Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Does anyone know when/why the use of backpacks by students became widespread? Back in the 80's there were a few kids that had them but they were not real common. Most kids just carried their notebooks and textbooks loosely under their arms.
Are they more common today? I might just be assuming. If so, what do you think the reason is?
They gained in popularity through the '90's. After Columbine though, a lot of schools banned their use within the building or required them to be see-through. Some of those restrictions have been eased over the years in many places.
When I was in college in the late 70's and 80's everyone carried them. If you want me to lug the ten pound text book to class when I don't have time to get to the locker between classes, you better let me have a backpack since I can carry the weight sensibly. It also kept notebooks and stuff you needed together. I also took everything home on Friday and brought it back on Monday since stuff got stolen over the weekend.
I took the bus and most people who take the bus have something to carry their things in, most often back packs. I bought a hiking/daypack type with reinforces shoulders since it didn't fall apart and textbooks are heavy and it balanced the weight.
I remember trying to carry books in the 60's on your notebook and without fail scuffing them up since you dropped them so often, or being late since you had to retrieve something from a locker. Backpacks are far far better for the shoulders and back as well.
I remember hearing about them being used in colleges more. By the time I got to college I was using one myself.
I was just watching the 80's movie "Sixteen Candles" and it shows the main girl carrying her books loosely (while riding the bus) and her younger siblings are both shown with backpacks. But I can understand them being more likely to be used by bus riders in real life.
Not sure of when they became popular but they're now necessary. My son is in 9th grade in a large school. There is not enough time to go to a locker between classes. I don't think he's even bothered to put a lock on it as he doesn't use it. His backpack is crammed full. 6 classes and every teacher requires a different folder or binder in addition the the text books. It's ridiculous
I graduated HS in '97, my older brother in '93 and my younger brother in '05.
We all used backpacks throughout school to some degree.
It was pretty much standard until you go into highschool - then things would mix up.
If you had a short distance, didn't take any work home or if you had a car you could get away with not having to lug around a backpack - my older brother met a couple of those criteria so he didn't use his much.
I took a heavy courseload, took the bus in and then walked a decent distance to a different place after school - no way I could have gotten by trying to just carry all my books, notebooks, calculator, pens and any other materials I needed ..... especially when the snow started falling and it got cold & windy out
During the day we would usually load up our lockers in the morning and then just take the books you needed for that class - sometimes because of alignment you'd have to take 2 classes worth of stuff, but generally didn't need to carry your bag
However, our school was 7-12 and they quit allowing the jr high kids to stop at their lockers between classes - so those kids had to haul their fully loaded backpacks all day, which would of been a pain
In college absolutely carried a backpack - everyone did - you typically would spend all day on campus and it was easier to just have everything organized
Does anyone know when/why the use of backpacks by students became widespread? Back in the 80's there were a few kids that had them but they were not real common. Most kids just carried their notebooks and textbooks loosely under their arms.
Are they more common today? I might just be assuming. If so, what do you think the reason is?
Thanks for any information.
I went to school in the 80's and always had a backpack. Presumably they made it easier to carry the 50lbs of books and other junk we had to tote to school and back every day. However, the fashionable "one shoulder" carry kind of reduced that benefit.
Graduated from high school in the mid-'80s. Backpacks were ubiquitous. Jansport was a favorite.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
