How School Backpacks Have Changed Over the Last Few Decades

Designers are creating sleeker backpacks in response to the transition to the digital age. Students are carrying fewer books and need appropriate storage for their devices.

Though backpacks might be getting sleeker to accommodate technology, the weight of objects such as laptops in backpacks has caused some concern among health experts. They’ve found that backpack loads carried by students during a school day are as much as 40% of their body weight, well above the suggested level of 10%, according to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

For the students who plan to step way up in technology class, the high-tech backpacks of today seem like the backpacks of tomorrow.

These backpacks feature padded laptop/tablet pockets, charging ports, durable materials like ballistic nylon, and smart sensors.