TOP 10 Best School Backpacks and School Bags 2025

Pupils and students have to carry their knowledge not only in their heads, but also on their backs – literally. Therefore, choosing a backpack that will contain a laptop, textbooks, notebooks and other useful things is an important and responsible matter.

After reviewing six years of research conducted by Wirecutter, as well as analyzing reviews and ratings on marketplaces, we have compiled a list of the top 10 best college and school backpacks and satchels.

10. Rains Backpack Mini

• one main compartment
• one 13" laptop pocket
• one internal zipped pocket
• one external pocket for phone
• dimensions: 40 cm x 28 cm x 9 cm
• volume: 10 liters
• weight: 900 g

This elegant backpack is perfect for those who only need to carry a laptop, a thin textbook, a mobile phone and a couple of notebooks.

Minimal lines make the Rains Backpack Mini sleek and stylish, making it stand out from the crowd of bulky school backpacks. And because it's small and flat, it won't get in the way of people on a crowded bus.

9. Everlane The Modern Snap Backpack

• accommodates a 15 inch laptop
• 2 side pockets for water bottles
• material: polyester/cotton
• size: 33 cm x 15 cm x 45 cm
• weight: 500 g

This simple and inexpensive college backpack is perfect if you need something versatile.

This model is presented in several color shades, each of which will look appropriate in the classroom, in a cafe or at a music festival. The shoulder straps are seamless and very comfortable.

The large main compartment can hold a lot of things, including a pair of shoes, a bulky hoodie, a pair of nylon shorts, a sunglasses case, a hardback book, a phone, a 15-inch laptop and its charger – all together, not separately.

However, the Modern Snap has few compartments, so it's not the best choice for people who want every little thing they carry to have a dedicated place.

8. Fjallraven Kanken Laptop 15″

• Number of compartments: 3 pcs.
• compartment: internal for laptop/tablet
• material: Vinylon F
• Backpack features: waterproof
• reflective elements: yes
• weight: 450 g
• dimensions: 40x28x16 cm
• Backpack capacity: 18 l

The original Kanken backpack was developed for Swedish schoolchildren back in 1977 and is still popular today, including among adult users.

The updated Fjallraven Kanken backpack retains its youthful charm and versatility, while also adding useful features like a padded laptop compartment and extra padding on the straps for easy carrying of heavy items. It's a bit big for younger kids, but ideal for high school and college students.

The laptop compartment fits models up to 15 inches and has a separate zipper, so you don’t have to dig around in the main compartment to grab your laptop. And the front zippered pocket is perfect for small but heavy items like phone chargers. There are also external pockets for a water bottle.

7. BRAUBERG Neon

• Features: Ventilated shoulder straps, Adjustable shoulder straps, Carry handle, No padding
• compartments: outer pockets, bottle pocket
• material: polyester
• volume: 30 liters
• HxWxD: 46x34x18 cm

This stylish and bright backpack with a shape-stable back will not be embarrassing to wear even a high school student or a senior student. It is equipped with 3 roomy internal compartments and several pockets for water bottles, sunglasses and other important little things.

The fabric the backpack is made of has a water-repellent coating, which means that the items inside will remain dry if the backpack gets caught in the rain. Users praise BRAUBERG Neon for its soft, comfortable straps and high-quality tailoring.

6. PIXEL One

• Features: adjustable straps, no padding
• compartments: laptop compartment
• material: oxford
• HxWxD: 44x35x13 cm
• weight: 820 gr
• volume: 20 liters

Want to please your child with something unusual and practical at the same time? Well, the PIXEL One backpack is what you need to be the center of attention.

One of the best backpacks for first-graders is equipped with a built-in LED screen with a resolution of 64×64, which displays 16.5 million shades. Various pictures, inscriptions and animations can be installed on the screen via the Led Space mobile application. If necessary, the LED screen can be removed, and the backpack itself can be washed in a washing machine.

This model has a compartment for a laptop and 4 pockets for small items and documents.

5. Xiaomi Casual Daypack 13.3

• for 13.3″ laptops
• made of synthetic materials
• there is an internal compartment
• bottle pocket
• waterproof material
• volume: 10 l
• size (WxHxD): 22.5x34x13 cm

If you need an inexpensive, lightweight and high-quality backpack for a schoolchild, pay attention to the model from Xiaomi. It holds a 13.3-inch laptop, a folder with A4 sheets of paper, and there will still be room for a diary and notebook.

Thanks to several colors, as well as light weight (170 g), this backpack is equally suitable for both boys and girls. The fabric from which the Xiaomi Casual Daypack is made has a water-repellent impregnation and is easy to clean from dirt.

4. Berlingo Expert Max Danger

• Included: backpack, raincoat
• Features: ventilated back, ventilated shoulder straps, sternum strap, key hook, legs, adjustable shoulder straps, carry handle, reflective elements, water-repellent impregnation, divider in the main compartment, no padding, ergonomic back
• compartments: outer pockets, bottle pocket, phone pocket, organizer
• volume: 16.5 l
• Material: Nylon, EVA with high-strength nylon cordura fabric coating
• HxWxD: 37x28x16 cm

The design of this school backpack will immediately make your child stand out from his peers.

However, this model is good not only for its design. It has a chest strap that relieves some of the load from the child's shoulders, reflective elements so that the child can be seen in the dark, and a raincoat (located in a special pocket at the top of the backpack).

Add to this a “breathable” back, adjustable length and height straps, a loop for hanging the backpack on a desk, as well as 2 compartments and many pockets, and you will understand that the price of Berlingo Expert Max Danger is quite justified.

3. Berlingo Expert Lama

• Features: ventilated back, ventilated shoulder straps, chest strap, key hook, legs, adjustable shoulder straps, carry handle, reflective elements, no padding
• Material: EVA with high-strength nylon cordura fabric coating
• volume: 16.5 l
• HxWxD: 37x28x16 cm

The design of this charming backpack will surely please the girl. And parents will appreciate such details as anatomical adjustable back, height-adjustable straps, durable and abrasion-resistant fabric with water-repellent properties, and reflective elements.

To reduce the load on the child's shoulders, the backpack manufacturer has provided a chest mount.

Berlingo Expert Lama has many compartments:

1. 2 internal compartments,
2. 2 side pockets with elastic band,
3. Internal dividers for teaching aids,
4. writing utensil organizer,
5. pocket for smartphone.

There are also some nice and useful little things: a carabiner for keys, a name card for signing and a toy pendant.

2. BRAUBERG Stimulus

• Features: ventilated back, ventilated shoulder straps, adjustable shoulder straps, carry handle, no padding
• compartments: outer pockets, bottle pocket
• material: polyester
• volume: 30 liters
• HxWxD: 46x34x18 cm

This inexpensive school backpack is made of durable polyester and has enough capacity to fit not only textbooks and notebooks, but also a lunch box, and still have room left over for a change of clothes.

By the way, this model does not have a special compartment for a laptop, but it does have 3 large zipped pockets, one of which can easily fit a laptop.

On the sides of the Stimul there are 2 pockets for water bottles.

1. Walker Wizard Campus - Lemon Square

• Features: whistle on chest strap, hidden zipped pocket, reflective elements
• USB cable for connecting powerbank
• Front organizer pocket
• two side pockets with zippers
• fabric: 600D Polyester with water-repellent properties
• volume: 33 l
• size: 46x32x21 cm
• weight: 1350 g

This high-quality, durable backpack for high school and college students features the brand's unique technology: a sternum strap, removable hip belt, and durable, adjustable shoulder straps work together to make carrying heavy items easier.

Another feature of the Walker Wizard Campus is the presence of side straps. With their help, you can adjust the volume of the backpack.

Inside the backpack there are two durable compartments that can hold not only a laptop with a diagonal of up to 15 inches, but also a change of clothes and many other things. And in addition to the usual pockets for small items and water bottles, there is a secret zippered pocket on the back of the backpack.