Back to School
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Everything for the start of term — high school through college. The things that actually last, from someone who carried the same JanSport through four years of university and all of high school before that.
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Backpacks & Bags
The one purchase worth getting right. A good backpack outlives the school it was bought for.
BAGSMART Travel Backpack with Shoe Compartment
Airline-approved carry-on with a separate shoe compartment and a PVC wet pocket — built for the gym bag that doubles as a weekender. Fits a 15.6-inch laptop.
Uselike Quilted College Backpack, Sage Green
Quilted, water-resistant and cut for a 15.6-inch laptop. The sage colourway is the one that photographs well and goes with everything.
JanSport SuperBreak One Backpack, Black
This is the one. I carried a SuperBreak through all of high school and four years at UC Santa Barbara — same bag, eight years, still standing. One main compartment, a front utility pocket, and JanSport's lifetime warranty behind it. The cheapest backpack a parent will ever buy, because it's the last one.
Swissdigital Big Student Backpack with Patches
Comes with three patches so it can be personalised — which matters more to a middle schooler than any feature list. Big Student sizing for textbooks, and a proper laptop sleeve.
Swissdigital Big Student Backpack, Mocha Brown
The mocha colourway, same personalisable patches. Cool without trying, which is the hardest brief in teenage backpacks.
JanSport 34L Cool Backpack — Lemonade Stand
34 litres, a 15-inch laptop sleeve, and a lemon print that will be spotted across a lecture hall. Ergonomic straps and a water-bottle pocket.
JanSport Cool Backpack, Black — 2 Compartments
The Cool Student in plain black: two big compartments, 15-inch laptop sleeve, ergonomic straps. The grown-up JanSport for anyone carrying real books.
The North Face Jester Backpack, Leather Brown
The Jester is the everyday North Face — FlexVent shoulder straps, a padded laptop sleeve, and a bungee front. Leather brown is the quietest colourway in the range.
JanSport 34L Cool Backpack — Pastel Petals Lilac
Soft lilac with a scattered floral. 34L, laptop sleeve, water-bottle pocket — the campus weekender that doesn't look like gym kit.
JanSport 34L Cool Backpack — Faded Sage
Faded sage is the colour people ask about. Same 34L Cool build: two compartments, 15-inch sleeve, ergonomic straps.
JanSport Cool Backpack — Large Computer Bag
Two compartments and a 15-inch laptop sleeve, built for a full course load. The pack that survives being thrown in a locker daily.
JanSport 34L Cool Backpack — Smokey Grit
A deep charcoal that hides a term's worth of wear. 34 litres, laptop sleeve, water-bottle pocket.
The North Face Women's Jester Backpack, Ashen Purple
Ashen purple with black trim — muted enough for the office, sturdy enough for campus. Padded laptop sleeve and a proper hip belt.
The North Face Women's Borealis Backpack, Gardenia White
The Borealis is the Jester's serious sibling: more structure, more support, reflective details for dark mornings. Gardenia white is striking and surprisingly wearable.
The North Face Women's Borealis Commuter, Canyon Dust
The commuter cut — laptop sleeve, reflective detailing, and a warm canyon dust heather. For the walk-to-work crowd as much as the campus one.
The North Face Women's Jester Backpack, Duck Green
Deep duck green heather. One of those colours that reads as neutral until you put it next to an actual neutral.
The North Face Women's Jester Backpack, Coral Cross
Coral, in a light heather. The Jester build with the brightest colourway North Face offers this season.
The North Face Women's Jester Backpack, Lali Guran
A deep rhododendron pink. Bold, but the Jester's clean lines keep it from tipping into novelty.
The North Face Women's Jester Backpack, Desert Stone Floral
A dyed floral print on desert stone — the most interesting thing in the Jester range, and the one that won't be mistaken for anyone else's bag.
The North Face Women's Borealis Backpack, Black/White
Black with white trim. The Borealis at its most versatile — structured support, reflective details, and a laptop sleeve that actually protects.
The North Face Women's Borealis Backpack, Blue Eclipse
Blue eclipse heather, the top of the Borealis range. If you're carrying it every day for four years, this is the one worth the extra.
shortyLOVE Tate Wave Quilted Backpack, Sage
Quilted nylon with a trolley sleeve, thoughtful padding and genuinely smart internal storage. This is the investment end — a bag that reads as luggage rather than a bookbag.
For younger students
Preschool through elementary — smaller frames, lighter loads, and prices that survive a lost bag.
Trail Maker 15" Kids Backpack — Stellar Space
Under ten dollars, padded adjustable straps, and sized right for preschool through elementary. Buy two — one will get left in a classroom.
Trail Maker 15" Kids Backpack — Second Print
Same sturdy little pack in another print. At this price you can let them pick their own.
Trail Maker 15" Kids Backpack — Third Print
The third colourway. Padded straps, roomy enough for a lunch box and a folder, cheap enough not to mind.
3-Piece Corduroy Backpack Set for Girls, Pink Bow
Backpack, lunch box and pencil case in matching corduroy. The whole kit in one purchase, which is exactly what you want the week before term.
Notebooks, Pens & Desk
Paper worth writing on, and the pens that make you want to. The cheap part of the list that gets used every single day.
Mintra Spiral Notebooks, Wirebound
★ 4.7 out of 5 · 8,946 reviews
4.7 stars and genuinely nice paper — the kind that does not bleed through when you actually use a pen. Cheap enough to buy the set.
Mintra 5-Subject Notebook, College Ruled
★ 4.7 out of 5 · 4,025 reviews
One notebook instead of five, with perforated pages that tear out clean. Less to carry.
Voncerus LED Desk Lamp with Clamp
★ 4.6 out of 5 · 8,989 reviews
Clamps to the edge of a desk instead of taking up space on it — which in a dorm room is the whole point. Dimmable, so it works for late study without lighting up a roommate.
LED Architect Desk Lamp, Swing Arm with Clamp
★ 4.6 out of 5 · 2,254 reviews
The swing-arm version. More reach if the desk is deep or they need light over a wider workspace.
Shoes for Campus
I grew up around the DC prep schools — Sidwell Friends, tennis and lacrosse and field hockey, track and hurdles. We wore Top-Siders with leather laces and jeans rolled at the ankle, and we thought we invented it. Everything below is that same shoe list, still being made, still right.
Sperry Authentic Original 2-Eye Boat Shoe
★ 4.4 out of 5 · 11,631 reviews
The Top-Sider. All leather, leather laces, and unbeatable with jeans rolled at the ankle. I grew up in these — they were the uniform, and they have not changed since. Over 11,000 reviews on a shoe that was already a classic before most of us were born.
Sperry Authentic Original 2-Eye — Second Colourway
★ 4.4 out of 5 · 11,631 reviews
The other colour. Buy the one you will actually wear, then buy the second pair in October when you realise you wear nothing else.
Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Low Top
★ 4.5 out of 5 · 40,982 reviews
Nearly 41,000 reviews, which is the most of anything on this page. There is a reason Chucks have outlasted every trend that tried to replace them. Cheap enough to own two pairs, good enough that you will.
Keds Champion Lace-Up Sneaker
★ 4.4 out of 5 · 31,751 reviews
31,000 reviews. Crisp white canvas that goes with absolutely everything — the tennis-court shoe that became an everyday shoe. This is the one that looks right with a white blouse and rolled jeans.
K-Swiss Court Pro II CMF Sneaker
★ 4.6 out of 5 · 5,027 reviews
4.6 stars. K-Swiss came off the tennis court and never really left it — the five stripes are the giveaway. Leather, cushioned, and quietly correct.
K-Swiss Classic VN Leather Sneaker
★ 4.6 out of 5 · 3,316 reviews
The Classic VN, clean white leather. If you want one white sneaker that does not shout, this is it.
New Balance 574 Unisex
★ 4.5 out of 5 · 13,424 reviews
13,000 reviews and the most comfortable thing on this list. The 574 is the shoe for walking between buildings all day, which is what campus actually is.
New Balance 574 Core, Women's
★ 4.5 out of 5 · 13,405 reviews
The women's cut of the same shoe. Same 4.5 stars, same 13,000 reviews behind it.
New Balance U574v1 Unisex
★ 4.5 out of 5 · 1,873 reviews
The updated 574. Same silhouette, refreshed build, and the version most people are buying now.
adidas Samba Indoor Shoe
★ 4.5 out of 5 · 4,680 reviews
The Samba has been in continuous production since 1950 and is having the biggest moment of its life right now. Low, slim, and it works with jeans in a way most sneakers do not.
adidas Samba Indoor — Second Colourway
★ 4.5 out of 5 · 4,680 reviews
The second colour, same shoe. Worth seeing both before you choose — they wear very differently.
Nike Court Legacy Lift
★ 4.4 out of 5 · 2,828 reviews
Nike's court shoe on a raised sole. The tennis shape everyone knows, with a bit of lift — easier to wear with jeans than a flat court shoe.
Vans Old Skool
★ 4.5 out of 5 · 1,161 reviews
The skate shoe that ended up everywhere. Suede and canvas, the stripe on the side, and it takes a beating without ever looking beaten.
Everyday Outfits
Then I went to UC Santa Barbara, and the uniform changed completely. Flip flops, jeans, a t-shirt, a jacket only if the classroom was cold. The guys turned up to lecture in board shorts and no shirt, hair down their backs, straight off the beach. Nobody blinked.
So I have worn both uniforms — east coast prep and California beach — and the honest truth is that the second one had it right about one thing. I lived in that library during finals, and comfort was not a luxury, it was the difference between staying another two hours and going home.
REEF Fanning Flip Flops with Bottle Opener
★ 4.7 out of 5 · 42,616 reviews
42,000 reviews and 4.7 stars — the most reviewed thing on this whole page. There is a bottle opener in the sole, which tells you exactly who these were designed for. Proper arch support underneath the joke.
Rainbow Sandals Single Layer Premier Leather
★ 4.7 out of 5 · 11,498 reviews
If you went to school anywhere near a California beach you already know. Real leather that moulds to your foot over a couple of months and then lasts years. 4.7 stars across 11,000 reviews.
Hanes Ultimate Full-Zip Hooded Sweatshirt
★ 4.5 out of 5 · 29,107 reviews
29,000 reviews. I lived in the UCSB library during finals and the one thing that mattered was being warm enough to stay another two hours. A zip hoodie is the whole answer — on over a tee, off when the room heats up.
Champion Powerblend Full-Zip Hoodie
★ 4.6 out of 5 · 2,999 reviews
Champion's midweight fleece, and the one that holds its shape after a hundred washes instead of going shapeless by November.
Oversized Zip-Up Hoodie, Women's
★ 4.3 out of 5 · 6,704 reviews
The oversized cut everyone is actually wearing on campus right now. Comfort is not a nice-to-have when you are writing a paper at one in the morning — it is the entire requirement.
Oversized Zip-Up Hoodie — Second Colourway
★ 4.3 out of 5 · 6,704 reviews
The same hoodie in another colour, because one is never enough and they are cheap enough that it does not matter.
Levi's Ribcage Wide Leg Jean
★ 4.2 out of 5 · 1,197 reviews
High rise, wide leg, proper Levi's denim. Jeans are the thing people will pay real money for and never regret — and these look right with flip flops in September and boots in November.
Polo Ralph Lauren Cotton Crewneck T-Shirt, 3-Pack
★ 4.5 out of 5 · 2,569 reviews
Polo is my favourite brand and has been for a long time — the sweaters, the shirts, the sweats, all of it is just nicer and softer than it needs to be. Three crewnecks is the easiest way into it.
Cable Knit Cardigan Sweater
★ 4.3 out of 5 · 13,962 reviews
Cable knit is the east coast half of my wardrobe. Nearly 14,000 reviews, and it throws over a white blouse or a tee and immediately makes the outfit look considered.
Cotton Poplin Button-Down Shirt, Women's
★ 4.2 out of 5 · 18,884 reviews
The crisp white blouse. 18,000 reviews. This is the piece that works with rolled jeans and Keds, under the cardigan, or on its own — the most useful thing you can own.
Dorm — What Nobody Remembers to Pack
Nobody remembers anything during college acceptance. You’re too joyful just to be there — and then it’s move-in day and the sheets don’t fit the bed.
I was a residence assistant at UC Santa Barbara for four years, so I watched several hundred students unpack, and I know exactly what they came knocking on my door for in week one. This is that list.
Mesh Shower Caddy, 9 Pockets
★ 4.6 out of 5 · 22,116 reviews
22,000 reviews. Mesh so it drains and dries instead of growing mildew in a shared bathroom, and nine pockets means nothing gets left behind in the shower.
TERRA HOME Portable Shower Caddy, Foldable
★ 4.7 out of 5 · 3,813 reviews
Folds flat when it is not in use. Highest rated of the caddies at 4.7, and it packs down small enough to move at the end of term.
Owala FreeSip Water Bottle, 24 oz — Denim
★ 4.6 out of 5 · 135,521 reviews
Over 135,000 reviews, which tells you everything. Sip through the straw or swig from the spout, and it actually stays cold all day. This is the bottle you see clipped to every backpack for a reason.
Owala FreeSip Water Bottle, 24 oz — Very, Very Dark
★ 4.6 out of 5 · 135,521 reviews
Same bottle, the darker colourway. If you want one that does not show every scuff by October, this is the one to pick.
Lifewit Insulated Lunch Bag, Medium
★ 4.5 out of 5 · 62,297 reviews
62,000 reviews on a lunch bag is not an accident. Proper insulation, wipes clean, and it does not look like a kid's lunchbox — which matters if you are carrying it to work as well as class.
Insulated Lunch Box, Small Leakproof Cooler Tote
★ 4.6 out of 5 · 6,021 reviews
The smaller, leakproof one. Good if you are packing something that would ruin a backpack if it tipped over.
MOSISO Laptop Sleeve, 15 inch, with Pocket
★ 4.7 out of 5 · 63,034 reviews
4.7 stars across 63,000 reviews. A backpack alone will not save a laptop from a dropped bag — this is the layer that does. The front pocket takes the charger.
Ytonet Laptop Case, 15 to 16 inch, TSA Friendly
★ 4.6 out of 5 · 24,822 reviews
Fits the bigger 16-inch machines and opens flat for airport security, which matters if they are flying home for breaks.
Anker Desktop Charger, 112W 6-Port
★ 4.7 out of 5 · 3,131 reviews
Anker is the name worth paying for on anything that plugs into a wall next to a bed. One block charges the laptop, phone, tablet and headphones at once — and dorm rooms never have enough outlets.
USB C Charging Station, 100W GaN 6-Port
★ 4.3 out of 5 · 9,829 reviews
The cheaper six-port option if the Anker is more than you want to spend. Nearly 10,000 reviews.