How to buy the best Adidas backpack for school: our top picks
Adidas has managed to bridge the gap between sports and fashion with its range of clothes and accessories that are incredibly functional and on-trend – which is exactly the qualities you want from the best backpack.
Whether you’re after a bold Adidas logo on your next backpack, or a simpler, cleaner look with three stripes or a small crest, there are plenty of options available that are perfect for back to school.
Compared to Nike backpacks, Adidas backpacks tend to include less padding inside, so they might not be as effective at keeping your tech safeguarded. That said, they are generally more affordable, with the entry-level option costing less than £20/$25/AU$35, despite being as much a fashion statement as a means of transporting your stuff.
Adidas also clearly places a focus on comfort, with padded shoulder straps and ample room inside for all your gear. The Creator backpack, for example, offers over 40 liters of space inside, with most Nike backpacks capping out at around 25-35 liters.
As for the type of backpacks we’ve selected, for a back to school bag we’d recommend staying away from anything leather, and we’ve also kept the price below £70/$80 (around AU$120), as well as opting for plenty of compartments.
Additionally, if your back is prone to sweating, a bit of breathing space and padding on the back of the backpack can help immensely, and that’s precisely what Adidas offers.
We’ve ultimately picked five of the best Adidas backpacks for students across a range of prices, covering multiple styles, so there should be something suitable.
These are products that we haven't had in our test labs, but based on our experts' opinion and knowledge of the most reputable brands around, we think these are worth looking at.
Our selections, ranked from cheapest to most expensive, take into account online reviews, brand reputation, product capability, and unique features, to help you pick through the maze of choices available to you.
Dimensions: 16 x 28 x 46cm | Fabric: 51% recycled polyester, 49% polyester plain weave | Volume: 22.38 liters | Color: Numerous available | Weight: 207g | Max laptop size: No sleeve
The Adidas Linear Classic Daily is the epitome of cheap and cheerful, despite the fact that it still delivers a stylish aesthetic with prominent Adidas branding.
Being the smallest Adidas backpack on our list, this definitely isn't suitable for power users who need a lot of space for all their tech, kit, and books. Younger students in particular, though, will find the Linear Classic Daily to be an excellent choice.
Available in six color options, including pink, red, blue and black, you can match it with your personal style, and the main zip also has a white accent, adding a distinct design element.
With a front pocket, you can keep stationery or other smaller items to hand, and while there’s no designated laptop compartment, it’s perfect for books and sports kit.
Padded, adjustable shoulder straps mean the Linear Classic Daily is comfortable to wear, and when you need to take it off your back, the handle at the top of the bag means you can hold it in one hand with ease.
(Image credit: Adidas)
2. Adidas 3-Stripes Power Backpack Medium
A versatile bag in a range of colors
Dimensions: 16 x 32 x 44cm | Fabric: 51% recycled polyester, 49% polyester plain weave | Volume: 23 liters | Color: Numerous available | Weight: 400g | Max laptop size: 15-inch
If you want a backpack that proudly displays the Adidas three-stripe logo, along with a bit more space inside, the 3-Stripes Power Backpack is an excellent balance of affordability and versatility.
It looks excellent, playing vertical lines off against a two-tone backdrop, and includes that all-important padded laptop compartment. The bag comes in some unique colors, including a reverse Kill Bill/Bruce Lee style yellow on the black scheme, along with four different tones of blue, black, or an off-white.
The TPE coated base is durable and water-resistant, so you needn’t worry about resting the bag on a wet locker room floor, and it features one central zip section, and a front zip pocket as well.
The side mesh slip-in pockets provide space for a reusable water bottle, while the top carry handle means it can be easily shifted off the shoulder on a train full of people and carried in one hand.
Meanwhile, adjustable side compression straps mean you can shrink it down when it’s empty, so things don’t shake about inside too much, and adjustable ergonomic air mesh shoulder straps deliver breathable comfort.
(Image credit: Adidas)
3. Adidas Premium Essentials Modern
A sophisticated choice
Dimensions: 58 x 38 x 30cm | Fabric: 100% polyester | Volume: 24.9 liters | Color: Black | Weight: Unknown | Max laptop size: 15-inch
Mature, sophisticated, clean – if this sums up your desired back to school vibe, then the Premium Essentials Modern Backpack from Adidas is for you. With a two-tone/textured look, it’s stylish without being too flashy, and the small but prominent Adidas logo on the front pops nicely.
The Premium Essentials Modern backpack is only available in black, though the textured base is a dark grey, which contrasts nicely against the rest of the bag.
It features two side pockets, an outer zip laptop compartment that can take up to a 15-inch laptop, and there’s a front zip pocket too for smaller bits like keys, pens and power banks.
Inside, there is also open compartments for pens, USB cables, and other small items, and there are adjustable compression straps either side too. The backpack also includes a chest strap to secure it in place for long bouts of walking.
(Image credit: Adidas)
4. Adidas Premium Essentials Top Loader
More compartments than you'll know what to do with
Dimensions: 17 x 30 x 48cm | Fabric: 70% nylon, 30% polyester | Volume: 26.5 liters | Color: Black/Raw khaki | Weight: Unknown | Max laptop size: 15-inch
With pockets and lots of compartments, the Adidas Top Loader gives you space to stow your tech and stay organized 24/7. Whether you’re exercising at sunrise or dancing in the moonlight (and inexplicably want to do that with a backpack on to make it that much trickier), this bag has you covered.
A contemporary take on the classic backpack, the drawcord at the top keeps everything inside in place when you want to clasp it closed, and when you want your bag locked tight, you can double that up with a zip too.
The laptop portion isn’t padded, sadly, but there’s a small tablet sleeve as well if you do carry an iPad around – if you have both, they can be neatly stowed away. By contrast, the shoulder straps are padded, and there’s a chest strap/buckle too to keep everything snug.
(Image credit: Adidas)
5. Adidas Creator 365
A spacious backpack that's full of features
Dimensions: 21 x 31 x 60cm | Fabric: 100% polyester | Volume: 44.75 liters | Color: Black | Weight: Unknown | Max laptop size: 15-inch
Whether you’re creating magic in the classroom, within a video editing suite or on the field, the Creator 365 is one of the most spacious backpacks we’ve come across, able to take almost 45 liters of your stuff, while sporting a separate slot for your laptop and sports shoes.
The shoulder straps are engineered to take the heavy weight that comes with plenty of space, whether it’s school books, tech, sports kit, or all the aforementioned, and the chest strap will help with posture too.
The Creator 365 also includes a front zip pocket for quick access to your smartphone, an internal slip pocket for a tablet, and side compression straps. The bag also has laser-cut ventilation holes dotted around it as well as an air mesh back panel so that it can breathe from the front to the back.
Microsoft Defender should now do a better job of protecting Office 365 users
Microsoft is rolling out a new security policy that it says will automatically enable a curated set of recommended settings and policies to ensure that all Office 365 users get at least a basic level of protection.
Dubbed Built-In-Protection, the preset joins the Standard and Strict presets. However, unlike the two existing presets, the new preset is enabled by default for all new and existing users and requires no action from the administrator.
“The goal is to provide organizations with an immediate bump in protection across their tenants and to ensure all Defender for Office 365 customers have the protection they need without having to think about it,” shares Sundeep Saini, Senior Program Manager, Defender for Office 365.
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Saini explains that Built-In-Protection is designed to address gaps in protection coverage. She argues that Microsoft Defender for Office 365 has several protection features, and not turning them on can put organizations at risk of malicious attacks such as phishing messages.
Default security
Saini says that the Built-In-Protection policy is designed so as to maximize default protections, with minimal impact risk.
Given this objective, Safe Links URL wrapping will be disabled in the new policy. However, Safe Links protections for Teams will be enabled in order to protect users from phishing emails.
It’s also important to note that the new policy has the lowest priority, which means it will not have any impact on users that are already covered under the standard or strict presets, or under a custom policy.
Despite its advantages, Microsoft will also eventually introduce the option for users to configure exceptions for rolling out the new default policy in the Microsoft 365 Defender portal.
The company has already started to roll out the Built-In-Protection preset to users across the world, and hope to complete the process by the end of the year.
Google Docs will now really let you stamp your mark on your work
Making sure your work gets the respect it deserves will soon be a lot easier in Google Docs thanks to a new privacy tool coming to the service.
The word processor tool, part of Google Workspace, has announced users can now add background text identifiers such as watermarks to their documents.
This means that Google Docs users can now mark their work in order to protect copyright, show that the information within is confidential, or simply notify readers that it is a draft or work in progress.
Google Docs watermark
In a blog post outlining the new feature, Google notes that text watermarks will repeat on every page on your document, making it useful for indicating file status.
Users can also include an image watermark, such as a company logo or sign, or include other images above or behind text. To find the new feature, which has no admin control, users simply need to go to Insert > Watermark > Text.
The feature will work across other platforms too, as when working with Microsoft Word documents, text watermarks will be preserved when importing or exporting your files.
(Image credit: Google Workspace)
The tool will be available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers, with the rollout starting in January 2022 and due to take a few weeks.
The news should be a boost to legal and high-end businesses dealing in confidential documents, and comes shortly after a further new functionality also looked to add greater depth to Docs that sees a new process for formal document approvals for high-priority files (such as contracts, legal documents and the like), building upon existing comment and suggested edit features.
Google Docs has also recently boosted its citations feature, making the software a more viable choice for students and academics. When adding a citation to an essay or research paper, users will soon be able to search for sources via an in-built database, and then automatically populate the necessary fields (title, publisher, date of publication etc.).
Elden Ring has all the trimmings on console, but PC players won't be happy
Elden Ring has a maximum framerate of 60fps on PC – an arbitrary technical restraint that we’ve sadly seen before from several FromSoftware PC ports.
The news will no doubt frustrate those who were planning to buy Elden Ring on PC, especially as the game has all the trimmings despite the framerate cap: HDR support, 4K output, and a 60fps performance mode on PS5 and Xbox Series X (thanks, Eurogamer).
The game will also include ray tracing on PC and consoles, which is rather unexpected. An update will arrive later “via a patch”, but it’s unclear whether this will be available at launch or sometime after the game’s release.
We also don’t know what PC specs will be required to adequately run Elden Ring, but it’s clear those with higher-end setups will be left wanting when it comes to performance.
We recently saw 15 minutes of Elden Ring in action, and it looks like the latest addition to the ‘Soulsborne’ craze is shaping up nicely. The upcoming action RPG is a more expansive take on previous entries in the series and has been made in collaboration with Game of Thrones creator, George R.R. Martin.
Analysis: frame caps on PC make no sense
The news of Elden Ring’s frame cap will undoubtedly be met with frustration from PC players. One of the biggest advantages that PC owners tend to enjoy over console games is faster, and significantly higher framerates. Depending on your hardware and the game, it’s possible to reach framerates of up to 360fps.
Unfortunately, Elden Ring’s technical limitation isn’t too surprising. Dark Souls and Dark Souls 3 were notorious for their lackluster PC conversions, with the games locking players to 30fps and 60fps respectively.
It means that those who want to play at a higher framerate in Elden Ring will have to once again turn to a mod or workaround post-launch, which isn’t an ideal solution by any means.
There’s no doubt that Elden Ring is shaping up to be one of the biggest games of 2022. Even though the Soulsborne games aren’t for everyone, the punishingly difficult genre has earned a cult-like following within the gaming community, which will only get bigger after Elden Ring’s release.
Players will get to battle all sorts of mythical monstrosities when the game releases on February 25, 2022, on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC.
