I have been shopping around for a new backpack for a few weeks and its hasn't been easy. A few years ago I bought myself a backpacking backpack for longer trips, when I was first considering what to get I took to reading all kinds of reviews of bags and tips for how to pick the right one. It amazes me how we all think that just walking into a store like Target or Walmart is all you have to do but there is so much more to it. Sites like Out Door Places and Gap Year have guides for helping you pick out the right one. But it was on my way home when I saw a kid from the local Public school walking home with his backpack hanging halfway down his back that it occurred to me that there are too many people out there who don't know how to wear a backpack properly.One of the worst things that you can do is wear a backpack on a single shoulder. This has been shown to cause your posture to be off balance because of the extra weight on one side. There has been much debate about if weight is a major factor in causing back pain. I'll admit that a heavy backpack no matter how you wear it is bad for your back, but wearing it properly can be less bad if you want to say it that way. When you wear a backpack lower on your back the straps pull into your shoulders more and the leverage makes the weight of the bag more noticeable, when you wear a backpack properly even the heaviest of bags don't feel all that bad anymore. The proper way to wear a backpack is to pull the shoulder straps so that it rests nicely on the upper back and you are able to stand up straight with proper posture without the bag sliding down your back.
This is just a small back to school tip that I thought I would share since there are too many students walking around with their bags on wrong, and there is no reason to ruin your spine so early in life.