I went to an Art School where carrying around a lot of different and sometimes delicate tools was very important, so I took finding bags to carry them in very seriously. At first I wanted to look very stylish and only wanted to carry messenger bags. This worked out when I didn’t have a lot of books to carry, but once the bag became very heavy I could no longer comfortably carry messenger bags to school. Though I really did like the TimBuk2 brand because of its variety and abundance of pockets and strong stitching. Once I knew I needed to carry around a lot of weight, as well as small and delicate tools for art, I knew I needed a comfortable backpack with a lot of pockets.
I began my search and found that I really love straps that have squishy gel on the inside. It helps to prevent the straps from digging into my shoulder when I got more than 2 textbooks in the bag. I also liked it when there was one large main pocket, with zippers that would open all the way down the sides, not just the top, so that accessing my books would be easier. I liked bags that had multiple large pockets in the front, with different divisions for different items. This way I could put my personal things, like cell phone, wallet, and ipod in one, my pencils, charcoal, and erasers in another, and snacks in yet another pocket. It’s all about keeping things easy to access and having space to shove everything in on your busiest day.
I also think if you have a laptop that it is important to get a bag that has a padded laptop pocket in the main compartment or in a separate skinny compartment in the back. It helps protect the laptop from scratches and it also protects you from your laptop when you quickly put it away when it is still warm. The padded pockets are nice because when you don’t have the laptop with you, it’s just another layer of padding on your pack to protect you from all the books you have to carry. Large backpacks with a lot of compartments are also great to have in college during your free time. I used my backpack as an overnight bag when I went on road trips with friends or stayed the night in a friends dorm. The multiple pockets came in handy so that I didn’t have to pack a cosmetics bag, I could just throw everything in and go.
I was really glad that my backpack had water resistant material even on the inside, when my shampoo bottle exploded in a separate pocket and it did not leak onto my clothes. The backpack that I bought it college, is still my favorite travel bag today, because I took the time to research what I needed out of it, how big I would need it to be realistically, and how comfortable I wanted it to be, and then I invested in a good quality brand (Jansport backpacks for me). I use it as one of my carry on bags when I take flights, and I use it to go to work as my commuting bag that I shove my lunch and books into. I love that I have never been delicate with it, and it still looks brand new after 5 years of having it and traveling to 12 countries with it, and carrying hundreds of books and assignments in it.