Best kids backpacks for school, childcare or travel

To prevent your child losing their beloved backpack, take a look at our top pick of the best name labels. If you've still got to do some school shopping, we've also rounded up the best back to school sales we could find from UK retailers.

Best kids backpacks at a glance

• Best backpack for fun patterns: Smiggle Classic Backpack, from £35
• Best personalised backpack: My 1st Years Personalised Ditsy Print Mini Backpack, £23
• Best sustainable backpack: LittleLife Stingray Toddler Backpack with Rein, £19.99
• Best backpack with attached pencil case: Nike Elemental Backpack with Pencil Case, £28
• Best backpack for storing snacks: Skip Hop Unicorn Backpack, £20
• Best budget backpack: Quechua Kids' Hiking Small Backpack, from £5.49
• Best backpack for older kids: Hype Clouds Backpack, £30
• Best backpack for fitting everything in: Mountain Warehouse Bookworm 20L Backpack, £16.99
• Best water repellent backpack: M&S Collection Backpack, £14-£18
• Best backpack for Disney lovers: Disney Minnie Mouse Backpack, £16

Jump to what to consider when buying a new school bag

Best school bags and kids backpacks to buy in 2024, as recommended by parents:

1. Smiggle Classic Backpack, from £35

– Best school bag for colourful patterns

Size: 38cm x 26cm x 15cm | Padded straps: Yes | Chest strap: No

Pros:

• Fun designs
• Adjustable padded straps
• Robust and durable

Cons:

• No chest strap
• Pricey

My eldest had a Smiggle bag which was a fun unicorn design and it was really great quality too!

In our annual MFM School Uniform Awards, Smiggle won our Gold award for Best school bag. Smiggle was the most popular school bag retailer for parents, with many finding the brand impressive due to its fun patterns and colours, durability and excellent features.

These Smiggle backpacks have adjustable padded straps, dual drink bottle sleeves and the main section of the bag also has a padded computer pocket. At the front there are 2 zip compartments, including a fun zipper pull that matches the chosen style. There are so many designs to choose from too, from Disney and Marvel options, to dinosaur and unicorn-themed styles.

Much like the Hype backpack also on this list, this bag is the perfect size for school kids.

Available from: Smiggle and Next

2. My 1st Years Personalised Ditsy Print Mini Backpack, £23

– Best school bag for personalisation

Size: 28cm x 22cm x 8cm| Padded straps: Yes | Chest strap: No

Pros:

• Personalised and easy to identify
• Great size for nursery
• Easy to wash
• Adjustable padded shoulder straps with reflective stripes

Cons:

• No chest strap
• May be more suited to nursery rather than school due to size

Emily is able to recognise her bag hanging up at nursery and knows this one is hers. Her backpack is a great size for nursery because all she needs is a change of clothes, sun hat and her comforter teddy inside. It's a perfect size for her to manage. It's excellent quality and so far has been used for 6 months with no signs of wear and tear and is easily washed.

There is a chance that your child is going to have the same bag to someone in their class, so a personalised bag can make spotting your child's bag that bit easier when they are all hung up at nursery or school. Unless, of course, you're unlucky enough that they have the same bag and name...

My 1st Years allows you to personalise this bag with up to 12 characters. Your child's name is embroidered on top of the cream ditsy print. This bag is on the smaller side, so it's important to consider whether the backpack is large enough for school where children may have to carry more – My 1st Years has a range of kids backpacks in larger sizes if you need more space.

The backpack has a front pocket and adjustable padded shoulder straps with 2 reflective stripes.

Available from: My 1st Years and Not On The High Street

3. LittleLife Stingray Toddler Backpack with Rein, £19.99

– Best sustainable school bag

Size: 14cm x 18cm x 23cm | Padded straps: Yes | Chest strap: Yes

Pros:

• Sustainably made
• Adjustable padded shoulder pads
• Chest strap
• Name label and toddler reins included

Cons:

• May not be able to carry enough for older kids
• Cannot be machine washed

For a sustainably-made and undeniably adorable backpack for toddlers then this LittleLife Stingray bag is ideal. It has a gorgeous stingray print all over the front, complete with eyes, mouth and fins at the top, back and side of the backpack.

The backpack has a top grab handle to carry the bag around when not on your child's back, adjustable padded shoulder straps and a chest strap to help distribute the weight. Inside the bag there's an internal name and address label.

With a 2 litre capacity, it's just right for younger children who don't need to carry as much stuff around with them and means it cannot be overloaded and made too heavy. The inside of the backpack has an easy zipped top entry so your toddler can get things in and out their backpack all by themselves.

An added benefit of this backpack – specifically for toddlers – is that it comes with safety reins too so you can keep your child close if walking around a crowded area. As for cleaning, it can just be wiped clean.

It's made from recycled bottles (approx. 7.9 bottles per backpack) and the brand donates 1% of the profits from this line to sea life conservation charities to help protect the oceans.

Available from: Amazon, Boots and LittleLife

4. Nike Elemental Backpack with Pencil Case, £35

– Best school bag for secondary school

Size: 46cm x 30cm x 15cm | Padded straps: Yes | Chest strap: No

Pros:

• Pencil case attached
• Generous size
• Padded adjustable shoulder straps and padded back

Cons:

• No chest strap to distribute weight
• Cannot be machine washed

We love that it's black so goes with his uniform without being an eyesore.

This Nike backpack has a pencil case attached, which parent tester Danielle, mum of Jay, 14, finds really useful. It clips onto the inside of the bag for quick and easy access. The bag also has 2 zip compartments and a mesh side pocket for your child to easily store their water bottle. There's no hiding this bag is Nike with the big Nike Swoosh logo on the front.

It's quite a large bag so there should be space to fit in all the school essentials. Our tester found that it is more than big enough to hold everything their child needs and likes the zip on the front for extra storage.

To ensure the backpack doesn't cause discomfort to your child's back, it has adjustable padded shoulder straps to help get the bag to sit in the right position and cushion your child's shoulders. As well as this, the back of the bag is padded.

To keep the bag clean, it's recommended to spot wash rather than put it in the washing machine.

Available from: Amazon, Schuh and Next

5. Skip Hop Unicorn Backpack, £20

– Best school bag for primary school

Size: 27.94cm x 12.7cm x 30.48cm | Padded straps: Yes | Chest strap: No

Pros:

• Insulated compartment
• Adjustable padded straps
• Internal name tag
• Easy-to-clean lining
• Great size for school and nursery

Cons:

• No chest strap

This adorable unicorn backpack has a front insulated compartment to keep any snacks cool throughout the day. It also has a mesh side pocket to hold your child's drinks bottle and extra pockets to store little things such as pens or pencils.

The bag is big enough for both school and nursery and should fit in everything your child needs. It has padded adjustable straps and an easy-to-clean lining with an internal name tag to stop your child's bag getting lost.

The bag's fun unicorn design is complete with a stick out horn and ears. It even has little eyes, nostrils and a rainbow zipper charm. It also comes in different designs, such as a Monkey, Narwhal and Llama.

Available from: Amazon and Kiddies Kingdom

6. Quechua Kids' Hiking Small Backpack, from £5.49

– Best budget kids school bag

Size: 27cm x 19cm x 15cm | Padded straps: Yes | Chest strap: Yes

Pros:

• Excellent value
• Foam back
• Adjustable padded shoulder straps and chest strap

Cons:

• Have to wash by hand
• Due to shape, you may struggle to fit A4 books

We have different colour ones of these for each of our kids, they're a good size and my kids love carrying them home from nursery and school.

This backpack is just over £5, making it an excellent budget option. The 5 litre backpack is especially designed for walking and hiking but is still a great backpack for school or nursery too, especially if you have to walk a little way to get there.

As it's created for hiking, this means it's lightweight, weighing just 150g. It has a foam back and adjustable padded S-shaped shoulder strap as well as a chest strap.

It has 1 zipped pocket, 1 mesh pocket and 1 bottle pocket to fit everything your child needs. There are a few different colour and design options to choose from, although the cute character designs do cost a little extra.

It is recommended to hand wash this bag.

Available from: Decathlon

7. Hype Clouds Large Backpack, £29.99

– Best backpack for older kids

Size: 42cm x 30cm x 12cm | Padded straps: Yes | Chest strap: No

Pros:

• Great size for school
• Wide padded adjustable straps
• Lots of designs to choose from

Cons:

• No chest strap
• Pricey

Hype is a popular brand in my daughter's year group.

If your child cares about the current trends and wants a Hype backpack, we think this one is great.

There are lots of Hype bags available, all with different patterns. The backpack has a 28 litre capacity, the ideal size for older kids to take to school and fit workbooks and textbooks in. It also comes with a fluffy pom-pom keyring on the zip.

The bag does not need to go in the washing machine, it can just be wiped clean.

Available from: John Lewis, Amazon and Marks & Spencer

8. Mountain Warehouse Bookworm 20L Backpack, £16.99

– Best school bag for fitting everything in

Size: 40.5cm x 29cm x 14cm| Padded straps: Yes | Chest strap: No

Pros:

• Big to fit everything in
• Padded adjustable straps
• Comes with a detachable pencil case

Cons:

• May be too big for smaller children

This backpack is by far the largest on the list. If your child needs to take a lot into school then this is the bag that will fit it all. Despite its large size, its quite lightweight and the adjustable padded straps should make it comfortable for your child to carry.

We love that it comes with a detachable pencil case and there's an elasticated mesh pocket on the side for your child's water bottle too. Inside, there's a convenient inner pocket and an internal zipped pocket to store smaller items.

It comes in 4 cute patterns, including a unicorn print (pictured above), dinosaur design, coral print and green camouflage-style option.

Available from: Mountain Warehouse and Amazon

9. M&S Collection Backpack, £14-£18

– Best water repellent school bag

Size: Small: 30cm x 10cm x 24cm/ Large: 40cm x 13cm x 28cm | Padded straps: Yes | Chest strap: No

Pros:

• Water repellent
• Machine washable
• Adjustable padded straps
• Lots of fun designs to choose from

Cons:

• No chest strap

We have one of the small M&S backpacks and I really rate it. It fits spare clothes, coat, hat, suncream and jacket with side pocket for a water bottle. We've been using it for 18 months and it looks as good as new.

These backpacks from M&S have wide, adjustable padded straps and a back panel that will keep it comfortable for your child. They come in 2 sizes, the small is £14 and the large is £18.

There are plenty of pockets including a zipped front compartment, two pockets on the side and extra slip pockets in the large, main compartment.

One of the best things about these bags that really set them apart is that they feature a water-repellent Stormwear™ finish so there's no need to worry about books getting soaked in the rain.

If it does get dirty, it's super easy to clean, you can just pop it in the washing machine.

There are plenty of fun designs to choose from too, including Paddington (pictured above), Disney, Minecraft, Marvel, Harry Potter and many more. You can buy a matching lunchbox too.

Available from: Marks & Spencer

10. Disney Minnie Mouse Backpack, £16

– Best school bag for Disney lovers

Size: 39cm x 28cm x 12cm | Padded straps: Yes | Chest strap: No

Pros:

• Adjustable padded straps
• Great size for smaller kids
• Water repellent material

Cons:

• No chest strap
• Not machine washable

This Disney themed backpack features Minnie Mouse artwork with a 3D glitter bow at the top. It has a smaller front pocket with a zip fastening and feature materials for smaller items too. The backpack also has one large main pocket that fits A4 documents.

To carry, it has a top carry handle and adjustable padded straps, plus the straps are fitted with safety release straps and strengthened seams. It is the perfect size for just starting school as it's not too big and not too small.

Available from: Argos

What to consider when buying a new school bag

Size – Family Chiropractic practice N8 Health explained to us how important it is to have the right size backpack. If you backpack is too big, it's going to damage your child's posture and they're going to end up filling it with more stuff than necessary making it unnecessarily heavy and uncomfortable. It's also vital that the backpack is not too wide or low on their back as this too could cause discomfort and back pain. However, there's also practicality to consider, the bag does need to fit all their everyday school essentials in.

Comfort – N8 Health also touched on how the shoulder straps of the bag should be padded and wide to distribute the weight. A waist strap can also come in handy to help disperse the weight of the backpack to other areas of the child's body, away from their shoulders.

Style – As well as comfort, you want to get a bag that your child loves and feels confident wearing. There are so many backpacks to choose from that there is sure to be one for your child, but do include them in the choice.

Ease of use – If your child is going to be using this backpack everyday, it's important that it's easy for them to find things at school. Compartments and pockets are particularly useful for storing valuables such as lunch money or phones for older kids. Compartments can also help separate and stabilise the load, making it more bearable

Washing – Considering the backpack is going to be used a lot, it's likely it will get dirty. Therefore, having a backpack that is easy to clean would be very useful.

School rules – It's important to find out which backpacks your child is allowed at school, especially if they're starting a new one. Our parent testers explained some of the different rules their schools have: some schools require black bags to match the school uniform, others specific a certain size so it doesn't take up too much space in the cloakroom. Make sure that you know any rules before purchasing.

Picture credits: Site website/MFM tester pics

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