Student Opinion:

Backpack essentials seem to be important to high schoolers.

According to freshman Francesca Donahue, backpack essentials are very important to her personally. She carries plenty of things in her bag. She said that she carries, “lip gloss, perfume, and deodorant.”  She said she keeps these things in her bag so she can reapply them throughout the day. 

Here is some feedback from freshman Aubrey Laulette. She carries very similar things that Francesca does. She carries lip gloss and a hairbrush. Aubrey said that she carries these things so she can stay pretty all day. 

Our Main Essentials:

Obviously, you’re going to have your folders, notebooks, and pencils, but what else should people keep in their bags? There are so many options when it comes to what people keep in their backpacks. The first thing that we think everyone should have is water, whether it’s a Stanley or a Hydro flask. Water is something everyone should have at all times, especially on a hot day. Next up is money. Students may find this helpful for when they want to stop at the vending machine or forget a drink at home. Last but not least there’s gum. For when you need a minty refresh or just want to chew on something, gum can be a great backpack essential for everyone.

Skin Care and Hygiene Products:

We’ve noticed in the last few years of school that students are having more things in their backpacks that aren’t just school supplies. The most common thing is deodorant. A lot of people have had skin care. But why do kids need these things in their backpacks for their school day? According to Google, many students carry deodorant in their bags because they may forget to put some on in the morning, or another reason is that students might have gym early in the day so they have deodorant to help them not smell. 

Survey Opinions:

We decided to hand out surveys to see what people in high school carry in their bags. Here are some percentages of things that students decided to check off. The most common item was hygiene products and 77% of people carry these products in their bags. We believe a lot of people carry this in their backpacks because it’s good to have things like deodorant and perfume on you for when you need to reapply.

Following behind hygiene products at 70% is water. This is a good essential to have because without it you can become dehydrated and you might not have any money for a bottle of water when you need it. The item that people had circled the least was a lint roller at 6%. We believe people might not have circled it because some fabrics don’t get linty or collect pet hair, but we still think it’s a great essential to have for those days when there is some pet hair on you or your friend.

The Importance of Backpack Essentials:

Overall, these essentials are important to have because you never know when your going to need them. You don’t need to carry a lot but you should definitely be carrying some of these items that are mentioned above.