The Best Backpacks for School—Nike, Herschel, Northface, and More for Every Style, Every Budget
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Our Favorite Backpacks for
Best Overall: The North Face Jester
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Spacious, durable, and lasts years without tearing.
Best Splurge: Herschel Little America (30L)
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Classic silhouette that still looks great in June.
Best Value: Under Armour Hustle Sport 6.0
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Tough, water-resistant, and locker-room ready.
Backpack shopping sneaks up on parents every single year and finding the perfect backpack for school is a mix of style and durability. One week the kids are still in summer mode, and the next you are looking at a sea of options trying to figure out what is in style, what will actually last through June, and what will arrive in time.
After 17 years in commerce and a decade of hauling gear bags to fields, dugouts, and school pickup lines, I have a pretty good radar for what is built to last and what falls apart by Halloween. These are the best backpacks for school this year, organized by what you are actually shopping for—whether that is a splurge brand name, something cute for a kindergartner, or a clear backpack required by your school.
A few of these are backpacks my own family has used for years. I have marked those ‘Tested and Approved’ below so you know exactly which ones come with real mileage behind them.
Our Top Picks
If you want a backpack that is going to survive the whole year without falling apart, these are the brands I trust. Every one of these has the stitching and zipper quality to make it to June, broken out by brand so you can jump straight to the one you’re shopping for.
North Face Backpacks for School
The North Face is the brand I reach for first when durability matters most. Padded laptop sleeves and weather resistant fabric across the board. We have a pink version of the North Face Jester, which has been through four years of high school and too many day trips to count.
BEST OVERALL
The North Face Jester Everyday Laptop Backpack
A durable everyday pick with a padded laptop sleeve and enough room for a full binder stack. Holds up through a whole school year. We stand by this backpack and have owned it for 5 years with no rips!
- TESTED AND APPROVED: The North Face Jester Backpack
Check Price → - The North Face Vault Laptop Backpack
Check Price → - The North Face Borealis Commuter Backpack
Check Price → - The North Face Jester Luxe Backpack, Burnt Coral
Check Price → - The North Face Recon Laptop Backpack
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Herschel Backpacks for School
Herschel is the pick when you want a backpack that still looks put together in June, not just September. Classic silhouettes that work from elementary through college.
BEST SPLURGE
Herschel Little America Backpack, 30L
The backpack that still looks good in June. Roomy main compartment with a classic silhouette that works from elementary through college.
- Herschel Little America Backpack, 30L
Check Price → - Herschel Classic Backpack, Black 26L
Check Price → - Herschel Classic XL Backpack, Navy 30L
Check Price → - Herschel Heritage Backpack
Check Price → - Herschel Survey Backpack, Light Grey
Check Price → - Herschel Kaslo Backpack, Tech Black
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Under Armour Backpacks for School
Under Armour is the athletic pick, built to survive being tossed in a locker or the back of a car after practice. Water resistant and genuinely tough.
BEST VALUE
UA Hustle Sport 6.0 Backpack
Tough, water resistant, and priced right for a backpack that is going to get thrown around a locker room all year.
- UA Hustle Sport 6.0 Backpack, Hyper Green
Check Price → - UA Adult Hustle Backpack
Check Price → - UA Hustle Sport 6.0 Backpack, Black Silver
Check Price → - UA Hustle 6.0 Backpack, Black
Check Price → - UA Hustle 5.0 Backpack, Downpour
Check Price → - UA Hustle Sport 6.0 Backpack, Purple Crest
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Nike Backpacks for School
Nike backpacks are the ones that get requested by name, especially once kids are old enough to have brand opinions. While I don’t always stand by Nike’s clothing quality, the brand’s bookbags stand up to the test. My son needed a larger backpack for his school gear and sports accessories. His Nike Elite backpack is plenty big enough and has held up great over years of use.
- Nike Classics Heritage Backpack, 25L
Check Price → - Nike Varsity Elite Backpack, 32L
Check Price → - Nike Gameday Brasilia Training Backpack
Check Price → - Nike 3BRAND Kids Blitz Backpack for School
Check Price → - Nike Hayward Backpack
Check Price → - Nike Brasilia Medium Training Backpack
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Girls Backpacks for School
These are built with a little more room for growth, since a backpack bought in September has to last through a growth spurt or two.
- LOIDOU Backpack for Elementary and Middle School
Check Price → - MUSEVOS Backpack, Elementary to Teen Years
Check Price → - mibasies Kids Backpack for Kindergarten and Elementary
Check Price → - adidas Young Creator Backpack, Splatter Sandy Pink
Check Price → - abshoo Big Student Laptop Backpack for Teens
Check Price → - Trail Maker Classic 17 Inch Backpack, Pink
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Cute Backpacks for School
If your kid is picking the backpack this year based purely on vibes, this is the section for that. Aesthetic, preppy, and just plain cute picks that still function as a real backpack.
- PRLINJSK Aesthetic Backpack for College or High School
Check Price → - Uselike Quilted College Backpack
Check Price → - Bluboon Corduroy Backpack for Teen Girls
Check Price → - LOVEVOOK Backpack with Plush Bear, Ages 8-14
Check Price → - HORHEAR Preppy College Backpack, Beige
Check Price → - Aesthetic Backpack for Students, White
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Boys Backpacks for School
From tactical camo styles to character backpacks that actually get requested by name, these hold up to a full year of being dropped, kicked, and dragged.
- Fortnite School Backpack for Kids and Teens
Check Price → - adidas Kids Backpack, 27L
Check Price → - mezhsa Boy Backpack, Elementary and Middle
Check Price → - BURLEBO Backpack, Classic Deer Camo
Check Price → - Fitvc Camo School Backpack for Boys
Check Price → - SunForMorning Kids Tactical Backpack
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Rolling Backpacks for School
For heavy binder years or a school with stairs and long hallways, a rolling backpack saves a lot of shoulder pain.
- Rockland Double Handle 17 Inch Rolling Backpack
Check Price → - MATEIN Water Resistant Rolling Backpack, 17 Inch
Check Price → - TILAMI 19 Inch Rolling Backpack for Teens
Check Price → - MATEIN Rolling Backpack with 4 Spinner Wheels
Check Price → - Dual Opening Wheeled Laptop Backpack for Women
Check Price → - J World Sunrise Kids Rolling Backpack
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Canvas Backpacks for School
A little more grown up, these lean toward middle school through college and hold up well as an everyday bag beyond just the school year.
- seemeroad Durable Canvas College Rucksack
Check Price → - HuaChen Vintage Canvas Backpack with Leather Trim
Check Price → - BLUBOON Vintage Backpack with Leather Trim
Check Price → - Tommy Hilfiger Jackson Canvas Backpack
Check Price → - Carhartt 21L Top Load Coated Canvas Backpack
Check Price → - Tzowla Canvas Laptop Backpack
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Clear Backpacks for School (When They’re Required)
More schools are requiring clear backpacks every year. These are the sturdy options, not the flimsy versions that split at the seams by October.
- ZORFIN 17 Inch Clear Backpack, Reinforced Straps
Check Price → - Sisipoet Heavy Duty Clear PVC Backpack
Check Price → - PACKISM Clear Backpack, Multi Pocket
Check Price → - Trail Maker Heavy Duty Clear Backpack
Check Price → - Vorspack Clear Backpack with TSA Lock
Check Price → - Lrenagao Heavy Duty Clear Backpack
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KJ is the co-founder of The Gooderie, which she runs with her husband, Kyle, and an ecommerce, marketing, and SEO expert with 17+ years of experience. After nearly two decades working behind the scenes with retail data, pricing, digital publishing, and online shopping, she turned her professional experience and lifelong love of shopping and deal hunting into a resource for smarter shoppers. At The Gooderie, KJ specializes in finding and verifying deals, researching products, testing finds firsthand, and sharing the shopping strategies she’s learned throughout her career.
