It’s not uncommon to look up and down the halls of Day Creek to see students with rolling backpacks. But are they truly necessary when a backpack can be easily slung across a shoulder?  

Bernand D. Sadow invented the rolling backpack when he saw a worker who was easily moving a large machine on a wheeled skid. Sadow went home and put a strap on his luggage which made it effortless to carry.

When Sadow first introduced his invention to the market, it didn’t have immediate success. Yet things changed after Macy’s accepted his product and advertised it as “the Luggage that Glides.” It started to fly off the shelves.

 Fast forward 60 years. Rolling backpacks do succeed in making supplies easier to carry for students. But are they really safe? 

“It’s really bad. People trip and have to go to the health office and miss class,” said Catherine W. “A friend of mine tripped me with his rolling backpack.” 

They also take up plenty of space as hundreds of students roll down crowded hallways.

“I see people getting tripped when they go through the gate,” said Kennedy A. 

Some students argue that rolling backpacks are more efficient and lighter, preventing back strain and allowing them to navigate the halls more easily.

“It’s really hard to carry your backpack on your back. It creates a lot of stress and [rolling backpacks] helps you get to class way more faster than a normal backpack,” said Sara C. 

Because backpacks require more space while walking down the hall, other teens have begun to kick and damage them.

“They shouldn’t kick them. They have supplies in there, and students don’t want their homework to be ruined if they accidentally didn’t put it in their folder,” said Brayden E.

So what should the school do? If banning rolling backpacks isn’t an option, but they continue to get in the way, perhaps administrators need to think outside the box (or backpack?). 

“They should have separate routes for rolling backpacks or just have a rolling backpack lane like a bike lane,” said Ryan S.