High School

The Axis backpack, plus the Flex, Daily, Momentum and Commute backpacks. You can compare them all in our teen backpacks range.

Ask about the timetable before choosing: a laptop-heavy day, sport day and day with only a few books can need different storage. Check whether there are lockers and whether the school uses a locking phone pouch. Then compare the backpack compartments with those requirements. A student moving into high school may appreciate a plainer design, but the useful features are the ones that match what they actually carry between classes.

Many teens use one inside their backpack to keep textbooks, exercise books and homework together and protected. The Spixal Kids Library Bag fits A4 books and folders and is water resistant.

Keep the reader, reading log and any return note together so they can be handed over without emptying the whole backpack. On library day, check whether the school expects a particular size or closure before ordering. Put the book bag away from the drink bottle and lunch containers inside the backpack. Water resistance helps with everyday use, but it cannot protect a book from every spill or a bottle left open.

Our Insulated Lunch Tote Bag, or the larger Insulated Cooler Tote Bag. Both have a grown-up look that suits high school and later work lunches.

Check whether lunch travels inside the school backpack or is carried separately. That changes the size and handle arrangement that will be convenient. Put the main container, jar if used, and cooling pack together when checking fit. A bag can look compact in a photo but occupy more backpack space once fully packed. Let the student try the whole arrangement, including how they will get lunch out between classes.

Pack it in an 800ml insulated food jar. It's double-walled stainless steel, so it keeps soup, pasta or leftovers warm until lunchtime.

The quoted time is an up-to claim, not a promise that every meal stays at the same temperature in every setting. Starting temperature, the amount packed and opening the lid can affect the result. Have an adult handle hot water and hot food, and follow the jar's packing instructions. Choose the meal around the time it will be eaten; if the day runs beyond the product's guidance, arrange suitable food storage.