A lot of attention has been focused on backpack misuse in children and properly fitting backpacks to them, and rightly so. Repetitive stress injuries in children are a very real concern. But it is not the only ergonomic concern. Does your child actually wear the backpack?
Determining the best book bag for your child is more than just finding the one that is the most comfortable to wear. The best book bag is the one that performs all the tasks that are required of it and is the easiest for the child to use. A good ergonomically designed backpack is great to wear while trekking 20 miles to school, in the snow, uphill, both ways, but it may be overkill if your kid only needs to carry lunch and a pack of mentos to the car.
Performing a task analysis is a great start to finding the best book bag for your child. And if you have a special needs child or an overly complex life I would highly recommend it. For most of you, your child's routine and their needs will fall into a combination of these user profiles and that should suffice.
Book bag user profiles are split into two main needs: Carrying Capacity and Location Changes. Carrying Capacity is simply the amount of stuff that needs to be hauled. Location Changes profiles how often and over what distance the stuff is moved. Special needs modifiers follow.
Carrying Capacity
Location Changes
Special Needs Modifiers
So is your child a Techno Short Stop Twenty Pounder or an Olympic Long Hauling Pack-a-derm? Take a look at these user profiles to help determine what the best book bag for your child is. If you have a child whose profile is not listed here please email me the specifics.
