Roots School Backpack to the Rescue
My son, like most kids his age, is rough on his things. In his first Kindergarten year, my husband and I, at our son’s request, purchased him a Disney character backpack from Wal-mart. We knew right off the bat that it wasn’t the best quality, but because of his half-day schedule, we didn’t think the bag would be used much. It came as quite a surprise to see the poor bag come to a tattered nearly thread-less state by the end of the school term. The zippers were separating, any plastic pieces were cracking and the straps were torn in at least two places. 
At some point, we used duct tape to give the poor bag it’s last breath of life before school was out.
The challenge for me at the beginning of the new school year was to find a backpack that would be within a reasonable price range ($15 – $20), with a higher degree of quality to carry us through the upcoming year.
Enter the Roots backpack. On my quest for the best quality backpack for the best price I could find, I came across a Roots backpacks at Costco for $19.99 plus tax. The quality was high, and the finishing was neatly done. There were also a few other features that appealed to me, including:
- the main compartment was very spacious and easily accessible,
- there were many pockets and side pouches for this and that,
- the zippers were strong and well sewn in,
the straps were padded, and a small note attached read “Ortho Support System”, which promises to minimize excess strain from heavy loads, - the bottom was plastic/vinyl covered to help keep the bag dry,
- there was a mesh water bottle holder on the side with quick access,
- a designated area for a name was sew in to the inside of the bag to help identify the owner of the content inside, and
- the outer fabric looked sturdy.
While the bag came in a variety of colours and styles, it didn’t exactly cater to the younger demographic by having characters and familiar looking objects on it. But with a 3-year warranty against defects accompanying the bag, I didn’t think long. We picked up the bag and hoped for the best. If it wouldn’t live up to expectations, that would not be a problem – the warranty would hopefully carry us through the year. Bonus: duct tape can be used elsewhere in the house.
The bag itself did last the full year, and absolutely exceeded my expectations! I was very impressed to see that other than some very minor wear and tear, this backpack was in excellent shape. My son was also able to use it for a few weeks at summer camp.
I decided to see just how well made this bag was before going to get a new one, and threw it in the washing machine to see if it can endure another round. Only time (and a few more days) will tell us if the bag can handle another year at my child’s service. But in the meantime, we purchased our daughter the same bag for her first day at kindergarten (yay!).
There are a couple of things to remember before heading out and buying these bags for your children.
- If you have a Costco membership and shop there, watch for their sales. They usually carry these bags at $19.99 on seasonal basis, but a couple of weeks before school starts, prices drop to $14.99 – $15.99.
- These backpacks are fairly large in size. For us, this wasn’t an issue because we were able to fit our son’s lunchbox, spare clothes, agenda and other school necessities without trouble. But if your child is on the smaller side, this bag might be a little big. In fact, they are probably best suited for children 8 years old and up. They can probably be used for a tween, teen or a young adult too.
- On our son’s particular bag there is a bungee-type string attached to the front. I assume this is originally meant to hold a bicycle helmet – or maybe it’s just decorative. We found this to be the only annoying bit about the back pack. Our son was playing with it quite a bit, tying it in knots, etc. We removed the piece, as it didn’t really have any effect on the bag’s functionality. I see some of the other models of the same bag don’t have that string, which tells me it was a common nuisance for parents.
Happy back-to-school shopping!
Photographs provided by Danielle.
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Ooo, glad to see this – I just picked up two of these for the big boys on Wednesday at Costco. Paid the full $19.99, but I’m fine with that price if they last all year and then some! What I hate is that the fun “character” backpacks are made from PVC and it has that awful chemical smell that you just know can’t be good for little bodies. Thanks confirming this is a great backpack. Long live Roots!