Rolling Backpack
“Mom! Dad! My backpack is too heavy!” As kids are sent home with piles of books and homework every night, these words are echoing through countless homes. How can parents avoid chronic back problems among their six-year olds without jeopardizing their academic futures? The rolling backpack is the answer.
With the same amount of convenient storage as a regular backpack, rolling backpacks have the added benefit of a pair of wheels and an extending handle to take the pressure off your little one’s shoulders. The typical kid rolling backpack features a favorite cartoon character or cute animal design, and can be carried in normal backpack fashion if needed. When the load gets to be too difficult, the handle comes out and away it goes. Some retailers offer a clear rolling backpack, a real bonus for kids learning to organize and find their school materials.
Advantages
- Versatile carrying method
- Fun for kids to use
- Tons of styles, from Spider-Man to a princess rolling backpack
- Prevents back injury when used properly
Disadvantages
- Can be heavier than a regular backpack (and may still have to be taken up stairs)
- Wheels not great in muddy, grassy or snowy conditions
- May encourage kids to take home more than they need
Safety and Backpack Care Tips
Make sure that children using rolling backpacks are aware that they are different from regular backpacks. If kids use them as toys, or run while pulling it behind them, they are likely to damage the wheels or bend the handle. Remind children to keep the wheels out of mud or sand, which can jam them up on most bags. Check wheels for stones or other damage if things aren’t working properly. One of the most dangerous places for using a rolling backpack is the escalator, where straps close to the ground can get caught or wheels can get jammed. Be sure to lift your rolling backpack off the ground when using an escalator.
Not Just for Kids
Anyone who has used the rolling feature available on luggage knows that rolling backpacks are not just for kids. Adults with large loads to carry (which may not fit in a briefcase) often use a rolling computer backpack for their laptops and other materials. Just as Dora the Explorer packs reduce backaches in children, adults are finding that the addition of wheels reduces the shoulder and neck pain associated with over-the-shoulder bags.
Look for rolling backpacks to help you and your child cart materials to and from work or school, back-pain free. Just make sure it’s not an excuse to bring more work home!
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