Back To School Is Here. Is Your Backpack Ready?

A complete guide on how to pack your day bag

When I was a child, there was a book called Sophie’s Knapsack that my mom bought for me because, at the time, “Sophie” was not common, and this knapsack book was basically all I had as proof that I had a real name not invented by my parents. In the story, a girl named Sophie (way cuter and more tomboyish than I actually was) goes on an adventure (read: a hike with her parents) and packs a knapsack to prepare. Then they go on the hike. That is the whole story.

I didn’t just like this book, I was obsessed with it. Sophie puts animal crackers in her knapsack! She puts a neat sweater in there! She has access to all kinds of cool shit, and her mom lets her take it on a walk, which makes Sophie feel like a turtle. This seemed the ultimate independence, and as soon as I could, I spent my allowance on a yellow knapsack to fill up with things.

In college, I seduced boys with my knapsack. At this point, I had a sturdy orange Jansport. I filled it up with tamarind Jarritos and fruit roll-ups and empty crossword puzzles, and then I’d go find the boy I liked in the student center. Here was my manic-pixie-dream-girl move: I’d throw a pencil in the air, and whatever direction it landed I would say, “Let’s walk that direction as far as we can go. I’ll…