Before term starts

The run-up to a new school year has a way of surfacing gaps you didn't know existed: no working umbrella, no lunchbox that survived summer camp, no bag that fits a laptop and doesn't fall apart by October. None of this is urgent until it suddenly is, so here's a small list of things that solve one problem each and don't pretend to solve the rest.

Cycling to school in the rain is a different sport than walking to school in the rain, and the NOMAD® Premium Regenponcho Volwassenen | Waterdicht 15.000 mm | Poncho Dames & Heren | One Size | Wandel-/ Fietsponcho | Incl Opbergzak is built for the version on wheels: a poncho rated to 15,000mm waterproof, one size, with a pouch to stuff it into once the sky clears. It won't make anyone enjoy the ride, but it keeps the enjoying-it-less part shorter.

Not every back-to-school item has to be about logistics. The Jumbo - FunLockets - Secret Journal - Dagboek meisjes - Vanaf 6 jaar is a lockable diary aimed at kids from six up, which is less about security and more about the specific pleasure of having something that's yours and nobody else's, especially in a new class full of people you're still sizing up.

Lunchboxes get opened, dropped, and judged by other seven-year-olds daily, so the Sonic the Hedgehog Kinderlunchbox – Broodtrommel met 4 vakken voor kinderen vanaf 4 jaar - Vaatwasserbestendig & BPA-vrij - Lichtblauw earns its keep by being dishwasher safe, BPA free, and split into four compartments, with a Sonic the Hedgehog print doing the actual social work.

School bags run on phones now as much as pencils, and the Xtorm Powerbank Zonneenergie - 10000 mAh - Inclusief USB-C Kabel - USB-C en USB-A - 20W is a solar powerbank, 10,000mAh, that comes with both USB-C and USB-A out, useful for the days when nobody remembers to charge anything the night before.

Parents doing school runs with a baby in tow have their own packing problem, and the Lässig Luiertas Rugzak met laptopvak Green Label Outdoor Rolltop Backpack 18,4L Almond Lichtbruin answers it with a rolltop backpack that has an actual laptop compartment, 18.4 litres, so the changing bag doesn't have to live a separate life from the work bag.

For the kids old enough to carry their own gear, the Enrico Benetti Rugzak Anchorage Lichtgrijs - Laptop 17 Inc TOY NEW is a straightforward 17-inch laptop backpack in light grey, the kind of bag built to be forgotten about for the next nine months, which is the highest compliment a school bag can get.