Buy it for Life

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A place to share practical, durable and quality made products that are made to last, with an emphasis on upcycled and sustainable products!

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looking for a bifl school backpack (piefed.social)

submitted 8 hours ago by xcel@piefed.social to c/buyitforlife@slrpnk.net

13 comments fedilink hide all child comments

mainly used for carrying around a pencil case, water, folders, laptop and odd bits. While I understand durability comes at a cost, I have a budget of £50. Thanks and I look foward to responding to your suggestions

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[–] MystValkyrie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 2 hours ago

If you're looking for a non-American/EU option, I've had good experiences with Fjallraven's Kanken Totepack. That's the only product of theirs I own, but I assume one of their regular backpacks would be even better since there are fewer moving parts to it. Has a lifetime warranty.

Otherwise, and bias fully acknowledged lol, anything from Duluth Pack is amazing since all those use a heavy canvas. It's on the pricier end, but worth it. The Scoutmaster model has a laptop pouch. Has a lifetime warranty but will stand up for decades before you'd need it.

[–] deegeese@sopuli.xyz 4 points 4 hours ago

The JanSport that has a leather bottom

[–] Today@lemmy.world 4 points 6 hours ago

I have a Kipling and an Osprey and i really like them both. Both have been used for a couple of years with no real signs of wear. Light and durable.

[–] unmagical@lemmy.ml 8 points 7 hours ago

I've had my Timbuk2 for maybe 15 years now. I use it more weekly now than daily, but aside from some cosmetic scrapes nothing's fallen apart.

[–] jdr@lemmy.ml 1 points 4 hours ago

My Deuter has been going for twenty years. All my Jansports disintegrated.

[–] tal@lemmy.today 1 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

I don't think that I've ever used any backpack that I'd say wasn't reasonably durable. But...I also don't think that I've ever used a backpack that I'd believe would last my life, if it's going to get steady use. I just replaced a backpack that was still usable, but getting pretty frayed, and I don't give my backpacks that much hard use compared to some. Zippers do die. Nylon's pretty durable as fabric goes, but it does wear through over time, and I'd guess that nylon alternatives that might last longer (maybe leather?) may come with tradeoffs (price, weight, breathability) that one may not want.

EDIT: I carry a laptop in mine, and I will say that one thing that I'd look for is padding in the backpack

a lot of them have a large, slim compartment that's padded for backpacks. I have damaged laptops by carrying them in backpacks without a padded laptop compartment.

[–] merde@sh.itjust.works 5 points 7 hours ago

if it's to bifl you should avoid synthetic bags and go for canvas.

any old bag from an army surplus shop would outlive you.

buy a lightweight deuter, osprey &c and you will need to buy another one in 5 years. They're well made, yes, but not for "bifl"

[–] pastermil@sh.itjust.works 4 points 7 hours ago

Fjallraven?

[–] iamericandre@lemmy.world 3 points 6 hours ago

Chrome industries makes really high quality bags. I have two roll top backpacks and they’re indestructible

[–] TwiddleTwaddle@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 6 hours ago

Herschel Supply makes great quality backpacks. I've bad mine for near 10 years and it's in perfect shape still

[–] modernangel@sh.itjust.works 5 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

My experience with Jansport has been solid. I think I've had the same J bag for over 20 years now, daily pack ala manpurse. Been through the washer/dryer a couple times, but I try to minimize that.

[–] Dookieman12@piefed.social 14 points 7 hours ago

Jansport 20 years ago must be a lot different than Jansport today. My experience with them has been paying $60 for a bag that lasts as long as a $20 one.

Swiss Gear makes bags that last buy holy shit $200 for a backpack is outrageous. I only have one because it was gifted to me.

[–] BingBong@sh.itjust.works 2 points 6 hours ago

I've had an Eddie Bauer vantage point for probably 26 years and taken it all over the world. Its a wee bit frayed in places but still holding up well. Almost daily usage except for weekends.