College Backpack Essentials

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This post is all about the essential items you need in your college backpack (I suggest ways to save money on some of these essentials!)

A backpack is your everyday companion throughout college. Packing it with the right essentials can save you stress, time, and money. In this blog post, I will discuss how to pack your backpack minimally while ensuring it contains all the essential items you need.

Whether you just gained college admission or are a senior, this blog post is the guide you need.

As you might have guessed, I carried the same things I had in my high school backpack. I added a few items that were necessary for college life.

 Ready to know what those essential items are? Let’s get into it.

1. BACKPACK/ TOTE BAG

Well, to be able to carry these essential items daily, you need a sturdy backpack. Look for a sturdy bag with enough space to have necessities like a laptop, water bottle, and notebooks, as well as enough extra space to handle other essential items.

Also, ensure that the backpack matches your style or preferences regarding colour and design because it most likely will be with you for a long time🙂.

 2. WALLET

A wallet is one of the most essential items you should always have on you. It’s not just for carrying your money and IDs; it’s also a way to keep your essentials organized and easily accessible. A compact wallet with compartments for things like your driver’s license, student ID card, debit/credit card, room key, bus pass, and some cash is all you need.

3. Laptop/Tablet and Charger

Your laptop is the gadget you always need to carry daily. Be sure to invest in an excellent laptop to ensure smooth workflow. Depending on how strong your laptop’s battery life is, you might not always need to have your laptop charger with you daily.

If you forget your charger at home or your laptop stops working midsemester, you can always check with your library to see if you can borrow one.

To save money on your laptop, check the website of the laptop brand you decide to purchase from. Most of these brands usually have discounts for college students. Also, you can confirm with your school if they have a discount agreement for laptops through some brands.

4. Insulated or Reusable Water Bottle

It is super important to always have a water bottle on you; it would be better if it were insulated. I use an insulated water bottle, and I love that my water stays at the exact temperature I put it in for more than 24 hours, which I find helpful.

Even if you run out of water, you can always use your reusable water bottle to get water from the water fountains. Doing this saves you some money in the long run.

5. Textbooks and Notebooks

You should have notebooks to jot down important information and class notes. Even if you are a “digital student,” I still recommend you have one note in your backpack.

For textbooks, you should only bring the textbooks you need to school; you do not want your bag to be heavy to avoid back pain.

Although I do not think most people use hard copies of books anymore, I still prefer physical copies over ebooks.

You can purchase your notebooks from your local dollar store or shopping mall. There’s no need for anything too expensive, but that’s up to you. You can check this blog post on how to save money on textbooks.

6. Pencil Case

A pencil case is a must-have for any college student. It’s a great way to keep your stationery items organized and easily accessible. It can contain everything from pencils, pens, highlighters, erasers, sticky notes, sharpeners, calculators, and graduated rulers to office pins. However, if your bag has dedicated spaces for these items, you can skip the pencil case and use that space instead.

You can get your pencil case from your local dollar store or shopping mall.

7. Headphones

Headphones are handy for completing online classes or video modules.

As someone who uses the bus, it’s super important to have this because sometimes, you don’t want to hear other people’s voices.

If you walk from your dorm straight to class, you can still have this to listen to whatever you listen to before or in between classes.

8. Snacks  

Bringing your snacks from home is important, especially if you love snacking like me. A quick snack can help you stay focused in long classes or busy days. Bringing your snacks from home also saves you the trouble of hunting for food, time and money. It also helps you to make healthier choices.

Also, vending machines and campus food can be pricey. So, buy your snacks when grocery shopping.

9. Toiletries

It’s important to have some toiletries with you in case of emergencies. The essential toiletries are hand sanitizer, lip balm, tissue paper, and feminine hygiene products.

• Hand Sanitizer

Having a hand sanitizer to disinfect your hands periodically is always good. I used to live off-campus and take the bus to school, so it was best to have a hand sanitizer to disinfect my hands from all those bus germs. Even if you don’t bus, you must periodically disinfect your hands because of our contact with surfaces today. Periodically Sanitizing our hands is good hygiene and helps limit our chances of getting infected.

• Lip Balm

You do not want your lips to look chapped. I like to ensure my lips are moisturized, especially during the drier months or winter. Nothing fancy; you can always use your Vaseline (since it is multipurpose).

• Tissue

I always like to have tissues in my backpack for hygienic reasons. Sometimes, the table or the chair I wish to use in my class or somewhere else is dirty, so I use the tissue to dust it off. Also, I like to clean my hands with a tissue after eating snacks. I also use tissue for emergencies, like blowing my nose or wiping my tears🙂.

I am not saying you should have a big roll of tissue or tissue box in your backpack; what I do is cut a long strip and neatly fold it in line with the seams. Even though we usually have tissue rolls in toilets, there are times that I am too far away from a bathroom or need it urgently, so it’s a nice thing to have handy.

• Feminine Hygine Producrs

These are usually pads or tampons for women. Although they are readily available in most school washrooms, it is nice to have them just in case.

You can put these directly in one of your bag’s compartments, or you can put them in a toiletry bag. If a mini toiletry bag is too expensive, you can buy a pencil case that can do the job at your local dollar store.

10. Weather Essentials

It is always good to plan for the day’s weather. It would help if you had an umbrella for spring, sunscreen for summer (although I have this in my bag every day, for people who don’t, it’s better to have it during summer, at least), and winter gloves for cold days.

11. Prescribed Health-Related Products

It is essential to ensure you have your prescribed medications, devices, or anything you use for your well-being. This can be an inhaler, glasses, drugs, and other relayed things. While college can be daunting, taking your health seriously is essential!

That’s all I usually have in my backpack!

Remember that you should tailor your backpack to your preferences and needs.

While researching, I saw some funny things like shampoo, and in my head, I was just like, why do you need shampoo in your backpack? The post was funny because the writer stated that busy students carry that in their backpacks, and I still cannot understand why. What about you?

Do you have any unusual items in your backpack? Please share them in the comments.