Backpack for secondary school

[Mumz16]

What brands of bag are the ‘in’ thing at the moment at secondary school? DS is starting in Y7 in a couple of weeks and I need to get him a backpack of some description. I remember my parents getting me a bag which I quite liked, but was deemed to be very uncool when I got to secondary school. Want to make sure I don’t do the same thing for my own child! I was thinking Under Armour or Nike? Any thoughts anyone? TIA

Nike in a colour like black will be the safest bet.

No idea but my DS has been lugging the same beloved black Carhart Wip rucksack for a few years, logo really tiny but its cool apparently. This bag takes such a hammering but still looks like new, I've no doubt it will see him through what's left of school, through college and beyond its that well made.

I agree black or navy Nike or Adidas bag. My boys 13 & 12 have Nike bags.

If they need to carry a laptop around make sure it has a padded section.

DS has a north face one from John Lewis. The only acceptable colour is black, I’m told.

Black Nike or Adidas rucksack

I would check there are no restrictions in the school's uniform policy. Many schools state they have to be unbranded/have no logo and you don't want to waste your money! As a pp said, a padded compartment if they need a laptop is a good idea.

My DS(11) wants to use his Baby Yoda backpack 😬

DS(15) has told him he needs a plain black backpack, Nike or similar.

Plain. Black Nike

Nike. Black

Our school has an overpriced branded one which seems pretty ridiculous as the risk of taking the wrong one home is high! They all personalise it with keyrings and badges though.

So you could do the same with a plain black one and just update the badges and keyrings when they’re not cool any more?

my big tips are a padded section and a side pocket for a water bottle to stop it leaking over schoolwork.

This is very area dependent, school dependent even. North Face wouldn't fly here, it's a drug dealer brand apparently. Mine have a plain black Vans and the other has Eastpak. Both black as per school policy.

Get child to choose it, what’s in for my child wouldn’t necessarily be something yours would use, I have 4 boys - all have very different tastes so rarely shared things or handed down. They wouldn’t have used a bag I chose for high school.

You can't go wrong with a Nike backpack

My son's uniform is navy (with a red emblem), and he has a really nice navy Tommy Hilfiger backpack. It's mainly plain navy - but has a small logo on the front pocket. It's smart and comfortable and has served him well.