The best backpacks for kids, tested and reviewed

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My daughter starts kindergarten this fall, and if you’d told me a year ago that backpack shopping would send me down this much of a rabbit hole, I wouldn’t have believed you. But here we are. Between the endless folders, snacks, lunch box, water bottle, extra clothes and whatever “special item” she insists on bringing each day, I quickly realized not just any bag would do. I needed something that could actually hold everything, survive a full year of playground drop-offs and cafeteria spills, and — maybe most importantly — make her excited to walk through those doors on day one.

So I did what any slightly obsessive mom does: I polled every parent I know for their tried-and-true recommendations, then my daughter and I turned our living room into a full-blown backpack testing lab. We checked zippers, tested straps, packed them full and let her be the final judge on which ones actually felt good to wear. After weeks of trial and error (and a few strong five-year-old opinions), we landed on a list of backpacks that made the cut. Here are the best ones we found — the ones that are as practical for parents as they are exciting for kids.

selected selected My kid is starting Pre-K so we tested a bunch of school supplies, these are the ones that are actually built to last Best overall State Kane Backpack $ 135.00 STATE Bags When I started asking other parents which backpack they swore by, one name came up again and again: State Bags. I’m talking multiple moms telling me their kid is on their fourth or fifth year with the same one, still going strong. That kind of loyalty is hard to ignore, so we had to try the brand for ourselves. Sized for ages 4 to 8 (K through 3rd grade), State’s Kane Backpack has a 15-liter capacity that swallowed up everything my daughter needed, with room to spare as she grows into bigger binders and books over the next few years. My daughter zeroed in on the metallic purple butterfly design immediately, and it’s still her favorite of everything we tested.

What sold me, though, was how practical it is underneath all that style. The main compartment fits folders, textbooks, and her sizeable lunchbox and snack box, while the interior is genuinely organized, with zip pockets, slip pockets, and pen holders so her stuff isn’t just floating around loose. My daughter could zip it herself with zero struggle, no sticking, no fighting with it, which matters a lot when you’re five and trying to be independent. The straps were just as easy: adjustable enough that we could cinch them down to actually fit her small frame, rather than the bag hanging off her. And when the inevitable spilled juice box or dropped snack happens, you can just wipe it down with a damp cloth and it looks brand new. Between the design she picked out herself and how easy the whole bag is for her to use on her own, it’s the one that made her genuinely excited.