Outfitting Your Brat Packs

By Janice M. Horowitz Sunday, July 21, 2002
    • 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

    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