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Carry all the essentials with the 10 best backpacks for back to school
State bags
August is winding down, so if you haven’t started your back-to-school shopping, you need to get on it. Classes for some school districts and universities are set to start very soon, so save yourself the stress of a last-minute trip to the store by getting your shopping done now.
To save you time on this year’s back-to-school shopping, we rounded up some great back-to-school backpack options for kids of all ages, ranging from pre-schoolers to college students.
Best backpacks for back to school
Our top back-to-school backpack picks include classic brands that we’ve tested ourselves, as well as stylish options that we know kids will get excited to wear to school. Each comes with enough space to fit essential school supplies while remaining comfortable as they travel to and from school.
Shopping for a student-athlete? Our sister site CBS Sports has rounded up a selection of the best backpacks and bags for high school athletes.
Best overall back-to-school backpack: JanSport Cool Student backpack
Amazon
JanSport has been a mainstay in elementary and high schools for years. The brand’s long-lasting popularity can be attributed to quality and comfort, not to mention the convenient features the backpacks contain for students.
JanSport’s Cool Student backpack is the brand’s most classic design. It comes with four zip pockets that can accommodate school necessities big and small, including a 15-inch laptop.
Inside you’ll find even more convenient compartments, including a sleeve for the aforementioned laptop, slots for pens and pencils and even a clip to hold your keys. There’s also a mesh pocket on the side of your bag to hold your reusable water bottle.
There are 17 color and pattern options to choose from.
Most durable back-to-school backpack: Herschel Supply Co. Herschel Classic backpack
Amazon
One of our CBS Essentials shopping experts has owned this backpack for six years and told us it still remains in excellent condition. This is pretty impressive, as our shopping expert uses this as a commuter bag, travel backpack and a hiking backpack. It has sustained an impressively small amount of damage given all the journeys it has been on (it’s only a few little snags on the bottom), which makes us believe this would make an excellent back-to-school backpack.
The Herschel Classic backpack is comfortable, and comes with adjustable straps for a more customized fit. It also has two compartments, including one small pocket to act as a catchall for your personal items such as your keys, phone and wallet. The larger pocket is available for books, notebooks and binders, and there’s an additional sleeve inside for your laptop.
Get this backpack in one of four colors.
Best large back-to-school backpack: Herschel Supply Co. Little America backpack
Amazon
Need more room? No problem. Herschel has got your back with its Little America backpack, which offers 30 liters of space. Whether you’re a college student taking extra credits this semester or a high school student who goes straight to baseball practice after school, this large backpack will give you that much-needed extra room.
The backpack has a large catch-all compartment as well as a small front pocket for personal items. Both areas are protected by stylish faux leather straps that actually open up via magnetic closures. There’s also two water bottle slots on either side of the backpack, a zipper at the top of the bag flap that features a key clip on the inside, and a zippered compartment on the back of the bag that’s big enough to fit a laptop.
You can get this backpack in all black (including the straps), ivy green, blue and gray (with black straps).
Most versatile back-to-school backpack: Fjallraven Kanken backpack
Zappos
The Fjallraven Kanken was specifically designed for school children in a way that eliminates back pain. The backpack has adjustable straps and a padded foam back, which ensures that what’s inside your backpack doesn’t uncomfortable press up against back as you’re walking or sitting. It also has two big handle straps, which will make carrying this by hand that much easier.
The Kanken is made of a material that is resistant to water and dirt. Should it get wet, it’s made to dry quickly. The Fjallraven logo is reflective, which may make the wearer a little easier to spot in darker conditions.
One of the best parts about this backpack though? All the color options. Shoppers have a whopping 39 to choose from, ranging from terracotta brown to flamingo pink.
Buy a Fjallraven Kanken from Amazon now and you can save 26% off your purchase.
Most stylish back-to-school backpack: State Bags Kane double-pocket large backpack
State Bags
Although technically designed for children, anyone with a bold style and a love for color will appreciate this backpack from State Bags. The Kane backpack, one of the brand’s bestsellers, features a technicolor tropical island landscape that is simply eye-catching. It’s also practical too, able to fit a 16-inch laptop, a tablet, books, notebooks, folders, binders, a change of clothes (if needed) and more.
It has two bottle pockets, a front pocket with a D ring for your keys, and two large compartments. One of those large compartments contains a laptop sleeve and the other that has an organization compartment to keep small items like pens, chargers and earbuds in place while going to and from class.
We also like that the material of the backpack is made up of 45% recycled materials.
Most affordable back-to-school backpack: Vans kids’ Old Skool checkered backpack
Vans
The edgy, checkered design is definitely not for everybody, but if it’s in line with your kid’s style, take advantage of its low price. This backpack is made of the same material (polyester), is about the same size and comes with similar features as some of our other higher-priced top picks, but carries a much smaller price tag ($38).
The backpack has padded, adjustable straps for comfort, a water bottle pocket on the exterior, a large compartment with a laptop sleeve inside and a small front pocket.
If your kid isn’t into the green checkered pattern on the bag, there’s another pattern option, camo, available at Nordstrom for the same price.
Best custom back-to-school backpack: Little Chicken Patched customizable backpack
Little Chicken
We wish we had these super cool backpacks back in our school days. Little Chicken makes backpacks that you can add patches to, giving little ones the ability to customize their bag.
The backpack offers enough space for five patches, which are included with your purchase. There are 13 letter initials and 91 other fun patches to choose from. Just make sure to stick to five, otherwise the brand will narrow down the selection on your behalf.
Your kid will have just as much fun designing the bag as they will wearing it. Patch options include one of Taylor Swift, fuzzy smiley faces and hearts, robots, melting pizza, dogs, narwhals and more.
Best roller back-to-school backpack: JanSport Driver 8 backpack
Amazon
Getting a roller backpack can help alleviate discomfort and potentially prevent back problems from developing. The JanSport Driver 8 backpack has a retractable handle and a lot of room to store your kids’ school supplies and belongings with its four zipped compartments, including three large and one small front pocket.
It also has a roomy water bottle pocket. Inside the smallest of the zip compartments, you’ll find an organizer that offers dedicated spaces for a phone and wallet. Plus, there’s a ring for keys.
There are multiple color and pattern options available, though they vary by price. The most affordable is the purple petals model (pictured), which is currently on sale for 40% off ($90).
Best sporty back-to-school backpack: State Bags kids’ fuzzy basketball Kane travel backpack
Danrie
Whether your kid loves basketball or is just a sports fan in general, they’ll love this backpack from State Bags. This bestselling bag features several fuzzy basketball patches.
This Kane backpack is certainly a stand-out design-wise, but it also possesses much-needed functionality too. It has two bottle pockets, a front pocket and a large pocket that has multiple smaller compartments that allow your kids to organize small items.
There is also a label placeholder where you can fill out your kids’ name and their contact information, a great addition that’ll help if they ever lose their bag. On the back you’ll find a trolley sleeve, making this backpack convenient for traveling with the family as well.
Best back-to-school backpack for little kids: Skip Hop Zoo Pack backpack
Amazon
This super adorable mini backpack is perfect for little ones just starting their schooling journeys. This is made for ages 3 and up, making it a fun option for preschoolers or kindergarteners to wear. Kids have so many cute design options to choose from, including a smiling dinosaur, a koala with fuzzy ears, a happy bee, a colorful butterfly, a dog and more (price varies by design).
The features of the backpack are pretty standard, as it comes with a water bottle pocket, one large zipped compartment, one small zipped front pocket and padded adjustable straps.
Parents love this backpack, as the product boasts a 4.8-star rating on Amazon. One reviewer wrote, “Beautifully made backpack. My toddler loves wearing it to daycare. It fits his bento lunch box, change of clothes and there’s a side pocket for a water bottle. I’m very happy with my purchase.”
CBS News
Couple charged for allegedly stealing $1 million from Lululemon in convoluted retail theft scheme
A couple from Connecticut faces charges for allegedly taking part in an intricate retail theft operation targeting the apparel company Lululemon that may have amounted to $1 million worth of stolen items, according to a criminal complaint.
The couple, Jadion Anthony Richards, 44, and Akwele Nickeisha Lawes-Richards, 45, were arrested Nov. 14 in Woodbury, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis-St. Paul. Richards and Lawes-Richards have been charged with one count each of organized retail theft, which is a felony, the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office said. They are from Danbury, Connecticut.
The alleged operation impacted Lululemon stores in multiple states, including Minnesota.
“Because of the outstanding work of the Roseville Police investigators — including their new Retail Crime Unit — as well as other law enforcement agencies, these individuals accused of this massive retail theft operation have been caught,” a spokesperson for the attorney’s office said in a statement on Nov. 18. “We will do everything in our power to hold these defendants accountable and continue to work with our law enforcement partners and retail merchants to put a stop to retail theft in our community.”
Both Richards and Lawes-Richards have posted bond as of Sunday and agreed to the terms of a court-ordered conditional release, according to the county attorney. For Richards, the court had set bail at $100,000 with conditional release, including weekly check-ins, or $600,000 with unconditional release. For Lawes-Richards, bail was set at $30,000 with conditional release and weekly check-ins or $200,000 with unconditional release. They are scheduled to appear again in court Dec. 16.
Prosecutors had asked for $1 million bond to be placed on each half of the couple, the attorney’s office said.
Richards and Lawes-Richards are accused by authorities of orchestrating a convoluted retail theft scheme that dates back to at least September. Their joint arrests came one day after the couple allegedly set off store alarms while trying to leave a Lululemon in Roseville, Minnesota, and an organized retail crime investigator, identified in charging documents by the initials R.P., recognized them.
The couple were allowed to leave the Roseville store. But the investigator later told an officer who responded to the incident that Richards and Lawes-Richards were seasoned shoplifters, who apparently stole close to $5,000 worth of Lululemon items just that day and were potentially “responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars in loss to the store across the country,” according to the complaint. That number was eventually estimated by an investigator for the brand to be even higher, with the criminal complaint placing it at as much as $1 million.
Richards and Lawes-Richards allegedly involved other individuals in their shoplifting pursuits, but none were identified by name in the complaint. Authorities said they were able to successfully pull off the thefts by distracting store employees and later committing fraudulent returns with the stolen items at different Lululemon stores.
“Between October 29, 2024 and October 30, 2024, RP documented eight theft incidents in Colorado involving Richards and Lawes-Richards and an unidentified woman,” authorities wrote in the complaint, describing an example of how the operation would allegedly unfold.
“The group worked together using specific organized retail crime tactics such as blocking and distraction of associates to commit large thefts,” the complaint said. “They selected coats and jackets and held them up as if they were looking at them in a manner that blocked the view of staff and other guests while they selected and concealed items. They removed security sensors using a tool of some sort at multiple stores.”
CBS News contacted Lululemon for comment but did not receive an immediate reply.
CBS News
Former Trump national security adviser says next couple months are “really critical” for Ukraine
Washington — Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, a former national security adviser to Donald Trump, said Sunday that the upcoming months will be “really critical” in determining the “next phase” of the war in Ukraine as the president-elect is expected to work to force a negotiated settlement when he enters office.
McMaster, a CBS News contributor, said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that Russia and Ukraine are both incentivized to make “as many gains on the battlefield as they can before the new Trump administration comes in” as the two countries seek leverage in negotiations.
With an eye toward strengthening Ukraine’s standing before President-elect Donald Trump returns to office in the new year, the Biden administration agreed in recent days to provide anti-personnel land mines for use, while lifting restrictions on Ukraine’s use of U.S.-made longer range missiles to strike within Russian territory. The moves come as Ukraine marked more than 1,000 days since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
Meanwhile, many of Trump’s key selection for top posts in his administration — Rep. Mike Waltz for national security adviser and Sens. Marco Rubio for secretary of state and JD Vance for Vice President — haven’t been supportive of providing continued assistance to Ukraine, or have advocated for a negotiated end to the war.
CBS News
McMaster said the dynamic is “a real problem” and delivers a “psychological blow to the Ukrainians.”
“Ukrainians are struggling to generate the manpower that they need and to sustain their defensive efforts, and it’s important that they get the weapons they need and the training that they need, but also they have to have the confidence that they can prevail,” he said. “And any sort of messages that we might reduce our aid are quite damaging to them from a moral perspective.”
McMaster said he’s hopeful that Trump’s picks, and the president-elect himself, will “begin to see the quite obvious connections between the war in Ukraine and this axis of aggressors that are doing everything they can to tear down the existing international order.” He cited the North Korean soldiers fighting on European soil in the first major war in Europe since World War II, the efforts China is taking to “sustain Russia’s war-making machine,” and the drones and missiles Iran has provided as part of the broader picture.
“So I think what’s happened is so many people have taken such a myopic view of Ukraine, and they’ve misunderstood Putin’s intentions and how consequential the war is to our interests across the world,” McMaster said.
On Trump’s selections for top national security and defense posts, McMaster stressed the importance of the Senate’s advice and consent role in making sure “the best people are in those positions.”
McMaster outlined that based on his experience, Trump listens to advice and learns from those around him. And he argued that the nominees for director of national intelligence and defense secretary should be asked key questions like how they will “reconcile peace through strength,” and what they think “motivates, drives and constrains” Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump has tapped former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence, who has been criticized for her views on Russia and other U.S. adversaries. McMaster said Sunday that Gabbard has a “fundamental misunderstanding” about what motivates Putin.
More broadly, McMaster said he “can’t understand” the Republicans who “tend to parrot Vladimir Putin’s talking points,” saying “they’ve got to disabuse themselves of this strange affection for Vladimir Putin.”
Meanwhile, when asked about Trump’s recent selection of Sebastian Gorka as senior director for counterterrorism and deputy assistant to the president, McMaster said he doesn’t think Gorka is a good person to advise the president-elect on national security. But he noted that “the president, others who are working with him, will probably determine that pretty quickly.”
CBS News
Sen. Van Hollen says Biden is “not fully complying with American law” on Israeli arms shipments
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Couple charged for allegedly stealing $1 million from Lululemon in convoluted retail theft scheme
Former Trump national security adviser says next couple months are “really critical” for Ukraine
St. Paul partners with SPPS to expand college savings program
Couple charged for allegedly stealing $1 million from Lululemon in convoluted retail theft scheme
Former Trump national security adviser says next couple months are “really critical” for Ukraine