Photo/Illutration The One-Pack school backpack to be put on sale to the public (Provided by Montbell Co.)

TATEYAMA, Toyama Prefecture--A leading outdoor gear maker has developed an affordable, light and durable backpack for elementary school children that is an alternative to the heavy, pricey “randoseru” school backpack.

The brainchild of Montbell Co. in Osaka was pitched at the request of Tateyama town at the foot of the Northern Alps under the company’s first such program. The company used its accumulated technologies and high-performance materials to make the backpacks.

The municipality will distribute the backpacks to all children starting at the six elementary schools in the town next April for free. It will also go on sale to the public as well.

The introduction came as Tateyama Mayor Takayuki Funahashi was concerned about the recent rise in randoseru prices.

Randoseru is a traditional school bag made of leather and other materials. Most elementary school children in Japan carry a randoseru, but the backpack is notorious for its prices and for being heavy.

A randoseru cost an average of 56,425 yen ($407) in 2022, about 4,000 yen higher than in 2019, according to a survey by the Randoseru Kogyokai industrial association.

Funahashi said he read a news article about some municipalities recommending that students use cheap, lightweight backpacks instead of randoseru.

“Many grandparents are looking forward to (the tradition of them) buying and presenting randoseru to their grandchildren, but some households cannot afford randoseru or do not have grandparents,” said Funahashi. “We should not make children from those families feel sad.”

Funahashi decided the municipality should introduce a new school backpack that could be distributed for free.

Tateyama solicited proposals from manufacturers. Montbell, which signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with the town in 2017, came forward and was selected following a screening process.

All students’ belongings, including tablet computers and textbooks, can fit in the blue backpack.

Called the One-Pack, the backpack weighs 900 grams, making it lighter than leather randoseru. Its durable design is also expected to let children use the rucksack throughout their six years at elementary school.

Every section of the One-Pack is marked by the outdoor gear enterprise’s know-how. Its shoulder belts can be adjusted to fit most users and the backpack is outfitted with carabiners on which to hang items.

Tateyama town estimated producing the One-Pack will cost 10,000 yen or less per bag. A total of 190 One-Packs are to be purchased annually under the plan.

The municipality is looking to allocate a budget for securing One-Packs for three years to come, to offer them for free to elementary school students from fiscal 2023 through 2025.

The backpacks were handed out to kids in October who will start studying at the municipality-run Takano Elementary School next April in a presentation ceremony. Students can also choose a conventional randoseru if they do not like the One-Pack.

The publicly available version of the One-Pack will come in three colors of blue, brown and red and carry a price tag of 14,850 yen, including tax.

Orders can be placed at Montbell’s outlets and website. One-Packs will be delivered to customers starting in December.

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