HELP Overthinking teen seeks "acceptable" backpack (Your thoughts on suitable backpacks please)

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My daughter has bought so many backpacks over the years.
All fall apart in a year!
I need one that is
Cute
Black (preferably)
Large
Long lasting
Has pockets
Water pouch
(The first one is So she can "be cool" (does it really matter) apparently I'm just "uncool")
Is this a lot to ask??

How much would you like to spend? I’ve just been googling bags I would find acceptable but they all seem to be about £300.

Antler currently have a sale on their Urban backpacks - these last forever, are waterproof and have a laptop section. We've just bought one for our tween as the bag that will hopefully last him through senior school (fashion permitting of course!)

He chose it and seems really happy with it; we also looked at Eastpak which are also very strong, and they have more colour/design choice than Antler.

Seriously? For a teen girl for high school?? Nothing else is “acceptable”?!

Acceptable to me. I’m not in the market for a Nike rucksack.

At one point lots of girls carried Longchamp tote bags - I think those were about £125 each. And they were all identical.

There’s are always comments like this on threads about teens. I do think the posters have forgotten what it was like being a teens themselves. I love seeing teens who’ve clearly decided that they are not bothered about following the crowd etc, but that needs to be their decision. As a parent, assuming that what they want is affordable, we shouldn’t be saying “no I’m sorry but I’m getting you the Mountain Warehouse bag not the Nike one as trying to be fit in and be cool is not on and I want this to be a life lesson”.

Around here (London suburb) all kids tend to have black Nike, puma, Adidas. There’s definitely a sprinkling of Kankens and Rokas too.

That’s not helpful to the OP is it? She’s trying to find a rucksack for a teen girls for school, not an upmarket bag acceptable for a middle aged woman (and £300 is madness, are they gold plated?!)

The safe bet is a black Nike one. My dc has been using one bought at JD for a few years. I see it a lot where I live so probably isn’t cool but nobody would comment negatively.

In our area it’s bike or adidas backpack for boys, and then girls won’t be seen dead with a backpack- it’s all handbags and tote bags

MY DS's school stipulates black or navy so we have gone with an Under Armour back pack in black. His entire PE kit is Under Armour branded so we may well change the back pack going forward once he settles in and sees what everyone else uses!

This is the problem with posting on MN. The majority of responses are going to be from middle aged women. On googling, the bags that came up that fit the criteria the OP listed and which I think look sturdy are going to be too expensive. So how much does she want to spend?

Perhaps Uniqlo is neutral enough to be acceptable? I like that it isn’t heavily branded.

https://www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/products/E488858-000/00?colorDisplayCode=09&sizeDisplayCode=999

Herschel?

https://herschelsupplyco.co.uk/?utm_source=google&utm_term=herschel&utm_campaign=Search_Branded_Core_CA&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=%7Cpcrid%7C661323658962%7Cpkw%7Cherschel%7Cpmt%7Cb%7Cpdv%7Cm%7C&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=18581165237&gbraid=0AAAAADbeCOJj_r67zeCQj5_rV9qFMg1KB&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7dmmpuz3lQMV-I9QBh1-JRTHEAAYASAAEgLo-fD_BwE

I like this too but it is more expensive.

https://www.stubbleandco.com/products/motion-tote-pack-18l?variant=56857999343993

What age is your DD? My DD14 has a Jansport big student and DD12 has Eastpak morius. Both very hard-wearing (DD14 has had hers 3 years). I feel like the Eastpak will be indestructible. Most of their peers have plain black Nike or Adidas packs. DD14 now looking to switch to a tote bag style bag as she's going into senior school in sept and that's what many of the older girls seem to opt for. Totally impractical imo, so I told her she had to buy it with her own money which is making her reflect a bit on what to go for.

You’ve had some good suggestions on backpacks. Sadly I can’t add to it as all the girls round here wear black shoulder bags.

Whatever you decide, don’t just buy her a mountain warehouse one. I’m all for kids not following the pack but if you do this she won’t be an individual expressing her personality. You only get the confidence to be different when you love the thing that makes you different. Being different because your mum made you is isolating.

Vans, they last for years. Also North Face is very hard wearing, my son’s bag lasted through secondary school and beyond. I think we got it cheap in TK Maxx

I bought DS a jan sport back pack for year 9 I think… he’s now nearly 21 and still uses it for University

it’s grey, it’s cool, it’s only a fucking back pack 😂

This fried my brain.

Thinking it would be easy but nope!

Couldn’t have a large logo, had to be black, then it occurred to
me it should probably be waterproof eg Goretex to protect the Chromebook 😳 which sent the price skyhigh.

DC’s school trend is Nike.

Ended up with Nike outlet store one and a waterproof spray.

Eastpak are indestructible and have a good warranty (DS managed to break a zip after 3 years and they replaced the whole bag no problem). Not sure they're particularly fashionable in England though. Here in France they're pretty much part of a self imposed uniform for middle schoolers.

I think the requirement that the bag is “cute” is what makes it difficult. A “cute rucksack” is a bit of an oxymoron. Some of the suggestions are good, sturdy bags - but they are not cute.