20 Fun Ideas for Anything But a Backpack Day

Does your college sponsor an Anything But a Backpack Day for Homecoming Week or a spirit event? Different schools have unique rules for the activity but the basic premise is you use an alternative vessel to carry your books and laptop to class. No backpacks allowed!

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The no-nos

The more creative the better but the generally unappreciated items include:

• stolen items (grocery carts need to be left at the supermarket unless you have permission)
• live animals (no, you can’t use your dog as a pack mule)
• no weapons (duh!)
• nothing that is so large that it will interrupt classroom activities (I saw a kayak on Pinterest, but that would NOT be welcome in Chem lab)
• your little brother

Use your imagination, but here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Pillowcasehttps://amzn.to/3qbNvE0
2. A football/biking/whatever safety helmet
3. Stroller (check out the toy department for a doll-sized model)
4. Cooler (I’d pick one on wheels, but this one is soooooo cute)
5. Wagon
6. Sand bucket
7. Rolling tote
8. Traffic cone
9. Bucket
10. Laundry basket (check out this cool one on wheels!)
11. Garbage can
12. A toy car
13. An apron
14. A bag from Trader Joe’s or a favorite restaurant around campus or the campus book store
15. A trick-or-treat pumpkin
16. A hobo stick
17. A cereal box
18. A basket
19. Guitar case

20. Piñata-you can get it from Amazon here:

These fun ideas should get you started on being creative. Here’s some more tips for creating your own ideas.

• Look around your dorm room or apartment for ideas. Pots and pans? Dog carrier?
• Be thinking about ease of carrying. Something with straps would be make hurrying to your next class easier. I found a photo of a guy carrying a microwave (and this pink one from Amazon is really cute!), but it would be terrible to tote around.
• Check out the dollar store, a thrift store, Walmart or Target for ideas–especially in the toy aisle.

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