Real question: did backpacks not exist in the 70’s?
I think they were just poor
The backpack started on the west coast and migrated towards the east pretty slowly between the late 60s and early 80s. They were originally intended for hikers and other outdoors-y types, and were marketed at hiking retailers, but one of them happened to be connected to a university in Washington. Since it was so rainy over there, people started using them for books, the idea caught on, spread, and eventually backpacks became a necessity as opposed to a novel idea.
