In the late '60s, I -- like every other self-respecting hippie teenage girl -- lugged my daily necessities around in a large Indian-print woven shoulder bag. It was a large satchel without pockets, organizers or even a top closure. When the knit strap broke, as it did with great regularity, my worldly possessions would scatter on the ground and I'd have to get down on my hands and knees to shovel them back into the satchel.
When you hear the word backpack, several things probably come to mind: trapper keepers, text books, and pencil cases. Though the classic backpack bran...