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For nurses and future nurses-in-the-making with a lot to carry, backpacks can be a lifesaver.
Backpacks offer a convenient way for nurses (especially travel nurses and nursing students) to carry around all of their paperwork, reference manuals and books, and any other thing you need to keep handy while on your rounds (that includes snacks!)
As a nursing students, however, you’ll need a college backpack that is durable, has a lot of pockets, and complements your nursing personality. Since you may not have time to dig through the 5,000+ options for a nurse backpack, this article should you make it a whole easier to find the perfect one.
Nursing Backpacks Reviews
#1 Nurse Mates Ultimate Nursing Bag
Best Suits: Travel nurses, home nurses and medical nursing students who need to store a lot of stuff and take it with them on a short trips.
Key Features:
- Lots of pockets
- Ample storage space
- Variety of design and print options
- Includes shoulder strap for easy carrying.
- Material: Nylon/Polyester and Weight: 1.3 pounds
Review
Nurse Mates, the nursing and medical supplies store that sells the bag, is bold enough to call this “The Ultimate Nursing Bag” because it is designed to meet a nurse’s (or student’s) every need.
The “Ultimate Nursing Bag” is a hit with home care nurses and travel nurses because of its many pockets able to hold everything from your lunch to your iPad, laptop, and a couple of binders and pen. The pockets and extra space along make it something that nurses should pay attention to.
The bag is made of water-resistant fabric, which is good for working in places where you run into water or other liquids on a regular basis!) and comes in a variety of prints and colors.
Nurse Mates’ is a legend when it comes to the best med school backpack with over 400+ reviews on Amazon and an average of 4.4 stars which has been rated similarly on other sites as well.
#2 High Sierra Loop Backpack
Best suits: Nursing students, Backpackers, Commuters, Hikers, Day Trips.
Key Features:
- Comfortable
- Good padding
- Large capacity (multi compartment design)
- Lightweight
- Two side mesh pockets to hold water bottles or coffee mugs.
Review
If you are comfort driven then this awesome backpack is the one for you. Made by the reputable High Sierra who are well-known for their innovative and high-quality backpack designs you are guaranteed quality.
Decently priced given the quality and functionality of this backpack it comes with adjustable compression straps, a monster hook, shoulder straps with a suspension system, organizer with a key fob and a dedicated sleeve for your tablet.
The suspension system will provide much needed relief when carrying heavier loads like textbooks, big binders or camping gear! It’s water resistant which is a big plus and has a padded shoulder strap. If you are a music lover or a podcast listener, the backpack also has a dedicated media pocket with a headphone port.
Overall High Sierra Loop Backpack is a reasonably priced and versatile backpack with lots of extras with minimal wear and tear even under the toughest conditions. This the best backpack for nursing students if you’re looking for a LARGE bag that’s dependable and durable.
#3 JanSport Backpack
Best suits: Nursing students, nurses and medical staff for everyday usage.
Key Features
- Durable, long-lasting backpack for everyday usage
- Padded shoulder strap
- Lifetime warranty
- Material: 915 Dernier Cordura (Polyester/Nylon fabric) with suede leather at the bottom
- Weight:1.6 pounds
Review
If you want a backpack that looks and feels like a traditional backpack, then the Jansport Right Pack backpack is probably for you. It is designed for everyday wear and tear like carrying your books to the car.
The backpack is made of a traditional nylon/polyester fabric with padded suede leather on the bottom. It comes in a variety of colors and is washable (sort of). One key thing to look out for is the leather at the bottom. Some customers who had this backpack reported problems with this. Fortunately, the backpack comes with a lifetime warranty so things can be patched up at a no charge (as long as it’s within warranty guidelines).
#4 Fafada Canvas Nursing Backpack (Men & Women)
Best suits: Nurses, aides and other medical staff who prefer a stylish yet spacious backpacks.
Key Features
- Stylish, practical with large carrying capacity
- Multi-functional
- Adjustable belts and straps
- Material: Canvas and Weight: 2 pounds.
Review
For those nursing students who want an inexpensive yet aesthetically pleasing backpack, the Fafada Canvas Backpack is another great option. This multi-functional backpack has plenty of space to handle all of your carrying needs from clothing and college materials right down to your iPad. Other features of the backpack focus on comfort and durability with adjustable straps, well designed clasps, side and front pockets and a padded pocket on the inside of the bag for sensitive hardware like a laptop. The bag has well-placed pockets that are actually accessible and don’t bulk up the bag.
This durable canvas bag will make an excellent backpack choice for college students, weekend trekking trips or hikes. Overall if you carry a lot of items on a daily basis and need a stylish yet dependable backpack give the Fafada a try.
#5 Swiss Gear Travel Gear Scansmart Backpack (Heather Grey/Red)
Best suits: Travel nurses and medical staff who do a lot of travelling.
Key Features:
- Laptop compartment
- Mesh pockets
- 3-year limited warranty.
- Material: Polyester and Weight: 2 pounds
Review
If you want something a little more heavy duty than the backpacks above, you might consider the SwissGear Travel Gear Scansmart Backpack. This durable backpack is built for those who need to carry a lot from place to place. The backpack features specific compartments and pockets for your laptop and water bottles along with mesh pockets for any small items that you might be carrying around with you, such as pens or pads.
The Scansmart Backpack is built for the traveler so it comes with features designed to keep things dry including its airflow back system, which is designed to keep the perspiration away from the bag. The backpack is also equipped with padding in several places including the handle and steady zippers to keep everything organized and put away.
In Summary
Carrying between 20 and 40 pounds of textbooks on a daily basis is certainly no easy feat on your back. You can’t put a price on convenience and your well-being.
When shopping for the best nursing student backpack bear in mind you’ll need a backpack that is large enough to carry all of your textbook materials for multiple classes, lunch and snacks, laptop, and a sweatshirt for those cranked AC rooms.
Our selection of medical bags for nurses will help get you started and we recommend investing a little money for this all-important purchase since it will be with you for a number of years.
What nursing school book bag do you wear?