Do you get a new backpack every year?

[Anonymous]

Nope. We used a little one in preschool, bought a Junior for K-2, and they've both been using the large backpack they got in 3rd since then. LL Bean FTW

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. They get dirty and broken over the course of the year, zipper pulls unravel, pockets rip, etc. We get new ones for school then use the old ones as sports bags, for weekend trips, or trash them once they're truly too wrecked to be useful.

Why are your kids trashing new backpacks every schoolyear? Are you buying the plastic cartoon themed ones?

OP- We do not. In fact our HS junior asked for a new backpack this year after he claimed his college aged brother's backpack when older brother got a new backpack (college junior) when he started college. The high schooler's hand me down lasted 6 years, and only recently a zipper broke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you do with the old one? In answer to your question, no. Same backpack until it dies. I try to buy neutral ones so no characters to outgrow.

We donate the old ones.

If it is still usable (assuming you wouldn’t donate something that isn’t), why do you need a new one?

As kids mature, their taste changes. A fourth grader might not want the hearts and unicorns in pink and purple she liked in first grade. A fourth grader might not like the multi-colored dinosaurs he liked in first grade.

That’s why you buy a basic backpack and have them add bling to it. No need to get a whole new bag every time their tastes change which is often. Just change the bling.

[Anonymous]

If you buy a known brand (LL Bean, Jansport, Northface, Herschel) it will last you.

[Anonymous]

This is so wasteful. No we don’t give a new backpack until the old one wears out.

[Anonymous]

Nope, my kids had 3 and they are in 10 and 12 grade now. Only when it gets really disgusting. We also got north face when they were older and it lasts, probably into college.

[Anonymous]

I don’t get them new backpacks (our LL Bean ones have held up really well for 3 years), but I do get them new insulated lunch boxes. Those things seem to fall apart really easily.

[Anonymous]

I’m still using my college backpack and I’m 50. Why would you buy new backpacks every year??

[Anonymous]

No, only when they’re in such bad shape that they need replacing

[Anonymous]

No. On year 6 of one bag, year 4 of the other, and year 2 on the last. I'll switch when high school comes around or they're no longer functional and no longer look good.

[Anonymous]

My kids will use the same backpacks for years. But a quality backpack that is very basic/plain/solid color and then they can add keychains as decorations to personalize it since tastes change often. So wasteful to get new ones all the time when the old one is perfectly fine.

[Anonymous]

Nope. I was a little disappointed that my older kid only got 3 years out of her first jansport. Not sure what happened but the water bottle holder was shredded, it had a weird collection of stains I couldn’t get out, and a sticky spot (sap?). I blame art camps and outdoor camps, and that she carried it everywhere and threw it down wherever. Other than being totally gross, and the water bottle holder, it was going strong though. Since we couldn’t get it clean enough for our own use we threw it away.

We got her another jansport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you do with the old one? In answer to your question, no. Same backpack until it dies. I try to buy neutral ones so no characters to outgrow.

We donate the old ones.

If it is still usable (assuming you wouldn’t donate something that isn’t), why do you need a new one?

As kids mature, their taste changes. A fourth grader might not want the hearts and unicorns in pink and purple she liked in first grade. A fourth grader might not like the multi-colored dinosaurs he liked in first grade.

That’s why you buy a basic backpack and have them add bling to it. No need to get a whole new bag every time their tastes change which is often. Just change the bling.

You do what works for you. We'll do what works for us.

[Anonymous]

Jansport has a Lifetime Warranty on their backpacks. I had one that started to degrade on the inside, sent it back, and received a new one. This has made me a Jansport backpack customer for life. I think L. L. Bean has a similar policy. Note that you will pay a lot upfront for a Jansport, but hopefully, you will only need to buy one. I think I may have replaced my original purchase twice through warranty after high school and after college. I cannot vouch for the warranties of other brands, but Jansport has honored their warranty in the past.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What do you do with the old one? In answer to your question, no. Same backpack until it dies. I try to buy neutral ones so no characters to outgrow.

We donate the old ones.

If it is still usable (assuming you wouldn’t donate something that isn’t), why do you need a new one?

As kids mature, their taste changes. A fourth grader might not want the hearts and unicorns in pink and purple she liked in first grade. A fourth grader might not like the multi-colored dinosaurs he liked in first grade.

That’s why you buy a basic backpack and have them add bling to it. No need to get a whole new bag every time their tastes change which is often. Just change the bling.

You do what works for you. We'll do what works for us.

Of course you will.