Our backpack tests and results

For this test, we looked at non-wheeled backpacks with two shoulder straps. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends wearing a pack with two straps because a backpack with a single shoulder strap across the body does not distribute weight evenly According to our in-house survey, an estimated 84 percent of backpacks bought in the last two years were non-wheeled models.

We tested all the backpacks for durability, construction quality, safety, convenience features, comfort, and resistance to rain. (See our backpack Ratings, which are available to subscribers, for models that performed well.)

We evaluated all packs for the presence of safety features such as a reflective material, an abdominal strap or chest strap (to help keep the weight of the pack closer to the body and distribute weight), and a place to store excess adjustment straps to prevent them from getting snagged on a doorknob or school-bus door, for example.

To test rain resistance, we lined each pack with construction paper, filled it with linen cloth, zipped it and placed it on a mannequin that was subjected to a five-minute shower simulating rainfall. The backpacks were then removed from the mannequin, the water shaken off, and our engineers scored the saturation of the construction paper.

One model scored Very Good or higher in five of six categories, making it our top scorer. (See the Ratings, which are available to subscribers, to learn more.)

See also:

Car seats

Baby bathtubs

Backpack carriers

Baby monitors