Students are asked to haul sometimes heavy loads of notebooks, texts, paper and pencils in backpacks as they head back to school this year. But many of the backpacks they'll use don't measure up, Consumer Reports says.
The magazine tested 14 brands of backpacks for durability, resistance to rain, accessibility of pockets, comfort and other factors.
Gayle Williams, the magazine's deputy health editor, says that although some backpacks are lacking in quality, they fared pretty well overall, though none achieved an "excellent" rating.
"You really do have to watch the construction," she says. "That can vary from brand to brand and maker to maker."
Orly Avitzur, neurologist and medical adviser for Consumers Union, the non-profit that publishes Consumer Reports, says it's important to be thorough when shopping. A poorly made backpack could lead to back pain.
Last year, the magazine sent staffers to three New York schools to weigh backpacks for 50 kids. They found second-graders hauled an average 5.3 pounds, fourth-graders 4.6 pounds, and sixth-graders 18.4 pounds
"Kids are very susceptible to back pain with carrying weight," Avitzur says. "We know that an increasing number of children over the years are getting more back pain."
Williams says that when most parents shop for backpacks, they tend to focus on one factor: cost. "You get it because it's cheap," she says. "But if you're going to be buying another one in a month, how cheap is it?"
But, she says, parents can still find a good backpack without breaking the bank. "The most costly one we tested was $70, which rated very good, but it doesn't mean if you pay $25 you're getting a lousy backpack."
Parents also often opt for backpacks with their children's favorite characters on them, but Williams says parents should look at more than just what's on the outside. "You don't want to just hear your child say 'I like Hannah Montana' and just go with that one," she says.
"If kids are going to be carrying this kind of weight, we want to make sure they're doing it in the best way possible."
She recommends that parents make sure that the backpack has good stitching and that it can hold the weight the child plans to carry. The child should try on the backpack and walk around the store to see how it feels.
Shoulder strap anchors should be about 1 to 2 inches below the top of the shoulder. The bottom of the backpack should go along the curve of the lower back and shouldn't fall more than 4 inches below the waist.
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