Do you buy your kids a backpack every year?

I do only because by the time the end of the school year rolls around they are in such bad shape. I have two in high school and with the amount of books they carry back and forth the straps break and the two younger ones end up falling apart because they are so hard on them.

We buy two at a time, so there is always one available if one needs to get washed or breaks. We generally replace them every 3 years.

Yeah I have to by the end of the year its just falling apart, sometimes i have to buy one in the middle of the yea. But we also have to have those clear plastic ones and they dont really hold up more than a year at a t ime anywya!!

I do and I have had to replace some mid year because the backpacks fall apart.

My daughter is only in preschool (through the school, so she rides the bus and goes 4 days a week). Her backpack from last year is still in great shape, so I won't be buying a new one. Next year, I will probably have to.

Lands End and LL Bean sell very nice backpacks that last a long time.

My kids carry backpacks from The Gap (online). DD has had hers for four years (2nd-5th grades), and we're going to try to get one more year out of it. I'll replace it when she goes to middle school (7th grade here). DS has carried his for three years (2 years of preschool and as a Kindergartener last year). His backpack is in great shape; I'm planning on replacing it in a couple of years, probably when he's a third grader, but if it's still in good shape, I'll wait. They also have lunchboxes that match and clip on to their backpacks, which is great because they carry their lunches every day.

Their backpacks and lunchboxes were more expensive than ones from Wal-Mart or Target, but I'm not replacing them every year, either, so in the long run, it turns out to be less expensive.

Eddie Bauer makes excellent bags too. Mine lasted me through 4 years of high school 20 years ago. I bought my two teenagers one each two years ago and they're still going strong.

Until they were older though, I did buy less expensive book bags from Target, JC Penney, etc. They were cheap enough that it was ok to do and like you said, they had the newest cartoony bag they wanted every year.

I bought my son a backpack from GAP last year. It's Orange and Blue and very basic. It's still in great shape so he will be using it again this year. I won't buy anything with characters on it either, for the same reasons you stated. If you get her a cheap one it may not last a year or two, but then on the other hand I've bought expensive ones and they haven't lasted either. So you never know....I think it's a great idea not to buy anything with characters, though.

i know ur daughter is 7 but jansport are awsome they also have a limted lifetime warrenty. and they aren't too expenive i think $20 for the cheapest one, she could put iron on patches and markers to make it more lively