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For parents, it’s that long-anticipated time of the year. The time when the children head back off for another year in the classroom, a time when the house gets a lot quieter. If you’re a stay-at-home or work-from-home person, you might be just a little excited to hand the kids back off to their institution of learning. Maybe.
If you’re a teacher? Well, that’s another matter. Also maybe.
Either way, if there’s one certainty in life, it’s that retailers will be going all-out on their back-to-school ads and sales. The first wave of college dorm gear usually touches down in late June or early July, followed closely by the K-12 push. By the first of August, big box stores will be up to their ears in everything from desk lamps to pencils.
Most students need backpacks, whether it’s for hauling books across campus or toting the school-issued Chromebook to the library to finish that pesky project. Many students may also need lunch bags for reasons that are obvious enough. While there’s a big market for licensed backpacks, you can also go with something more general.
Aldi has been selling backpacks and lunch bags for years, the biggest draw being the low prices. That’s the case this year, too.
What We Know:
Aldi backpacks (left) and lunch bags (right)
The Lily and Dan Premium Kids’ Backpack (Product Code: 824912) and Lily and Dan Insulated Lunch Bag (Product Code: 825099) are both Aldi Finds. They’re only in stores for a short time, with each store getting a single shipment. Once they’re sold out, you won’t be able to get them again until they come back next year. If you can’t find them in your store, you’re out of luck, as Aldi doesn’t ship products online.
Lily and Dan is an Aldi exclusive private label. Aldi has sold kids’ backpacks and lunch bags for years, including a long run selling them under another Aldi private label, Adventuridge. We purchased and used the Adventuridge backpacks and bags years ago and found them to be practical and durable, the backpack especially. The tradeoff is that then, as now, the backpacks are not licensed. You won’t find any famous properties on these products.
At the time of this post, the backpack cost $12.99 while the lunch bag cost $8.99. The backpack is considerably less than most backpacks at Amazon, Walmart, and Target. The same is true of the lunch bag, which is also cheaper than Amazon, Walmart, and Target versions. The fact that these aren’t licensed likely helps factor into the lower costs, but the Aldi backpack and bag are less expensive even than unlicensed alternatives.
The backpacks and bags have matching patterns. While you don’t have to get a matching set, you can if you want to.
Here’s more information about the backpacks, according to Aldi:
- Comes in Camo Shark, Dino Skeleton, Cars, Zoo Animals, Marble Tie Dye, Mythical Stickers, Constellation or Tropical
- Coordinates with Kids’ Insulated Lunch Bag and Reusable Snack and Sandwich Bags
- Front clips to attached lunch bag
- Padded mesh shoulder straps
- 16.54″ x 13″ x 7.5″
Here’s more information about the lunch bags, according to Aldi:
- Comes in Camo Shark, Dino Skeleton, Cars, Zoo Animals, Marble Tie-Dye, Mythical Stickers, Constellation or Tropical
- Coordinates with Premium Kids’ Backpack and Reusable Snack and Sandwich Bags
- Molded interior
- Back straps to attach to backpack
- Interior mesh pocket
- 9″ x 8″ x 4″
What We Don’t Know:
While we’ve used older versions of the backpack and lunch bag, we haven’t tried out these current models. For that reason, we can’t speak to ease of use or durability. We’ve created this open thread for users to share their experiences.
Have you used these back-to-school accessories? Let us know about them in the comments.
We’ve been enjoying the lunch bag, but what is the round valve like thing at the top of the backpacks?
I think it’s for headphone wires.