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Three Great Backpacks
Book Bags
If You Prefer Purses
Shoulder Bags
A Great Paper Planner
Class Tracker Ultimate Student Planner
Have a Stash of Face Masks Ready
Wwdoll KN95 Face Mask
Whether you’re an incoming freshman or returning to dorm life, picking the right stuff for your higher education ambitions can be tough. On one hand, you want to have quality gear that won’t let you down by midterms. On the other, the inevitability of crushing debt looms in the years to come—so you want to be frugal wherever possible.
This guide is filled with all the stuff you might need: an affordable (but capable) laptop, a versatile backpack, coffee gear, audio gadgets, and fun tech to make dorm life more livable. You don’t need every single item in this list, so spend only where you think is necessary.
Updated August 2023: We’ve added new products for the new school year.
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Photograph: Herschel
Three Great Backpacks
Book Bags
You need a good bag to carry all your textbooks, notebooks, and laptop, plus a drink and maybe some snacks. We think these three are the best backpacks for students, but we have several more choices in our Best Laptop Bags guide. If you’d rather have a tote or purse, we have more options further below.
Best budget bag: You don’t need to spend a ton to get a well-made backpack for class. Herschel’s Heritage Backpack ($70) was my college bag of choice, and it’s still holding up years later. It has a 15-inch laptop sleeve and enough room for bulky textbooks in the main compartment, but my biggest gripe is the lack of a water bottle pocket. The bag is made from 600-denier polyester with a faux leather bottom and handles.
A gorgeous, slim alternative: We are obsessed with the Rains Backpack Mini ($110). It’s stylish and sleek and works well as an accessory to an outfit. Despite the small 9-liter capacity, it has a 13-inch laptop sleeve and can hold a few books too. I’ve used it for work plus as a weekend bag and carry-on. Rains has a ton of color options too. The 13-liter version is $125 if you need more space.
Best upgrade: The Tom Bihn Synik 22 ($320) is our overall favorite backpack, but it’s far too expensive for most college students. That said, if you can afford it, this bag has a lot of thoughtfully designed pockets for conveniently accessing water bottles and pens. It’s made from Bluesign-certified 400-dernier ballistic nylon.
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Photograph: Longchamp
If You Prefer Purses
Shoulder Bags
Backpacks are great, but some of us prefer a purse or tote bag. Our Best Laptop Totes and Purses guide has more recommendations, but these are a few standouts.
A tote-to-backpack converter: Fjallraven’s Kanken Totepack ($100) goes from shoulder bag to backpack with just a few pulls. The main compartment includes a 13-inch laptop sleeve, plus a smaller one for a tablet or planner. There are also two small water bottle pockets on the outside. The fabric should repel water for those rainy school days.
A stylish purse: When I got to college in 2012, I spotted the Longchamp Le Pliage Shoulder Bag ($155) everywhere—this newer version is made of recycled polyamide canvas. It’s popular because it doesn’t just look nice, the fabric is also durable and weatherproof. A laptop fits, but it doesn’t have a sleeve dedicated to keeping it safe.
Totes with tons of pockets: The Moment MTW ($120) and Bellroy Tokyo ($129) totes are made for the organizationally obsessed. Both have pockets around the interior perimeter for drinks, headphones, a laptop, your phone, wallet, and whatever else you might need quickly. The middle holds the rest of your goods. The Bellroy is eco-friendly too, as it’s made of recycled plastic bottles.
A budget purse: The Newhey Laptop Tote Bag ($26) is one of our favorites among the many cheap laptop purses we tested. It most likely won’t last your entire college career, but until you can upgrade to something else, it’ll do the job for very little cash. There’s a padded laptop sleeve that can fit a 15-inch computer, and a zippered compartment runs down the middle, splitting the two open sections. There’s a removable strap for sliding it across your body if that’s what you prefer.
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Photograph: Class Tracker
A Great Paper Planner
Class Tracker Ultimate Student Planner
Everything is digital these days, so get a paper planner to jot those important schedules down. Putting pen to paper can be quite therapeutic, too. This student planner from Class Tracker comes in a few different styles and is compact, so it won’t add weight to your backpack. It’s organized well with spaces for daily assignments as well as tests, papers, and projects due that day. Read our Best Paper Planners guide for more recommendations.
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Photograph: WWDoll
Have a Stash of Face Masks Ready
Wwdoll KN95 Face Mask
Covid-19 is not yet a distant memory, and college, unfortunately, offers a lot of opportunities for germs to fly. It’s a good idea to keep a box of disposable face masks available. Hopefully, you’re already vaccinated for Covid-19 (it’s free and easy), but not everyone in your class will be. With new variants still spreading across the US, and a summer surge, it’s important to avoid getting sick or being a carrier of the virus. Keep masks handy for classes and other situations where there are crowds. Read our Best Face Masks and Best N95 Masks guides for more recommendations, and our Covid-19 At-Home Test Kits guide has more advice on testing frequently.
