Choose fabric or paper lunch bag, not metal lunchbox
Shop for heavy padding on straps; waist straps, too, for heaviest days
Check empty weight before purchase; it will only get heavier
Buy folders instead of heavy binders
Back experts' advice:
Remove what you don't need every night before bed
Use online books at home; leave heavy texts at school or splurge on extra copies of heaviest books to keep at home
Use both shoulder straps, not just one
Ignore peer pressure and use backpacks with wheels
Put heaviest objects at bottom and closest to your back
Adjust straps so load sits low on the back, 1 to 2 inches above waist
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