Kid needs a black backpack for school (stupid uniform rules). Kid will also be riding/scooting to school in all weathers.
I know I can get a pretty good rooftop rugged waterproof bag from Decathlon in black. But years ago I had an Endura pannier that had an integrated waterproof high visibility cover that was sewn into a little pouch at the top of the bag, and you could tuck it away when not in use. Photo below but doesn't really show the cover annoyingly. The cover needs to be integrated/attached because kid will immediately lose a "loose" backpack cover.
Does anyone know of anything that might work...? Possibly moon on stick content, I appreciate...
Hmm. Could you get the reflective rain cover such as
REFLECT360 Fully Reflective Backpack Cover | Proviz – Proviz https://share.google/yL9PpmyEjiJB66K15
And stitch it to the inside of a pocket of the bag? Ie, you 'integrate ' it?
Osprey Escapist* has a pouch at the bottom for a fluoro yellow backpack cover. Has a little toggle so that it doesn't get lost if the wind blows it off. Not cheap but I'm having mine repaired for free for the second time (had it about 10 years).
*I think, it's one aimed at cyclists
Bloody stupid school rules, I bet they have to wear a black coat too!!! I got my school to change the coat rule, bags were never an issue.
Your kids/world may be very different from mine, but:
- do not be surprised if the kids "forget" to put the water proof cover on the bag and the contents still get soaked.
- it may be socially difficult to have a "hi vis" cover on your school bag.
Lomo do a roll top dry bag style bag in various colours including black. https://www.lomo.co.uk/products/30l-drybag-daysack-black/ and also a hi vis water proof cover https://www.lomo.co.uk/products/hi-vis-rucksack-cover/
What Poly said. Practical hi-vis and secondary school cool probably won't go together. Or any practical solution you come up with may well get discarded. Somehow the kid needs to own this issue. So some reflective stickers/badges something or other that can be socially cool on the back of the bag?
Also, a light coloured/white helmet is one of the better signifiers of a person on a bike in dull weather, so suggest that and not a black helmet.
Last year On lunch duty at my secondary the one kid out of 500 with his Viz orange bag was highly visible.
He's got a new black bag this year
I like to think my kids will have high Viz stuff when they are old enough
That Lomo bag looks just the ticket, especially considering the market it’s actually aimed at.
You can also get 10x18cm strips of self-adhesive reflective tape, it’s on a polyester cloth backing, and it’s available in either silver, or black, which is actually a dark slate gray.
The maker is someone called Prym, a German company, I think mine came from Etsy. It would be easy to cut strips or shapes out of it with scissors or a craft knife.
I’ve got plans for doing that on a couple of black Buffalo-type jackets for wearing on the bike when the weather gets colder, especially on the cuffs for when I’m indicating when I’m turning.
No kid is going to spend 2 mins covering their bag up
Put stuff on their helmet and bike ?
I like to think my kids will have high Viz stuff when they are old enough
Hahaha. Tell me you haven’t got teenage kids without telling me etc etc 😂
I have one of those Lomo covers and I found it too much of a faff, and I’m somewhat older than teenage. Physically, anyway.
Put stuff on their helmet and bike ?
I would go this way.
What was that spray on clear but reflective paint from a few years ago?
your own anecdote should tell you the only way that is going to happen is if “all” the kids have such a thing. Probably the only way that happens (barring it happening to be the tictoc trend of the moment) is if the school mandates a particular hi vis bag design! It amuses (or perhaps amazes) me to see the efforts parents will go to to select best school for their child but tolerate uniform policies which prioritize things other than comfort and safety!Last year On lunch duty at my secondary the one kid out of 500 with his Viz orange bag was highly visible.
He's got a new black bag this year
I like to think my kids will have high Viz stuff when they are old enough
This Altura bag is waterproof and made of hi-viz material. A bit pricey but good quality. There is a yellow variant.
A lot of Osprey bags have an integrated fold out waterproof cover. But not high viz.
hi-vis and secondary school cool probably won't go together. ... can be socially cool on the back of the bag?
It's actually the bloody school that's the problem and not the kid (so far)! They insist on only black overcoats and black bags. Completely nuts...and why I'm looking for something that can be whipped on and off at the school gates before they get dress coded by the bouncer at the gate.
Thank you for your suggestions so far. @t3ap0t that Osprey is what I'm looking for, might need to be bigger - I'm delving into their site now, thank you!
Send your kid to school in a bright coat with a reflctive, bright backpack and refuse to let him attend detention/corrections? Pre-inform the school you will be diong this, and cite that they have a duty of care to their pupils beyond the school gates, adn their uniform rules make ti impossible for him to travel to school in a safe/sustainable way. And what are they doing to ensure kids can ge to school safely by the way?
Slightly nuclear option there, but worth keeping in your back pocket/mentioning to the head/board of govenors. THey probably have an environmental policy, and health/active kid spolicy that you could cite to support that the uniform polict is in direct contradiciton to....
Sorry did not see that the bag had to be black - crazy rule if the pupils are walking or cycling.
It is also pretty unusual compared to schools around me.
There's another Lomo waterproof rucksack that also doubles as a pannier bag. It'd save him getting a sweaty back cycling to school and still fit the guidelines.
And has a reflective panel for visibility.
Could get a pair - one for books, one for PE kit.
Osprey just got back to me about repairing my Escapist - apparently not possible so they are sending me a new one. Pretty amazing service after having it for a decade and it already having been repaired once.
Although I guess you're paying for that, mine was about £65 when I got it - they're now £150 😮