Trendy Sling Backpacks: One Strap Designs for Middle School

Colorful One Strap Backpack for Middle School Girls

I'm impressed that some of the mainstream school bag companies have picked up on the trendy one strap backpack for tween and teen students.  The example pictured here is so much nicer than those I saw just a couple of years ago.  The colorful design is appealing, and the bag style is much more spacious than the early examples.  The sense in the design is based in the fact that most tweens and teens don't use both straps on a traditional backpack.  First, this isn't seen as very cool.  Secondly, tweens tend to give the minimum, especially when it comes to carrying school bags.  The two strap varieties almost always lead to one strap carrying.  Might as well eliminate the obsolete strap!


Check out some of the following sling pack options, or check here for more ideas.

Zebra Print Purple Sling Pack for Middle School

One Strap Camo Backpack for Tween Boys

Plaid Sling Pack for girls

Sling Pack for Middle School Boys

Boys or Girls One Strap School Bag

Unisex Messenger Bags for Middle School

Unisex Messenger Bags for Middle School

If you have a middle school student, then getting off to a good start in the academic year can hinge greatly on one piece of equipment: the school bag. While many automatically opt for a backpack, I can speak from experience as a middle school teacher. Some backpacks are terrible for organizing.

A messenger bag for middle school is an excellent tool for organizational needs of a tween. It's not a gaurantee that your tween will be organized, of course. You need to be involved in the process and teach your tween to be more organized. It's not learned by osmosis, and organization is definitely a valuable life skill.

Your tween will be in a mobile environment. In most cases, a middle school student moves from class to class, carrying a number of books. Backpacks can condense that weight and make it hard to handle. Messenger bags for middle school students create an environment of distributed weight and easier carrying.

At middle school, boys run the risk of being teased if their messenger bags are too purse like. Consider neutral colors, canvas, military styles, or sportslike bags to keep things simple. The Jansport messenger depicted is an excellent example.

Quicksilver Messenger Bags

Quicksilver Messenger Bags for Middle School
Middle School book bags can be tough to manage,
but a messenger is great for organizational and management needs of tweens.

If you are looking for a basic middle school book bag, then you will appreciate the simplicity and quality of Quicksilver. This messenger bag for tweens is excellent in terms of providing a more manageable approach to carrying school bags. It also is well suited to organizational needs of a middle school student.

Backpacks can be bulky and difficult to lug. The concentration of books and folders into a bulky area can make things difficult to carry and heavy on the back. A messenger bag distributes the contents a little more uniformly and the crossbody strap allows for carrying in front or back with better weight distribution. I lugged a backpack around a college campus recently, adjusting constantly, while another parent carried a messenger bag and didn't have one problem with carrying his things. While backpacks are popular, messenger bags are sensible for middle school book bag needs.

You will find a variety of styles and choices in tween messenger bags. There are many unisex styles that work for boys and girls.  Explore more messenger bag styles here.

Cool Backpacks for Middle School Boys

Tween boys need backpacks that aren't overly cutesy, and especially at middle school boys need to ditch some of the characters of earlier years.  There's too much frustration ahead for the youngster with a childish pack, and while he may love his faves of yesteryear, facing unkind remarks and rude behavior is a reality for too many middle schoolers.  Help him with the transition by thinking about the backpack you choose...make sure that he's fine with the choice.  Colorful isn't bad, especially if it's trendy and interesting.  Just run it by your son first. 

One of the brands I like for middle school boys bookbags is Quicksilver.  There are lots of designs and plenty of motifs, both plain and colorful.  You will find just a few displayed here, but be sure to check out their line.

Best School Bags for Tween Girls

Tween Fashion with Functionality

Tweens are energetic, and tween girls are fun to be around. Having taught the age group, and raising a few of my own, however, I know that when it comes to keeping track of school materials and books, they can be a little scatterbrained. School bags are important tools, but the self-conscious tween may be a little bit picky about which school bag they will accept.
Fashion, of course, is important to the tween girl. Function is important to parents and educators. At the middle school level there may, or may not, be access to locker storage. With most school systems stretched to the limits on schedule and space, though, tweens must carry materials for several classes at a time, in spite of locker storage. Come the end of the school day, there may barely be time to dash to a locker before catching the school bus. Hence, it's very important that your tween daughter have a good, sturdy school bag, one which will handle the weight (as much as 40-45 lbs) that some kids' school books create.

	Jansport Big Student Backpack(White/Blue Light RhondaPlaid) Amazon Price: $55.00
	JanSport Trinity Core SeriesDaypack (Pure Purple/PunjabiPurple/Optimus Grey) Amazon Price: $55.00
	JanSport Callback ClassicsSeries Daypack (RomanceRed/Majestic Pink) Amazon Price: $40.95 List Price: $60.00
	JanSport Trinity Core SeriesBackpack, Grey Humboldt/RedCurtain/New Storm Grey Amazon Price: $55.00
	JanSport Scraper Core SeriesDaypack (Black/High Risk RedGlare) Amazon Price: $39.95 List Price: $70.00
	JanSport Classic 90's PackBackpack, Calypso Blue/CalypsoBlue Grunge Amazon Price: $60.00

Backpacks for Tween Girls

Backpacks are a standard these days, though they weren't when I was in middle school as a student. I would have loved one, if I had thought of it at the time. Now, it's no big deal for a tween girl to carry a backpack. A couple of hints, though, if you are selecting a backpack for your tween daughter or granddaughter: skip the characters! No Barbie, no Hello Kitty, no Hannah Montana! Nothing against the characters, per se, but middle school students can be ruthless teasers, and the tween girl who unsuspectingly shows up with something the older kids perceive as childish will face certain problems. I've seen it happen.
Colorful backpacks are great, and work with the tween's interests. School bags will hold heavy loads, so finding something from a trusted name such as Jansport is a good choice. Extra zipper pouches for pencils and other writing tools is a good organizational help, something most tweens seem to need. If you know her tastes in color and design, work from that point of reference.

	Van Gogh Almond BlossomsDesign Messenger Bag - SchoolBag - Laptop Bag - ReporterBag - Unisex - Ideal Gift forall occassions! There are so many styles anddesigns in messenger bags,backpacks, and sports bags fortweens, at Amazon...you havethe luxury of a multitude ofstyles at your virtual fingertips! Amazon Price: $39.99
	Red / Black Trail Maker SchoolStudents Sling MessengerShoulder Bag / Cross BodyBookbag Amazon Price: $17.50

Messenger Bags for Tween Girls

Messenger bags have become very popular, and make a sensible alternative to a backpack, when it comes to school bags for kids. The backpack allows for weight of books and school materials to be carried on the back, the messenger bag allows for crossbody carrying. Both approaches work, but the constant adjustment of the backpack on the shoulders can be a little frustrating, whereas the crossbody bag is a little more stationary in its position.
Again, with tween girls, avoid anything that might be perceived as baby-ish by classmates. Colorful patterns are great, if it's something she loves, and many plaids and prints in tween school bags are tasteful, without being obnoxious.

adidas Santiago IV ReversibleSackpack, Black/Diva, Amazon Price: $12.42 List Price: $15.00

Sports Bags for Tween Girls

If you are looking for a school bag for a girl who is athletic, or who will be participating in school or community sports, you may want to find a sports bag, in addition to a school bag, backpack, or messenger bag. Depending on the sport, you may just want a simple, small duffle or tote, or a larger sports bag, if there is a lot of equipment to be carried. My tween really likes the simplicity of many namebrand sports bag styles, and found coordinating tote (sackpack) and duffle which work well for her needs, one for soccer season, the other for softball.

Sports Bags for Tween and Teen Girls: Sack Packs

Organizational Issues?

School bags and sports bags for kids are important organizational tools. Having the right bag can make it easy for your child, whether elementary aged, or teen, to keep things together and stay focused. Take it from someone who struggled to stay organized through her high school years, a good school bag would have been a great idea. Unfortunately, at the time, such bags weren't commonly carried at school, and as a result, I toted what seemed like tons of school books with me to and from, class, locker, bus.
If your tween or teen is involved in sports, a sackpack is a great way to help her keep her simple sports gear separate from her books and other class related materials. Of course, if she has a lot of gear to handle, a duffle bag is more appropriate. However, a sackpack is lightweight, slings over the shoulders, and has plenty of space for a water bottle, cleats, and clothing. During the softball season, my teen daughter uses a duffel, but during soccer season, a sack pack is perfect for carrying her things.

	New Balance Women's Lace UpFor The Cure Sack Pack (Black) Amazon Price: $14.95 List Price: $15.00
	Pocket Two Tone DrawstringBag, Purple Amazon Price: $6.19 List Price: $10.95
	Drawstring Backpack (Purple) Amazon Price: $9.99
	New Balance Women's Lace UpFor The Cure Sack Pack (Pink) Amazon Price: $14.95 List Price: $15.00
	New Balance Unisex AdultEndurance Drawstring Sack Pack(Pink) Amazon Price: $9.95 List Price: $10.00

It's wise to instruct your tweens and teens about cautions with personal belongings, and that a sports bag does not insure safety of materials inside, nor security. Cell phones tucked in bags can still be damaged, and valuables left unattended can be stolen. If it's possible to stow belongings in a locked area during athletic practice, there's a little more security. If not, help your child to learn to be aware of the goings on in the area.
Also, be conscious of temperatures and conditions during the sporting season. While most coaches provide plenty of water, be sure your young person makes a point to drink plenty of water, even during colder weather. A good hydration bottle is sensible, as it can be refilled from team jugs, or at water fountains.

Canvas Messenger School Bags for Middle School Girls

Pink Canvas Messenger School Bags for Middle School Girls

Middle school girls have lots of adjusting to do, especially in the first year.   Transitioning from a self-contained classroom to a rotating schedule is confusing enough, but keeping books straight and homework papers organized is really challenging.  Lockers can help, but many schools limit locker visits to before and after school and lunch time in order to maintain a fast-moving transition during passing time.  When every instructional minute counts, the last thing the school wants is wandering students stalled at lockers.

A messenger is a great way to organize your middle school daughter's books and materials.  The Rothco model pictured here is of heavyweight canvas, making it durable like a military messenger bag.  Pink makes it more feminine.  The design is also available in a deep blue that's really attractive.  Your middle school girls messenger bag is great for saving her shoulders when she's carrying several books at a time.  Crossbody bags for tween girls provide a better distribution of the weight of the books.  I like the extra pouches in this model, as tween girls school bags can be tough to manage...more pouches means better options for keeping writing tools separate from papers.