Loose paper needs a hard surface

The trick to keeping loose-leaf paper from crumpling is to give it a solid backing inside your backpack.

Don’t just slide paper into a regular pocket and hope for the best. Buy a clipboard or a rigid folder — the heavy cardboard kind or a plastic one with a firm back. Place the paper under the clip or inside the folder, then put that whole thing at the back of your backpack, against the part that touches your spine. That spot gets the least squishing because your books and stuff pile on top of it last.

If you’re carrying multiple subjects, get a multi-pocket expanding folder with a hard back. It keeps things separated and still gives you one stiff surface. The floppy plastic folders with the brads technically work, but they bend. You want something that won’t.

One thing to avoid: shoving the paper into a main compartment full of loose textbooks. Even a great folder will crush if you throw a calculus book directly on top of it. Keep the folder vertical, against the back panel, not at the bottom.

Future you will actually be able to read those notes.