Check this before buying your 1st grade backpack

Going from kindergarten to school is a big transition in a child’s life, also when it comes to what backpack to wear. Of course, the backpack has to be bigger, but it will also be used a lot more. Therefore, the backpack needs to offer great carrying comfort, be durable and user-friendly so that the children can handle it themselves. 

Carrying comfort 

Did you know that the daily distance walked by a child living 1.5 km from school adds up to the distance from Los Angeles to New York within just 7 school years? Then it is easy to understand that a good backpack is important! Choose a bag to grow out of, not into. We recommend checking: 

• Does the backpack have a chest strap that can be height adjusted? Adjust it so that it is level with the armpit. The chest strap prevents the backpack from slipping off the shoulders and is important so that the arms can be used freely.
• Does the backpack have a proper hip belt? Most school backpacks have a hip belt, but make sure that there is good padding and a little length of the padding itself. It is the pelvis crest that should carry much of the weight. A proper hip belt also provides good stability and prevents the backpack from moving too much when the child jumps and runs. Read more about when we tested our bags in a laboratory.
• Top tensioners sit on top of the shoulder strap and are important for pulling the backpack and weight towards the shoulder area. Without top tensioners, the weight in the backpack can cause the kid to be pulled back.
• The back should be well padded and follow the shape of the body as much as possible. Beckmann’s backpacks have an anatomically shaped back that allows the backpack to sit close to the body without feeling sharp against the buttocks or tipping away from the neck at the top. Do not choose a bag with a soft back. 

Smart solutions 

The selection of bags for first grade may look the same on the outside, but it is important that you open the bag and get to know the functions and solutions before making a choice.

How is the inside structure? In order for the backpack to be packed as correctly as possible, with books, tablets, etc. near the back, the division is important. There should be a pocket against the back that holds 2-3 books. Does it have a natural place for a drinking bottle and lunch box? 

Also check that the backpack has the included rain cover with its own dedicated space. If it has to be bought loose and does not have its own space, there is a greater chance that it will be lost. 

Perhaps the most important thing is that the child is visible on the way to school. Does the backpack have enough reflectors or maybe a light? We also offer extra reflective products that you can use in darker periods during autumn and winter. Find them here. 

Some days the children need to bring extra clothes, perhaps for swimming, hiking or similar. Then it can be easy to use a simple bag, but the disadvantage of this is that it is carried with one hand which makes the distribution of weight skewed, and that the kids do not have their hands free. To avoid this, our gym / hiking bag can easily be attached on top of the school backpack and the weight is then evenly distributed and weight is transferred to the pelvis crest. 

A separate small backpack can also be smart to use on hiking days so you do not have to bring the school bag and risk that it becomes very dirty and takes on a smell of fire.

Good luck with your choice!