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Back To School
The Buzz On
Backpacks
Everybody needs one
but mat kind
will you choose?
0.101111
By Hadas Corey
Teen2Teen Intern
T
Model Jordyn Waterstone, 16,
attends North Farmington High
School, where she may be seen
sporting a trendy backpack from
Roses Are Red in Birmingham.
46
August 9 • 2007
he backpack we all are familiar with, created in 1952 by
Asher Kelty, was made to comfort hikers unable to carry
the heavy original designed for Navy Seals. Now, more
than 50 years later, students have crammed them so full of school-
books that many are facing a future of back pain and bad posture.
A study in 2005 by the University of California at San Diego
showed that children commonly carry backpack loads weighing
up to 22 percent of their body weight. But loads at 20 percent of
body weight were deemed dangerous. "If 20 percent is too high,
then 22 percent should be banned:' the study reported.
Facts aside, backpacks still are the favorite choice of students.
Backpack designers such as Patagonia, North Face and JanSport
are among the most popular.
"I love my backpack!" says Elyse Saretsky, 17, of Birmingham. "I
keep my life in it, from my books and binders to my wallet. During
the school year, it's like a purse for me!'
Any pain from all that cargo? "Sometimes:' she says, "but it's
only when I have to carry all of my books at once."
And with most area high schools abandoning block scheduling
for a regular schedule with each class every day, it's likely those
backpacks will be plenty full.
But who says backpacks have to be purely practical? For the fall,
there are options that are too cute to pass up, especially for girls.
"I have amazing faux fur backpacks made by La Bella Ragazza
and come in five color ways:' says Stacie Maier, owner of Roses
Are Red, a new clothing store for teenage girls in downtown
Birmingham. "I also have four styles of the cute bags plus two
over-the-shoulder book bags in medium and large sizes."
Price tags for these designer-type backpacks range from
$140-$220, while more typical utilitarian packs can be found at
prices anywhere from $35-$250, depending on size and style.
Also stylish this year are the "big bags:' With designers creating
purses that are the size of luggage, it is no surprise that teens are
carrying them. Now that school is here, it seems almost trivial to
carry around two bags when you can easily fit your books into
one. These oversized bags are a quick and popular way to lug
around anything you need for class. They are the best of both
worlds, comfortable and safe, yet still stylish.
For younger students, backpacks that are hot this year can be
found at camping and discount stores. These new backpacks
feature My Little Pony, Bratz dolls and Hello Kitty. They also can
come with movie characters from Transformers, High School
Musical and Cars.
But wait. There's always another option — one created to coun-
ter the physical strain of a heavy backpack and so practical that
every mother would endorse it. You may have heard of it — the
backpack on wheels. These roller backpacks range in price from
$34-$107. Though the bags seem smart and efficient, the realities
still remain.
"The backpacks with wheels are ugly:' says Seger Weisberg, 18,
of Birmingham. "I tried one and it kept getting caught in the halls.
It was not a good choice."
The backpack verdict is out — What will you do this school
year?
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Hadas Corey, JN Teen2Teen intern, attends Birmingham Seahoim High School.