The shift of summer to autumn brings with it one of childhood's most cherished traditions: shopping for the start of the new school year. Of course, no youngster really enjoys his mother dragging him through myriad stores to model scores of uninspired outfits and shoes for her approval (or worse, sitting still [often under threat of punishment] as siblings are subjected to the same). He endures, however, for the tail-end of this trip: the point at which he's loosed upon the supply aisles and allowed to choose the items he'll use in his day-to-day doings. Of these, he holds no item in higher esteem than the backpack. He'll carry it, care for it, and swear allegiance to it until the day he must retire it, initiating the cycle again. Just as one's backpack changes over the years, so too does …show more content…
The ideal backpack should be sturdily crafted from materials able to withstand the elements, as well as the hustle and bustle of the school day. Countless midterm presentations have been fouled by waterlogged bags, and many a student scrubbed from existence by floods of detritus spawned by split backpack seams. Let us remember those lost with a moment of silence. Comfortability: Allotting for passing periods and home-school-home commutes, the average backpack is worn a fair amount during the approximately 16,380 hours one will spend in grades K-12. If you're to wear something for such a significant amount of time (especially if it's weighty), you're self-obliged to make wearing it as pleasant of an experience as possible. Your back and joints will thank you. It would be somewhat of an over-generalization to say that these are the only traits I would keep in mind as I shop for a backpack, for there are always internal and external factors (e.g. personal tastes and school policy, respectively) associated with any choice. Using this trio of traits, however, I've never been steered