Walking around campus with a backpack is enough, but hauling around a heavy backpack is much worse. Having to carry more than a single class worth of materials all day can be challenging, and it could be more complex if you aren’t smart about it. You may feel that you must take everything with you when you leave in the morning, unable to make trips back to your dorm room during this time. It can be a nightmare.
This is especially true if you’re starting college; you worry about getting to and from classes, how you’ll get there on time and how you think you’ll carry all that stuff a mile away from your dorm room. As a recent graduate who did this for some time, here are ways to keep your backpack at a tolerable weight and to stop sacrificing your back.
Don’t Carry a Notebook for Every Class—Or Get an iPad
Depending on your class load and the types of classes you’re taking, the amount of note-taking materials you may or may not end up needing will vary. You may consider bringing a five-subject notebook for multiple classes or purchasing an iPad. Whichever method you choose, both solutions help to carry less while having the benefit of more. In the case of the five-subject notebook, you can take at least two classes’ worth of notes in that one notebook alone. If you’re taking four classes, you could use two 5-subject notebooks for both classes instead of carrying four notebooks.
With the iPad, you could use Notability or GoodNotes as a note-taking platform and keep all your notes on one tablet. While expensive, there are more affordable options for obtaining an iPad, such as the Apple Refurbished program or picking the lowest price iPad and cheaper accessories rather than the branded Apple Pencil and cases.
Don’t Bring Something Unless You Know You Need It
If the objective is to keep your backpack light, bringing extra books, pens or notebooks you don’t need can add extra weight to your already heavy backpack. Instead, check the day’s lessons for your classes and only bring the materials needed. For instance, if your professor mandates that you’ll need to bring the text you read last night to class and it’s part of your textbook, then yes, bring it. However, if you did an online reading on your computer instead, don’t bring your entire textbook. Bringing books you don’t need will only add to the problem.
Plan Trips to Your Dorm Room Between Classes
Don’t bring all your class materials for the entire day when you leave for your first class unless you have to. Most classes have breaks in between unless you schedule your classes back-to-back, all in a row. During available breaks, plan to take trips between classes to drop off or pick up books or materials for your next class. This, in turn, will make your backpack easier to carry around during the day and even allow you a second to recharge in your room before heading back out.
Distribute the Weight
Now that you’ve lightened how much goes into the backpack, how you pack it is also crucial. While there may be that sizeable middle pocket calling your name, saying to put everything in it so it fits, please don’t do it. Evenly distribute everything into your backpack so the weight isn’t solely in one pocket. Put the heavier items closer to your back. If your backpack has a special laptop pocket, put your laptop and tablet, if you have one, in those pockets. Put your notebooks, folders and textbooks into the pocket in front of that one, and so on until the weight is even.
Fix Your Straps
Finally, make sure your straps are at a comfortable height with the backpack. Slacking them down too far or making them too tight can make your back hurt worse. Keep them at an even level so that the backpack is close to your back but not so tight that you feel your arms and shoulders are strained. Make sure that both straps are even in the same link. Be aware that both straps are always on your shoulders, as having only one shoulder with the backpack can strain that specific shoulder.
While it may seem nonsensical, finessing the backpack blues can help you later on. Carrying around all that heavy stuff isn’t good for your back, so unless you want to wake up with “old man back,” I suggest bettering your backpack strategy as soon as possible. As long as you cut down the content, pack it in a good weight distribution and make your straps the right length, you’ll be good to go.
