Backpack alternatives for high school girls

[Pigeon]

Dd15 has to carry a ton of books around for school. Evidently, it is trendy to have your parents shell out many hundreds of dollars for you to have a huge Coach bag for this purpose, but sadly, dd has the wrong parents.

I've bought her a couple of huge purse-type bags and while she likes the look, they don't hold up. She just had the straps come off the third one for the year so far. She also admits that her friends trash the expensive Coach bags with some frequency, but mom and dad just buy new ones.

Last year, she used a Vera Bradley tote. It worked great, but evidently, no tenth grader would be caught dead carrying a VB tote.

If you have a high school girl and she needs to carry a big school bag, what does she carry that will last more than a month, not cost a fortune and doesn't make her a social pariah?

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

What about a messenger bag? Look at Timbuk2 custom bags. They are pricy, but last forever. They are often on sale here:

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/s~timbuk2/

 

[tink_n_pooh]

For the girls that are ruining their Coach bags, their parents could save a ton of cash if they look into the Coach warranty and repair service. For $20 Coach will repair most all of their products and return them to you.

 

[Pigeon]

For the girls that are ruining their Coach bags, their parents could save a ton of cash if they look into the Coach warranty and repair service. For $20 Coach will repair most all of their products and return them to you.

That's nice, but not my problem.

 

[eatatmidnight]

My daughter carries a large black patterned tote with a teal monogram from Thirty One .

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

If her friends all have Coach, Kate Spade, and D&B there isn't much you can get cheaply to compare. Try looking on eBay for a used Coach bag.

And keep in mind that it is rally bad for developing shoulders and backs to be carrying heavy loads of books in a bag like that. Backpacks are designed to handle those heavy loads as ergonomically and safely as possible.

Of course a teenager doesn't care if she ends up with grooves in her shoulders or back problems as long as she looks good. ;-)

 

[ktlm]

Check E-bags online. They have a ton of options. Messenger bags are cute, but they probably won't be big enough to hold all the high school books she needs to carry. I don't blame her on the Vera Bradley, most of the kids around here think they are senior citizen bags (no offense to anyone as I personally have several Vera Bradley bags and I am NOT a senior citizen) As far as the Coach bags, if you have an outlet nearby or register online at the Coach outlet so you can buy things though the website, they actually aren't such a bad idea. I would never buy one full price or at a department store for a kid.

DD isn't near high school yet, but even in grade school, they start with that stuff. We bought DD an expensive brand name back pack for the last school year. It lasted the entire year with just being a little dirty by the end of the year. She could have carried it again this year, but of course they all want new ones to start the school year and since it was a little dirty we let her have a new one. We decided to try cheaper this year, and it didn't last 3 weeks before the zipper broke. Side by side, there was a huge difference in quality between the previous years expensive bag and the cheaper one. We went back to an expensive one as I wasn't about to buy a new backpack every few weeks (which would have wound up costing me way more than just buying the expensive one to begin with), and so far it isn't even dirty yet. She's been carrying it since 3 weeks after school started and it still looks brand new. As you've noticed, you've already bought 3 this year, and the year is only half over. You can definitely spend more money replacing the cheap ones over and over when they break, than just buying the Coach to begin with. I would bet that 6 of the cheaper ones (which is where you are heading) costs alot more than one at Coach outlet prices. I know she says her friends "trash" the Coach bags, but I would about bet she is talking getting them dirty instead of actually breaking any part of them. I doubt very seriously they are actually breaking because I carry coach stuff (DD doesn't) and their bags are extremely sturdy and can take a ton of abuse. If they are breaking, as someone else said Coach has a warranty and will fix or replace them (which one of the reasons Coach has such a good warranty is that their bags don't break so they usually don't have to spend any money fixing or replacing them!). I would say that if you buy one, she knows from the outset that if she gets it dirty, then she just carries a dirty one the rest of the year. She also may take better care of it then her friends, if they are the type who just expect their parents to fix or replace anything and have no regard for taking care of their own things.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

My experience with totes and purses and merchandise in general is that cheap and long lasting do not really go together. They seem to offset each other.

I will say that I am a college student and carry my books (when I am only attending two classes for the day) in my 31 tote. I like it very much. It was not cheap but was not in the range of coach totes either. It is Retro Metro and mine is monogrammed.

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[Pigeon]

If her friends all have Coach, Kate Spade, and D&B there isn't much you can get cheaply to compare. Try looking on eBay for a used Coach bag.

And keep in mind that it is rally bad for developing shoulders and backs to be carrying heavy loads of books in a bag like that. Backpacks are designed to handle those heavy loads as ergonomically and safely as possible.

Of course a teenager doesn't care if she ends up with grooves in her shoulders or back problems as long as she looks good. ;-)

I'm quite sure not every girl there is carrying a wildly overpriced designer bag. I'm not going there, not on ebay or anywhere else.

I'm sure there are plenty of kids who have something more reasonable, who still have friends and a social life. My dd is a bit of a drama queen, but she was fine with the large non-designer purses, but they don't hold up.

I'm just trying to find something that will be somewhat durable. It's really not a "quality" issue so much as a construction issue. I'm sure there must be some type of tote that will fit the bill.

I fully realize that a backpack is a better choice health-wise, but that's not a battle I'm going to pick.

 

[robinb]

That's nice, but not my problem.

I'm not sure how much you have already spent on the cheaper bags, but it might have been more cost effective to buy a bag that was more durable to begin with or that can be repaired for a reasonable price. Buying cheap things can be penny wise and pound foolish.

 

[Pigeon]

Thanks for the info on Timbuk2 and Thirty One. This is the sort of thing I was hoping to hear about. If anybody has any other non-Coach ideas, I'd love to hear them.

I have to laugh about the VB looking like something your grandma would carry. That's exactly what I thought when dd just had to have one last year. I have to admit I think the Thirty One bags are not all that dissimilar, but if she likes them, they would be OK by me.

 

[Pigeon]

I'm not sure how much you have already spent on the cheaper bags, but it might have been more cost effective to buy a bag that was more durable to begin with or that can be repaired for a reasonable price. Buying cheap things can be penny wise and pound foolish.

I don't want to promote the overpriced designer crap mentality. If you like that stuff, that's fine, but I'm not purchasing it.

Beyond that, theft is also an issue. This is a relatively affluent suburban school, but so far this year we've had stolen a North face jacket, an iPod, and a cell phone. I don't need to add a Coach bag to the mix.

 

[robinb]

I don't want to promote the overpriced designer crap mentality. If you like that stuff, that's fine, but I'm not purchasing it.

Beyond that, theft is also an issue. This is a relatively affluent suburban school, but so far this year we've had stolen a North face jacket, an iPod, and a cell phone. I don't need to add a Coach bag to the mix.

Wow. Touchy today? What I'm saying is that sometimes the designer items are better made and last longer than cheap alternatives. Once you have replaced 3 cheap $35 bags you might as well have purchased the well made designer bag instead. Of course, if your DD is not responsible with her things (lost iPod, cell phone and Northface jacket) I can understand that you would not want to buy her something valuable that will be left unattended somewhere.

 

[jrmasm]

We live in a pretty affluent area. Most high school kids (boys and girls) carry Jansport backpacks.

 

[Pigeon]

Wow. Touchy today? What I'm saying is that sometimes the designer items are better made and last longer than cheap alternatives. Once you have replaced 3 cheap $35 bags you might as well have purchased the well made designer bag instead. Of course, if your DD is not responsible with her things (lost iPod, cell phone and Northface jacket) I can understand that you would not want to buy her something valuable that will be left unattended somewhere.

It wasn't a case of irresponsibility, but thanks anyway.

 

[Debbie7452]

My DD's carried an Abercrombie or Hollister tote bag. Full price is around $50 but I found it on clearance for $15. They were both surprisingly well made and durable.

 

[NotUrsula]

If you have a Tuesday Morning nearby, check there for a bag. Very often they have closeout bags by high-end business brands like Gurkha and Bodhi for a fraction of what they go for at retail.

FWIW, pricewise, at retail a Ghurka bag makes a Coach bag look like a bargain. Most of them go for upward of $400, but I've seen the leather-trimmed canvas ones at TM for $50-60. These bags are in perfect condition, they are just last year's models. Also, because these brands are high-quality but not all that "in" by high school standards, I think they would be less likely to be targets for theft.

You could also try Overstock.com; they sometimes also have good closeouts.

Also, in regard to fabric tote bags, my best advice is to reinforce them before they are used. (The odds are very good that a shoe shop in your area can repair the three bags that your daughter has already broken this year, and if you have a sewing machine, I would advise you to reinforce the stress points on a new one before you give it to her.)
This is simple to do and takes maybe 20 minutes; all you need to do is go to a fabric store and buy a few feet of matching nylon webbing. Sew pieces of it to the inside of the bag where the handles and bag meet, and at the bottom and top corner seams. Stitch it all the way up the webbing in a 2-inch X pattern and I guarantee you that the bag will be 5X as sturdy as it originally was.

Also, if the bag is fabric, treat it with Scotchgard to help make it easy to clean, and if it is leather, treat it with moisture-repellent oils.

 

[pixiewings71]

My DD is a Junior in High School, she carries a Five Star backpack that she got when she was a Freshman. She also has a Jansport and she sometimes alternates between the 2 but she prefers the Five Star.

 

[parkhopping]

I'm so surprised to hear that high school girls think VB is for old ladies! It is still all the rage amongst middle, high school, and college students down here. I own several VB pieces myself. Don't know if these suggestions will seem any more youthful to her, but anyway...

I've seen many Lily Pulitzer tote bags around my college campus. (Link is to one example, but I've seen several different patterns and styles) They seem to be well-made and priced similar to VB.

Another brand to consider is Cath Kidston. Though it's relatively unheard of here in the US, it's very popular across the pond. Don't know if it being a major trend in London would sway her. Their bags are very well constructed, and many are made with an oilcloth material that is very easy to clean. If she's not into the vintage floral patterns, she might like the polka dots.

 

[MomToOne]

Wow. Touchy today? What I'm saying is that sometimes the designer items are better made and last longer than cheap alternatives. Once you have replaced 3 cheap $35 bags you might as well have purchased the well made designer bag instead.

I suspect Pigeon was irritated at the point she replied to your message because she had previously made it clear - several times - that she did not want to buy a designer bag. Having a 12 year old daughter myself, I completely understand where she it coming from.

And you can get well-made items that are not "designer". I believe that is what Pigeon is looking for. Perhaps posters could actually listen to her and respond to the question asked (like some of the more recent PPs have done)??