Most of us love travel, freedom, and adventure. As a parent we want to make sure that our kids experience it too. You know that travelling with a kid isn’t easy. Keeping them busy so they won’t get bored especially if the destination is very far. What do you need to bring then? If you’re looking to add a helpful accessory, you may want to consider getting a rucksack. It will be a practical tool that will help carry their toys, books, and other things that they need at school.
These best bags are made from a cotton canvas with olive drab colors, you may discover that there are a lot of choices out there. You may want to check the six military rucksacks that are ideal for kids on the Kids Army Rucksacks link and see your other options. You may want ones with assorted pockets so that the children can organize their smaller goods easily.
Buying Tips to Know
1. It Should Feel Comfortable
One of the essential factors that you need to consider is comfort. You may want to check out the feel for your children and ensure that their rucksack doesn’t hurt their backs. Choose lighter ones to decrease the chances of injuries.
There are ones that contribute a lot to comfort because they are shaped to follow the backside curves. They also have padding and straps that can give more comfort to the children. Select the ones with padded straps where the weight is distributed accordingly in the body.
The straps on the shoulders should be adjustable so that the backpack sits comfortably on your child’s back. Know more about choosing backpacks on this page here.
Padded and contoured backs will add more comfort to the lower back, and there’s an allowed natural arch to prevent back pain.
Hip belts that were padded can remove the entire weight of the rucksack from the shoulders and back. They also decrease the burden on your kid’s leg muscles so they can carry their bags for a longer time.
2. Get One with Durability
Heavy-duty rucksacks are made from nylon materials, and they are one of the most popular ones out there. Even if you choose leather, it can drive the prices higher. One of the most common reasons why your kids may not want to wear the rucksack is that they may already have tears on the straps, undone stitching, and broken zippers.
Be careful with the straps, as they are usually the ones more susceptible to tearing. Observe the thread and sewing material and see if they have double-stitching. Avoid carrying too much weight that the bag won’t be able to handle to protect your child’s back as well.
3. Protection of Contents
You can choose rucksacks that are waterproof nowadays to protect the children’s books and things. They may also carry electronic equipment inside, so it’s crucial to choose something waterproof. If your child is going on outdoor trips, you may want to select polyester or nylon for some adventure.
The padded compartments are usually where the tablets and laptops are stored. It’s essential to fasten any device or equipment so your kids won’t have to jostle around their rucksacks.
4. Get the Right Size
The right size should be proportional to your child’s body, and it could carry all the essential items to school or camp. Excellent fits are suitable for the torso’s length, and it should also have comfortably snug grips to the hips.
The extra small backpacks may best fit your elder child with a torso fit of about 18″. Regular and medium ones can go up to 20,” and larger ones have torso fit of 20″ and up.
If the rucksack is too small or too big compared to the torso, you can’t expect your kid to balance it properly. An imbalance may cause toppling over or even back pain. Know more about the effect of heavy rucksacks to kids here: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/allthemoms/health-safety/2017/07/24/could-your-kids-heavy-backpacks-lead-to-early-arthritis/34910059/.
5. Know the Activities of your Kids
There are travel backs, daypacks, and rucksacks available in many shops that may confuse you. But apart from getting the right size for your children, the overall build and design should also fit the activities that they’re going to do.
- It’s essential that they can fit all their utilities inside the backpacks.
- They should not have any problems walking around from one place to another.
- If they’re sitting in classrooms all day, they should be able to have the bags on their side comfortably.
Checklists for Backpacks
If you want to have higher quality rucksacks, magazines like Consumer Reports suggest that you check the inside and out before buying. You may want to view the following:
- Avoid careless stitches as well as uneven or loose threads. They can quickly come undone at single washing.
- Check for edges and ensure that they are not frayed or raw. They could pass up or unravel, and you may not want to deal with these kinds of flaws later on
- Don’t get the zippers that can expose your child’s belongings to the weather. Instead, you can select fabric flaps that will keep the rainwater out of your kids’ rucksack.
Proper Fit
If your child uses a backpack that does not properly fit or is incorrectly used, it may potentially cause pain or strain on the shoulders. When shopping for the best ones out there, ensure that you consider the comfort over the prices. You may want to get the military types that are stylish and affordable at the same time. What’s more, these types are created to provide maximum comfort to the users.
Go with the ones with dividers, slots, and packets so that the entire weight will be distributed on your kids’ back. Aside from these, the shoulder straps will ensure that the backpacks sit at the right heights with slots, offer pockets, and more.
The weight should be less than 15% of your kids’ overall body mass. The rucksack and its contents should not weigh your children down, especially if they plan to go on a camping trip. A 60-pound child shouldn’t be allowed to carry more than 9 pounds, while a 100-pound kid should not have a burden of over 15 pounds. You can bring in a few personal essentials that they can carry, but that should be about it.
Great tips and checklist. 🙂