School backpacks & satchels

School backpack or satchel: how to choose and buy at a good price

Updated 20 October 2026

On this page: prices · who offers it · how to get prices

Structured school bag or soft backpack: what suits your child

For first-graders people usually take a structured school bag: it keeps its shape, doesn't sag under notebooks and has a firm back. By the middle classes a child often wants a softer backpack that holds a laptop and sports kit too. So always write the class or age in the request.

The main parameter is the weight of the empty bag. A child carries it every day with books, so every extra hundred grams from the frame alone is felt. Ask the seller for the weight in grams, not the word “light”.

What to put in your request

• what exactly — structured school bag, soft backpack, daypack;
• class or age of the child and their height;
• back and frame — padded ergonomic back, the weight you want;
• design and colour — print, character, shade;
• compartments and features — for a laptop, reflectors, water-repellent fabric, capacity;
• brand, if you have already looked;
• set — with a pencil case and a shoe or tiffin bag, or alone;
• city, delivery and budget, if you want to name it.

“I'm looking for a structured school bag for a first-grade girl, pink with a unicorn, ergonomic back, reflectors. Preferably with a pencil case and a bag for shoes or lunch. Courier delivery to Durban, budget up to R 590.”

How to compare offers

School bags that look the same can differ in what comes with them: in one the pencil case is empty, in another there is a set with stationery. So compare point by point: weight, material, strap width, height adjustment, whether there is a chest strap, and what is in the set. Take out of the comparison a set “with gifts” if you don't need the gifts, and look at the price of the bag itself.

Ask about the year of the collection: last season's models are often sold at a better price. Also check whether you can return or exchange if the bag doesn't fit your child's height.

Try it on before buying

A school bag is chosen to fit the child's back: the top of the frame should be at shoulder level and the bottom shouldn't hang below the waist. So if you can, measure the length of the back from the base of the neck to the waist and ask the seller for the back size of the model. A bag the child doesn't feel will be carried more willingly.

How it works on BlaBlaPrice

You don't have to go round shops with your child: you write one request, and sellers send offers in the chat with photos, price and delivery terms. It is free for buyers. Sellers see where their offer ranks, so they compete for your request. BlaBlaPrice shows the best one first, and reviews of the seller are next to it. Contacts are hidden until you choose a seller. Create a request or read how it works.

To get the rest, look at school supplies.