Children’s backpacks
When kids set out to explore the world, they need a backpack that can keep up. In our online store, you’ll find a wide range of backpacks designed specifically for children – to be their trusted companions from their first outdoor adventures all the way through their teenage years. We’re happy to guide you in your quest to find the best pack for your child. Find out more!
A children’s backpack for every age and size
Whether it’s for preschool, elementary school or those first big overnight hikes, our durable children’s backpacks will carry your kids’ gear through any adventure, great or small, year in and year out. Our product designers develop backpacks for kids that fit securely and protect their backs. Because ergonomics and comfort are our top priority. We design our packs and their features to fit the needs of young, growing bodies – covering the entire gamut from cool school backpacks for kids ages 6 and up all the way through to fully featured technical hiking packs for kids. We’ve even got toddlers covered with fun and comfortable preschool backpacks.
All of our children’s backpacks are available in a rainbow of cheerful colors that kids will love, from gender neutral options to hot pinks and blues.
Toddler backpack for ages 2+: the deuter Pico
Polar bears on a sky-blue background, monkeys in a green jungle and sea creatures in a pink underwater world – little kids can’t get enough of the Pico backpack’s colorful animal designs. Whether for nursery school or trips to the playground, our small children’s backpacks feature the back-friendly deuter Contact back system for a comfortable, back-hugging fit. Thanks to its zip-around opening, toddlers will have no trouble filling this pint-sized pack with treasures, and the chest strap keeps the Pico from slipping off small shoulders. The deuter Pico is available in pink, green, blue, red and many other great colors kids adore.
Backpacks for kids from ages 3+ and preschool backpacks
We’ve got no fewer than three different children’s rucksacks for preschool, day care and kindergarten. These packs for kids aged 3 and up combine a comfortable fit with safety features like reflective prints and details. They’ve also got plenty of room to hold a snack, a sweater and a spare pair of pants – so your tiny adventurer has everything they need for preschool and the playground alike.
deuter Schmusebär
The deuter Schmusebär is our classic children’s backpack. A reflective print gives little ones high visibility, even in the low-light dawn, dusk and evening hours. A kid-friendly buckle at the front and drawcord on the main compartment make it especially easy to use. With 8 liters’ capacity and just 290 grams of weight, the Schmusebär backpack offers plenty of room without weighing your child down. A sternum strap holds the pack securely on narrow shoulders.
deuter Kikki
The Kikki kids’ backpack comes in different animal shapes with fun floppy ears and big reflective eyes that not only look cute but also provide protection by ensuring that your child can be seen when crossing the street. Kikki’s bright greens, blues, oranges and yellows and reflective details help, too. The deuter Kikki holds up to 8 liters. This unisex backpack is made of materials that meet the world’s most exacting standards for consumer protection, occupational safety and environmental sustainability. The bluesign® system has certified that the Kikki is sustainable, through and through. Kikki has also earned the German government’s Green Button certification label, which means it meets strict environmental and social standards for textile production.
deuter Waldfuchs
The Waldfuchs children’s backpack was designed specially for adventures in outdoor preschools, in collaboration with the German non-profit for forest schools and nature-based preschools, Landesverband Wald- und Naturkindergärten in Bayern e. V. This kids’ backpack is especially hard-wearing and can easily hold everything your child needs for a day in the woods – a snack, a water bottle, a jacket – with room to spare. Additional highlights of this pack for young explorers include a special holder for a coping saw, a removable sit mat and several outer pockets. Waldfuchs 10 holds 10 liters, and its bigger sibling, Waldfuchs 14, offers an extra 4 liters of stowage plus a rain cover and a reinforced, water-repellent bottom to keep everything dry, even on rainy days.
Kids’ hiking and biking backpacks for 5 – 10-year-olds
As much as they’ll love their school backpacks from deuter, kids will be eager to swap them out for our hiking and biking backpacks. After all, so much of life happens outside the classroom! With our hiking backpacks for kids, your children can join you on your adventures or strike out on their own to summer camp. Our unisex kids’ backpacks for ages 5 and up feature three different back systems, each one designed for a specific use ranging from your child’s first hiking pack all the way through to trekking backpacks for eight-year-olds.
The deuter Junior – for bagging those first peaks
The deuter Junior 18 kid backpack is perfect for young mountaineers’ first forays into the mountains. The deuter Airstripes back system and soft-edge shoulder straps make this hiking backpack for kids comfortable, even on long days out on the trail. Two strips of padding run up the back, allowing the Junior to fit snugly to the body for optimal weight distribution and create airflow channels for effective ventilation.
The Junior kids’ backpack holds up to 18 liters. It’s designed for kids between 130 and 168 cm tall (or 5’ 3” and 5’ 6”) and weighs in at a back-friendly 404 grams empty (14.25oz). The deuter Junior is available in two-tone blue “ink-lake”, green-turquoise “deepsea-dustblue” and other trendy deuter hues.
Backpack for kids aged 6 and up: First hiking pack
The deuter Climber is a great first technical backpack for bigger kids ages 6 and up. The colors coordinate with our Guide backpack line for adults, and the Climber has all the features small mountaineers need: stabilizer straps, helmet holder, trekking pole and ice axe attachments are all integrated into this kids’ alpine backpack. The back system lies snugly against the body, and padded hip fins and an adjustable sternum strap provide a good, secure fit with no slipping. The climber follows your kiddo’s every move without holding them back.
For kids ages 8 and up: deuter Fox backpacking pack
Our deuter Fox backpacking pack takes kids and teens to summer camp and on hut-to-hut hikes and overnight alpine trips. Add to it the ideal companion: a deuter kids’ sleeping bag to keep your young alpinist warm for a great night’s sleep.
This kids’ backpack can accompany your child for years, from age 8 well into the teenage years: The child-friendly Contact back system with adjustable back length, and rugged materials make for a long life and great fit ‘til your teen is ready for an adult pack.
For kids ages 10 and up: Overday everyday backpack
What’s special about the Overday kids’ backpack? Its green credentials. Each of these daypacks for kids ages 10 and up is made from 24 recycled PET plastic bottles, and its manufacture is verified sustainable and socially responsible. That earns this kid-sized day pack the right to wear the Green Button and bluesign® Product labels. Inspired by the design of the UP series for adults, this youth backpack features a large main compartment, a padded cell phone pocket and a comfortable carry system. The Overday fits kids who are between 130 and 168 cm tall (4’ 3” and 5’ 6”).
Biking backpacks for kids
As a parent, it can sometimes be hard to watch your kids racing up and down gravel roads, tearing up the trails at the bike park or bombing it down a steep hill. At least you can rest assured that your child will have everything they need close at hand in one of deuter’s kid-sized cycling or mountain biking backpacks. They hold it all: helmet, water, and other gear. These specially designed unisex bike backpacks sit comfortably and securely on the back and feature clever extras for a safe, relaxed ride.
deuter Attack JR for mountain biking
The back protector on the Attack JR kids’ backpack means this pack doesn’t just look cool – it also keeps your child’s back safe out on the trail. Because let’s face it: falls are part of mtb life. The TÜV-certified back protector and padded harness absorb falls and prevent the worst from happening. This 8-liter pack also makes it easy to bring other protective equipment, including a helmet, along to the trailhead.
In 2021, the deuter Attack JR received the Velomotion seal of approval with a “very good” rating in the protector backpacks category.
No longer available
deuter Compact JR
The 8-liter deuter Compact JR is an awesome trail buddy for athletic young mountain bikers. This child-sized biking backpack is equally well suited for mountain biking or cycling tours. It’s lightweight and, thanks to adjustable hip fins and shoulder straps, lies snug to the body. So it doesn’t get in your child’s way, staying put even on tight curves and fast stops. It’s set up to hold a hydration bladder, a helmet and other protective gear plus a bike pump. It also has loads of extra pockets for keeping even the smallest tools organized and easy to find. The Compact JR is the perfect all-around biking backpack for kids.
Frequently asked questions about backpacks for Kids
At what age can my child carry a backpack?
Of course, the smaller your child is, the smaller and lighter their backpack should be. Even children as young as 1 or 2 years old can carry a small rucksack: just make sure it’s no bigger than 5 liters in capacity. It’s also important to pay attention to how the pack fits. The deuter Pico has ergonomic, child-friendly shoulder straps and weighs just 200 grams – so it’s perfect for kids ages 2 and up.
What’s a good weight limit for a kids’ backpack?
It’s important not to put too much strain on growing kids’ backs. Preschoolers shouldn’t carry more than one kilogram (or 2.2 lb.). Elementary school kids can handle up to 3 kilograms (6.6 lb.). Generally speaking, kids shouldn’t carry more than 4 or 5 kg (8-11 lb.) before age 12. Teenagers up to age 16 should limit their packs to 7 kg (approx. 15 lb.)
What size is right for my child’s new backpack?
For kids between 1 and 3 years old, very small backpacks are best, with no more than 5 liters in volume and less than 30 cm in length. For kids ages 3 and up, we recommend our small kindergarten or preschool backpacks, which can hold 5 to 10 liters and are no taller than 40 cm. School-aged kids (5 or 6 years and up) can shoulder an 11-to-22-liter pack, and kids ages 8 and up can even handle 30 liters or more and a pack height of 60 cm, depending on your child’s height. Of course, the pack’s weight will also depend on what goes inside it – it’s important to pack light, to protect a growing young spine.
Which backpack is best for my fifth grader?
Once kids have reached fifth grade or so, they can carry larger, more technical packs. Besides suitable school backpacks, deuter also offers specialized youth backpacks for hiking and biking. The deuter Fox can accompany kids on trips and hikes from age 8 all the way through their teenage years. The deuter Attack JR and deuter Compact JR bike backpacks are perfect for young mountain bikers.
Why choose a kids’ backpack from deuter?
All of our children’s backpacks are available in a variety of colors and patterns that little ones will love. Our product development team is always working to improve our existing products, making them safer and more comfortable for your kids. Some other advantages of our backpacks are listed below:
- Hard-wearing quality: We use rugged, high-quality materials so our child backpacks can withstand any adventure, for years on end.
- Environmentally friendly: We waterproof our backpacks without PFC / PFAS finishes, so our packs are safe for kids and the environment.
- Sustainable: We are a bluesign® system partner, and our bluesign® products (including the Kikki children’s backpack) meet stringent requirements for environmental sustainability, occupational safety and consumer protection.
- Responsibility: To us, responsibility is about more than environmental protection. It’s also about treating our employees well. We’re a member of the Fair Wear Foundation and Germany’s national Partnership for Sustainable Textiles (Bündnis für nachhaltige Textilien) and ensure fair working conditions across our supply chain.
- Comfortable & back-friendly: To offer small children the greatest comfort right from the start, we develop our backpacks in collaboration with experienced mountain guides, athletes and experts. It’s no wonder deuter back systems are among the most comfortable in the industry.
- Lifetime repair service: We offer repairs worldwide for the lifetime of our products. Whether it’s an open seam, a broken zipper or a torn strap – the way we see it, we’d rather fix it than have you throw it in landfill. That way, we get to do something good for the planet and give your children more time with their favorite backpack.