searches - and see that someone else has had bad experiences of backcare backpacks. Ah well - guess we'll just have to see how it goes now it's ordered. Either that or assess it, send it back and try again.