My kids get a new one each school year and we actually get the expensive brands. One year we got Garnet Hill bags and they were ripped before the 2nd term. We got Lands End this past year and the mesh on the pockets are ripped, buckles on the shoulder straps fell off , and there was a hole in the bottom that I found an unsharpened pencil sticking out of. My older son had an L.L. Bean for kindergarten to 2nd but he wasn't carrying more than a folder so I think that's why it lasted. My first grader this year had a big binder that they filled with more papers all year, a science book, history book, Spanish workbook, math workbook and others. She didn't carry every one of them every day but usually had the binder plus two of the other books so her bag was pretty heavy.

Going into MS (6th grade) this fall and still on the original one. I suggested to DS that it might be time for a new one, especially after the sunscreen explosion incident (that multiple washings hasn't really fixed), but he likes what he has. And it is still in good structural shape, if looking ragged and ratty.

Anonymous wrote:Are you buying cheap, character backpacks? I bought one from LL bean four years ago, and it still looks brand new.

Eh. DD picked out a Jansport at WalMart and is about to use hers for the fourth year in a row. You don't have to spend a lot in order for things to last sometimes.

Our parents were really cheap, but we always got new bags every year. Mileage may vary depending on age, number of books, brand. But my bags always got holes in them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So wasteful. Where do they go after one year? In a landfill. Even poor people don't want your used stuff, OP.

Yes, poor people -- and people who just want or need to save money -- do want gently used items. Why do you think places like Goodwill, consignment shops, etc. are in such high demand?

Oh gross. Skip getting your kids a new one and buy a new one with supplies for a kid in need.

. I grew up poor and my mom scrimped and saved to get my sister and I an Llbean backpack and it lasted us both 10 years at least.

My kids got neutral ones (no characters) when they entered K and will use them till they wear out.

Anonymous wrote:DS is going into 4th and is on his 2nd backpack. The one he had in K was inexpensive and the zipper broke after a year. This one is in good shape. DD will use the same one in 1st as K. It is a regular sized Jansport.

We buy new lunch boxes every year. They get gross even with washing and usually develop a hole in the lining by June.

Also, I wash the backpacks. They get dirty but are easy to clean. The Jansport one is light and went through the washin machine twice this time. It was pretty bad but now looks new.

I purposefully bought a generic LL Bean backpack in kindergarten (so just a color and no pattern/characters) and my expectation is the kids will use it through at least 5th grade.

I'm on year 4 with the first kid and it's in great shape.

DS is going into 4th and is on his 2nd backpack. The one he had in K was inexpensive and the zipper broke after a year. This one is in good shape. DD will use the same one in 1st as K. It is a regular sized Jansport.

We buy new lunch boxes every year. They get gross even with washing and usually develop a hole in the lining by June.

We have had the same back pack for 3 years. Last year I got another lunch box in case the old got lost so it would match. This year, we'll use a bigger one we got that has never really been used as it was too big when I got it. I offer yearly. Their choice. This year just a new lunch box. Our cheap character is the one going on 3 years.

Are you buying cheap, character backpacks? I bought one from LL bean four years ago, and it still looks brand new.

OP, for us, it was trapper keepers that we got new every year, and maybe lunch boxes every other year, when they had those cool metal or plastic ones. My kids have their same backpacks, but the rising kindergarterner's is getting grody and has a princess theme that she's outgrown (frozen). But I do agree they get grody. I got a nice one at Gap kids for my rising third grader last year that's still in good shape. I tossed one from llbean or lands end a while back though it was a favorite because it had gum stuck in the mesh pocket and my daughter had drawn all over it when they're young I think they go through them more quickly. Also they go to a uniform school so I think their bookbag is something they can show their personality through.

Anonymous wrote:So wasteful. Where do they go after one year? In a landfill. Even poor people don't want your used stuff, OP.

Yes, poor people -- and people who just want or need to save money -- do want gently used items. Why do you think places like Goodwill, consignment shops, etc. are in such high demand?

My oldest is going into 2nd and will be using the backpack he got from K. I imagine it might work for 3rd grade, too. It has been washed in the washing machine a few times. Still in a really good condition. OP, are you buying the cheapo character backpacks?

So wasteful. Where do they go after one year? In a landfill. Even poor people don't want your used stuff, OP.