Home >  Babies & kids >  Backpacks

Backpacks

Find Ratings blob logo

Backpacks

What's behind our backpack Ratings?

Experts at our National Testing and Research Center tested 3 models in backpacks to see which ones perform best.
We look for:
  • Overall score
    Overall score is based mainly on construction quality and durability, and to a lesser degree on convenience, rain resistance, safety features and comfort.
  • Construction quality
    Construction quality is based on material and zipper selection, stitching and finishing techniques, and workmanship defects.
  • Durability
    Durability indicates how well the backpack performed in the tumble- and shoulder-strap-durability tests.
  • Rain resistance
    Rain resistance shows how well a backpack protected its contents from a simulated rainfall
  • Convenience
    Convenience is based on the number of compartments, accessories, and features.
  • Comfort
    Comfort is a combination of laboratory measurements of comfort features, and panelists' evaluations.
  • Safety features
    Safety Features is based on the presence of reflectors, abdominal straps, chest straps, and means for securing extra adjustment straps.
  • Volume (cu. in.)
    Volume (Cubic Inches) is a capacity test of main compartments and large accessory pockets.

Connect

Forums

Discuss products and safety with subscribers and fans.

Follow Consumer Reports

More than half of all backpacks purchased are for children under 17, according to the National Sporting Goods Association. If you're looking for information about backpacks, Consumer Reports is your best resource. Consumer Reports’ backpack reviews will give you honest buying advice that you can trust. Use our backpack buying guide to discover which features are most important to consider. We also provide unbiased Ratings and backpack reviews to help you choose the best backpack for your needs.

Backpack buying guide

Backpack buying guide

In Consumer Reports' evaluations of backpacks, we selected non-wheeled backpacks with two shoulder straps. We test backpacks for durability, construction quality, safety, convenience features, comfort, and resistance to rain. Good safety features include reflective material, an abdominal or chest strap (to help distribute weight), and a place to store excess adjustment straps so they don't snag on a doorknob or school-bus door.

Baby & Kid News

Secure your TVs to keep kids from harm

Lots of folks bought a new TV in time to enjoy the Super Bowl and often the old TV winds up in a bedroom. It's crucial to ensure that any TV in your home is installed in a way that...

High-back boosters are the safest type

Booster seats are the best way to keep your child safe in the car after he or she outgrows a harnessed child seat but is too small to correctly fit a vehicle's seat belt. The use of any booster s...

Out of the hospital and into the E.R.

If you recently checked out of a hospital there's a good chance you'll be heading back soon, quite possibly through the emergency room door. Nearly 10 of every 100 hospital patients enter the eme...

Builders' Show: Sherwin-Williams kid-friendly Dry Erase paint

For all those times that you told the kids not to write on the walls, scolding them for doodles left magically by markers, now Sherwin-Williams has created Dry Erase 2K Waterborne Clear Gloss. In...

Should I take Tamiflu to treat the flu?

Not unless you're very sick with the flu or you're sick from it and vulnerable to complications because you're hospitalized, pregnant, 65 or older, have asthma, or are otherwise at high risk. "Ta...
More news
left arrow right arrow
See also:
Toys
Toys
See buying guide down arrow
Baby activity centers
Baby activity centers
See buying guide down arrow
Baby bathtubs
Baby bathtubs
See buying guide down arrow
Baby bottles
Baby bottles
See buying guide down arrow
Baby carriers
Baby carriers
See buying guide down arrow
Baby clothes
Baby clothes
See buying guide down arrow