Roonga’s Picks for Quality Low Cost Backpacks

     “Quality” and “Low Cost” don’t usually go together – and indeed, a $5 backpack should not be expected to last like a $40 backpack would.  We took samples of backpacks in the “$5 and under” range and asked elementary school students to use them daily.  Below are some of the issues we found, which we reviewed in more detail in a separate post:

1. Shoulder strap buckles cracked or broke.
2. Water bottle pockets ripped or tore.
3. Shoulder strap stitching tore at the top seam.
4. Backpacks wore out at the bottom.
5. Zippers broke easily.

So how can you get the most of a low-cost backpack?  Here are our recommendations on what to look (or not look) for:

• Pick the better quality zipper. Moving up to the next tier of zipper quality is a matter of cents, not dollars. It’s worth it to ensure that backpacks open and close properly. 
• Look for reinforced stitching at the top of the shoulder strap. This lengthens the time before the strap starts to tear. 
• Check the backpack bottom for either reinforced stitching and, for older kids, additional padding. We were not able to find any reinforcement/padding in the $5 backpacks, but found some starting in the $8-10 range.   
• Skip the water bottle holder – or at least, don’t make this a priority. The kids in our test placed their water bottle in their main backpack pocket, and that worked fine.  

With this in mind, we present Roonga’s suggestions for quality low-cost backpacks. These backpacks ALL have high quality zippers – and they are also roomier than many other backapacks. Especially in the winter, the extra depth is useful for stuffing coats, hats, and gloves. Admittedly, we’d like to see more padding on the bottom for the $5 backpacks, but none of the bags have this in this price range – check out the backpacks in the $10 range for more reinforcement. And NOTE, the pricing below is BULK pricing (for large orders).

Backpacks in the $5 Range:

Backpacks in the $10 Range:

Interested in learning more about these backpacks? Reach out to us at hello@roonga.com.