There’s something melancholic about the end of summer. It’s got a certain feeling to it: blisteringly hot days interspersed with thundershowers; crisp nights and mosquitos. I always dreaded back to school season as a child, but there was something I loved about it, too. The return to real life was always exciting – and these JanSport backpacks are the perfect, no-nonsense way to head back to class.
JanSport SuperBreak and City Scout backpacks for grade school
A big part of JanSport’s appeal–at least for me–is how wonderfully basic their bags are. The classic JanSport “look” stays the same every year, with a lightweight fabric body, a big logo, and a roomy pocket sewn onto the front of the bag.
The SuperBreak is the de facto standard of the JanSport line, and it’s the perfect place to start looking for a backpack for kids in K-12. The bags come in a variety of sizes and prints on 600 Denier polyester, always with padded shoulder straps and a webbed top carry handle. The JanSport SuperBreak 25L School Backpack is my top pick from the SuperBreaks, followed by the JanSport SuperBreak 16.7″ Backpack (the same size, at 25L).
For something a little more “fun,” the SuperBreak comes in prints, too. (Check out the bright blue Galaxy for your space-loving elementary schooler!) And if you’re looking for a backpack for someone in junior high or high school, the brand offers a very similar bag in a larger size: the JanSport City Scout 31L Backpack.
The JanSport City Scout backpack includes a laptop sleeve that fits up to a 15″ device, making it a great transition backpack between high school and college. It has both a front stash pocket and a front utility pocket (perfect for keeping your bus pass easily accessible). And it’s a little larger than the SuperBreak, with a slightly slimmer profile.
Big JanSport backpacks for big kids
If you’re looking for a backpack to haul a lot of stuff around, the JanSport Big Student 17.5″ Backpack is the best option for you. It’s a whopping 34L in both black and navy blue.
The Big Student Backpack has two roomy pockets instead of just one, in addition to two flat pockets and a utility pocket. It’s the kind of bag that I would have carried in high school, and would still use now while travelling: spacious, compartmentalized, and basic.
JanSport backpacks for college & beyond
For college students, a big bag like the Big Student is pretty much a must-have. But your backpack doesn’t have to be back-breakingly large! The brand offers plenty of bags with laptop sleeves that won’t fit an entire watermelon and a half in them.
Both the JanSport Digital Student and JanSport Right Pack Digital Edition hold up to a 15″ laptop. The Digital Student offers more space: it has a removable 15″ laptop sleeve plus an external 10″ tablet pocket, and has a dedicated cord pocket. Two main compartments offer plenty of space, and it uses the same padded, S-curve shoulder straps as the Big Student.
The Right Pack is one of the key JanSport backpacks to look at if you want something discreet, with smooth lines. It comes in a gorgeous herringbone with camel-coloured suede accents, and it comes with a padded internal laptop sleeve as well as a Tricot-lined tablet sleeve. It’s a little more grown up, so you (or your kid) can take it from college to your first internship in a casual office.
That’s a wrap!
The last JanSport product I have to talk about today isn’t a backpack at all. Rather, it’s a accessory pouch that’ll appeal to all ages.
The JanSport Digital Wrap Burrito Accessory Pouch is hilarious on so many different levels. It’s a fun, food-themed item for little ones, and a tongue-in-cheek wrap for an older crowd. (Who hasn’t thought a teenage boy would eat them out of house and home at some point?) It’s both a tortilla wrap and a digital wrap, with lettuce-coloured elastics and pouch space.
There’s no such thing as having too many puns in your life. Just… make sure not to munch on this one after hours, okay?
Shop JanSport backpacks online at Best Buy today.
