Middle school backpack help

[Julie Billingsley]

kiddo is going into middle school this year (ack!) and I'm stumped on the size of backpack that he will need. He didn't really need a backpack in elementary school because they didn't send the books home, only worksheets. I'd like to get him a JanSport backpack, but they have so many sizes that I don't know where to start.
Thoughts on these sizes?? http://www.jansport.com/shop/en/jans...bags/backpacks

[rach3975]

Ask parents in your district how many physical books they use. We use some online textbooks here (at least in the upper elementary grades; no middle schoolers here yet) so you may only need to take binders and stuff into account.

[Robin Carlton]

I dont know if it'll help but I've gotten Katie a Gear-Up Backpack from Pottery Barn Teen the last couple of years for 7th and 8th grade and her bag is always PACKED...

http://www.pbteen.com/shop/backpacks.../?cm_type=lnav

The backpack is pretty huge and yeah, it's always full, so I would go with a a pretty big one honestly.

[mariewilcox]

This is what Cheyanne has had since 6th grade and what she will take to high school this coming fall.

It's pretty big but she had a 1 or 2-inch binder (the hard kind) for EVERY class plus a huge honking social studies text book, math book science book, etc. It has a zippered pouch on the bottom for gym clothes/sneakers so they don't stink up the books and papers. She had it packed full every single day.

We live in Maine so we're an LL Bean family - they are expensive but it has been through 3 years and will easily make it another 4 - they are built to last and they lifetime warantee can't be beat.

[carrie1977]

Shoot my fourth grader last year used a Jansport with the wheels and it was always packed.

[Julie Billingsley]

That info was really helpful! I don't know anyone in my area with kids in middle school currently. All my friends have kids that are much older. My oldest son is 22 and I couldn't remember what size backpack he had back in middle school. Those backpacks you both linked to are BIG... poor kids. I get sick of lugging my books in college, but I typically only have two subjects that I'm carrying for. Not 4-5 classes like middle schoolers.

I can say that I'm sure they won't have online books, we don't live in an affluent area and I'm guessing that a good percentage of the kids don't have a computer in their home.

And Robin, I'm really liking those backpacks you linked up... for myself! Might be back to school shopping for me now.

[Sherri Tierney]

My middle school child ditched the backpack in favor of an inside out bag from Thirty-One. That wouldn't work for boys though.