In Gear: Outfitting Your Brat Packs

Help is here for America’s students, who, come fall, once again will carry the weight of the world on their shoulders–in overstuffed, spine-compressing backpacks. Nike has just introduced the BioKNX load-management system–O.K., an ergonomic book bag–which helps redistribute the weight of all those texts. It has wide, padded straps, “air pods” that look like bubble wrap–to protect the lumbar region–and a padded waist belt that shifts weight from the spine to the hips. A molded plastic panel inside the pack supports the spine.

Nike is not alone in capitalizing on the student-as-mule trend (46% of schoolkids get backaches from their packs). JanSport offers the Pulse, which comes with a waist belt and is padded with its own cushy stuff, called Gelastic. And RakGear by Targus has internal shelving that keeps contents–from books to yesterday’s lunch–from settling to the bottom. Kids still need to keep loads to no more than 15% of body weight and wear both straps. The load facing the Nike brand? Convincing kids that a back-saving pack isn’t geeky. –By Janice M. Horowitz