Nursing School Bag - Vera Bradley

RileyRN2013 · Jul 27, 2013

I would suggest not spending a lot of money on a bag. They really get beat up in nursing school! Some people I went to school with swear by a rolling suitcase or a toolbag. I have a small backup I take to work.

musaafirah · Jul 27, 2013

Oh, I definitely agree. I am not typically one to spend lots of money on bags but I have a coupon and a gift card so it would actually be more affordable to me than one that is typically cheaper .

ixchel · Jul 27, 2013

Get something with two shoulder straps. If you manage to minimize as much as I have, on your best days you'll have a binder and a tablet. On your worst days, you'll have your binder, your tablet, your drug book, a textbook or two, writing supplies, highlighters, stethoscope, penlight, tape scissors, hand sanitizer, not to mention your personal affects. No need to kill your back before you even graduate. This coming semester, I'm aiming to have my cards in my phone cover, my keys in my pocket, and all of my writing done on my tablet, which I have a Bluetooth keyboard/cover for. On clinical days I'll do the same and tuck my supplies in my scrubs and steth around my neck. Hopefully all of our textbooks are available electronically this semester. That will be the only potential downfall to my plan.

bagface · Jul 27, 2013

I agree with pp.. I wouldn't spend money on either of those bags for nursing school. As someone who just finished their first semester of clinical NS I had NINE nursing books that frequently needed carried to class, NINE. And because at our college we have to park off campus and shuttle to the college (my classes were like 10 minutes apart) I often had to carry two or three additional on top of those nine to have everything I needed. Rolling suitcase is the way to go. These things are going to get dirty, they are going to carry a heavy load, and you're back is going to HATE you if you use one of those bags.

I have seen people who use their "goodies" (we got a pack during our first semester with everything in it, stethoscope/bp cuff/practice IV stuff, etc) You can use one of those bags for that? I'd pick one that zippers if you're dead-set on using one of those.

Good luck and enjoy your semester!

JNHERRIN · Jul 27, 2013

I have the older version of the weekender bag, it's a large bag, I used it and a back pack when I went on a week long vacation and it held mostly everything I needed. It may not be the best option for school, as it is intended to be more of a travel bag. Also, if you're going to carry a lot of books in it, I think it would get heavy and awkward to carry, since it only has a single shoulder strap and smaller hand grips handles. You may be better off with a tote bag, something like the Vera, I have one of those and it's amazing!

KelRN215, BSN, RN · Jul 28, 2013

For school, I would suggest a backpack.

winterlights08 · Jul 28, 2013

I had ordered the Carried Away tote when I started my prereqs and it only took one day to realize that a bag that size was overkill. It's really big! If it were filled with books and a laptop it would be awful to carry. I ended up getting the Vera, which worked great for my needs at the time. I still use the Carried Away for traveling, and it works great for that purpose. I'm actually shopping for a backpack now, because my 15" laptop makes the Vera too heavy with my other stuff. I had tried a wheelie bag, but I felt really out of place and awkward using it (I was one of the only students with one).

If I were you, I would just get a good backpack now, with a laptop pocket. Every school is different of course, but you may find that you don't need to bring your texts to class, just a binder or notebook. Even in nursing school, we never need to bring the huge books with us, just the smaller texts sometimes, and our laptops. A lot of people like taking notes in the power points, or your school may do computerized testing. If you end up at a school that requires you to bring books, the backpack will still be good for clinicals and work later, or lighter load days.

melizerd, ASN, RN · Jul 28, 2013

I'd suggest something with two good wide straps to carry on your back or a rolling bag of some kind. The amount of stuff I carried during pre-reqs compared to during nursing classes was definitely different. My stuff wouldn't have fit into those bags. My bag currently weighs almost 40lbs and I frequently haul that all to clinical too so that I have references if I need them.

Luckyyou, BSN, RN · Jul 28, 2013

I own a Get Carried Away bag, and it's huuuuuge. Unless you're carrying multiple gigantic books at a time, you won't need anything that big. I also carried a Vera throughout nursing school and it was perfect -- however, we didn't need to bring books to class. I did bring my laptop often in that bag. I'm almost positive that VB bags can get thrown in the washer, so I wouldn't worry about wear and tear. I carry a big VB bag (go-round tote) to work and back and it has held up fine.I find rolling backpacks to be bulky and incredibly obnoxious to your classmates when trying to drag/carry/wrestle into submission down a row in a lecture hall.

7237dallas · Jul 28, 2013

I have the weekender and it fits my laptop in the side sleeve and my chemistry book, lab book, notebook and folder. It also has a big pocket in the front and on the back. I love it. Although if I had to carry more books I would have to get a bigger bag.

sjalv · Jul 28, 2013

I am a guy and am just wondering.. are 'totes' always this expensive? $100 for a bag that looks like it could hold 2 textbooks at the most? That's insane.

I think I spent like $15 on my backpack and it carries what I need it to and more.