My wife and I purchased The North Face Jester Backpack pictured above for our youngest son before he entered first grade in the 2004-05 school year. Fed up with the number of backpacks our older kids were going through each year at school, we wanted to try a different approach.

12 years later, my son left for college. Before he headed off to campus, he texted me to ask if he could get a new backpack.

"What's wrong with your old one?" I asked.

"Nothing," he replied. "I've just had it for 12 years. All of grade school and high school. Come on!"

He got his new pack. Another TNF backpack, actually. This time with a laptop sleeve. Something he didn't really need back in 2004. But it's still built with the same strength and durability that old Jester was constructed with over 13 years ago.

And the old pack? Still in use for trips, actual hiking, as well as the ever-so-often lugging around of video game consoles and controllers.

Here at Alpine Shop, we know you can grab a backpack $50 or less at any big box chain. But, we all know how quickly those can break, especially with the immense weight of the books kids pile into them these days. This year (and for years to come), make sure they have a pack that will last, no matter what they put it through.

Stop by any Alpine Shop location and find a backpack they can count on for their entire school career.