You may or may not have a backpack. I (like most geeks) do. I have no idea why they became so popular over the years other than the advent of the notebook computer. When I was a kid in middle school I carried one to hold my books and paper notebooks in and could not wait for the day I would be rid of the stupid thing. Now, here I am, quite a few years later and I have one slung over my back most of the time I am out and about.
Like I said before, you may not have one but according to sales figures most people do. In 2014 it was recorded that 58% of the US population owns a backpack. Many of us are not using them for work and school but many are.
Prices of backpacks go form the cheap little kid ones at $10 to hundreds of dollars for the cool people who need leather and/or a big name brand.
A couple of warnings here. There were about 14,000 injuries for kids related to backpacks in 2014. I am sure there are more this year. Mostly strains, pulled muscles and other pains in the back. The suggested weight of your backpack and the kids’ should be no more than 10-15% of your body weight, so be careful out there.
Not that you care but here is a list of the contents of my Targus Port Backpack: Android tablet, Windows 10 Notebook with 500 GB drive, a small paper notebook (yes, I still write occasionally), my favorite Pentel Classic Deluxe Mechanical Pencil, (my last one as they no longer make these) a pen, several wall chargers to plug in my multitude of cables, (some of unknown variety) 2-USB memory sticks, (one blank and one with programs to fix computer issues) small high-intensity flashlight, usually a couple of extra batteries, a loaded external hard drive just in case and a cheap set of earbuds to listen to music while writing an article.
And then there is some personal stuff. My darts, a traveling humidor, (yes, for a duo of fresh cigars) an old lighter, my faithful old Leatherman, a couple of candy-type snacks (I have to toss the current ones out, they look really old) and even some medical stuff for a Type-1 diabetic.
Go to DoubleClicks.info or email me and let me know if you carry a backpack and what’s inside. Oh yes, I checked and mine is well below the 10-15% of weight rule. It still weighs in at a hefty 14+ pounds.
There is one final word of warning from the doctors in charge of back pain. Make sure you use both straps, one for each shoulder to keep the injuries down.
