Tote Bags
by Lizzie Elsenpeter
In the heated debate of tote bags versus backpacks, there is a clear winner: tote bags. Tote bags are the perfect accessory for any outfit and fit much more comfortably than backpacks. Sure, backpacks might have more pockets and zippers, but that’s just additional work trying to find something if you need it. You’ll have to go through every nook and cranny of your backpack to find something, but with a tote bag, it’s all right there! Some tote bags even have small, built-in pockets towards the front, which are perfect for holding lip balm, keys, or other small things.
Putting aside general utility and usefulness, tote bags are also much better looking than backpacks. They can have fun graphics, images, and designs, while backpacks are typically just one solid color — and if they’re not, they’re usually crazy expensive. There have been so many cute bookstores or cafes I’ve visited in Minneapolis and Chicago that have tote bags with their cafe’s theme, or just fun designs in general. My favorite one, which I carry around all the time downtown, has popular classic English authors in a gothic style. Obviously, I don’t know every single backpack design, but I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t find a backpack with that same design. This is yet another reason why tote bags are inherently better than backpacks.
I get the appeal of backpacks and can see why they are useful, mainly to hold heavy things like textbooks, computers, and other bulky items. But, it’s so much easier if you’re going out somewhere thrifting or just exploring, to carry something light that can also hold anything you need. It’s perfect for a day on the beach, for example, when all you’re carrying is a towel, book, sunglasses, and a change of clothes.
Now, maybe my opinion is skewed because I go to a liberal arts college where everyone uses tote bags, but there are so many advantages to using a tote bag rather than a backpack. In this competition of which is better, it’s clear that tote bags take home the gold.
Backpacks
by Catherine Lyons
I must admit that I choose a tote bag over a backpack from time to time — they’re certainly more stylish and make you look less like an elementary schooler. However, there comes a point where the tote bag will not suffice. As a rule of thumb, if I’m carrying over two pounds, I have to choose a backpack.
Backpacks really are a marvelous invention. Not only is the weight of your load more evenly distributed, but the amount of things you can fit into a backpack is astonishing. I like to be prepared, and I could easily survive for several days with the supplies I keep in the backpack I use for class. When I tried to be cute and took a tote bag to dinner the other day, I struggled to fit the approximately 50 items that must come with me everywhere — because God forbid I don’t have a small crochet project, lip balm, extra hair ties, and other necessities on hand at all times. There’s a reason people take backpacking trips across the wilderness and not tote-bagging trips.
Have you ever seen a tote bag with pockets? I think not. A tote bag is just one giant pocket with straps. Backpacks often have more pockets than you can count, meaning you can forget little things in there and discover them years later to reminisce about. It’s also helpful for organization, whereas putting items in a tote bag is just a guarantee that they will get scrambled together, leaving you to rifle through your bag hunting for whatever you need. Such a shame, as that item could easily have had its own personal pocket in a backpack.
Finally, backpacks are safer — I once wiped out on an icy sidewalk walking to school in the winter, but my backpack prevented me from getting injured by cushioning my fall. Would a tote bag do that for you?
I know I would look so much more stylish with a screen-printed canvas tote bag, but that simply isn’t practical. You can think of tote bags and backpacks in terms of high heels and gym shoes — it depends on the situation, and more often than not, gym shoes are better. Gym shoes are also significantly more comfortable. I will gladly take my less-stylish backpack over having my shoulder fall off.
