I was gonna send this to the Cool Tools blog but my nerve quailed. Also, I don’t think this thing can be bought anywhere anymore (Made in USA and all that).
But I’m not going to let that 15 minutes I just spent writing go to waste!
So here it is:
I love my backpack! It’s an Eastpak. I bought it at Sam’s Club (or was it Costco?) right before I started college, just for carrying books and doing normal, student-y things. After 7 years of heavy, almost daily use, including on trips around Europe/Asia, this bag is still in nearly perfect condition.
Most other backpacks I’ve used have had the zipper break after a few years, or gotten holes in them, especially near the bottom. This backpack has none of those problems, and has almost no signs of wear, apart from slight discoloration on the bottom (which is covered with suede on the outside). The undersides of the straps are made of some grippy material that makes them slip-proof. Even the loop at the top of the bag (the one you may use to hang on a hook, or grab to pick the bag up off the floor) is as good as it was the day I bought the backpack. There’s not a single stitch undone or out of place.
What’s more, the front pouch holds a surprisingly large quantity of stuff, and while the design of the inside pockets could’ve been better (I don’t carry as many pencils as there are holders, and would rather have more wide pockets), even when I’ve forgotten to close the zipper, and flung my backpack around, I’ve never had anything fall out of the front pouch part (I have been pocket-picked from it, though =P).
There are a few shortcomings: the bag is not very waterproof — if it’s raining, my stuff inside does get a little damp sometimes. Also, the zipper tabs, while nice because they’re bigger than normal, make a lot of noise, and that makes me self-conscious when I’m walking through a library.
But for what’s a rather small, medium-sized backpack, it holds a ton, and holds it well! I’ve had stuff happen to things I carry inside the bag (ie water damage from not closing a bottle tightly enough or whatever), but the bag itself has taken a lot of punishment, and been none the worse off. I fully expect it to last another good 7 years, which is pretty good considering it originally cost less than $20!
The end.
Filed under: personal
