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$450 for a School Bag?

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Re: $450 for a School Bag?

#101

Post by Doxin »

metadat wrote: post #2

The article tries to articulate the value add through attention to detail in manufacturing "so the bags survive 6 years of rough and tumble ", but I'm not really getting it. What am I missing? I had a $60-in-1995 northface backpack that lasted through hauling 5+ periods of textbooks every day, walking and biking to middle school and highschool. It worked fine, in fact my dad still uses it (30 years later) to hold and…

> I had a $60-in-1995 northface backpack that lasted through hauling 5+ periods of textbooks every day

Mine did that, and has since been lying out in the rain in the back yard holding firewood. It's a decade+ later and the thing is still perfectly fine other than being a bit dirty. Bet a good wash would get it back to being perfectly usable as a backpack.

Re: $450 for a School Bag?

#102

Post by nephanth »

wraptile wrote: post #87
JohnBooty wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got a free backpack with my new Thinkpad laptop recently. It's light, well designed, mass produced, easy to personalize - would take this over the 450$ school bags any time of the year. Just to be clear: you're using your freebie bag to carry a laptop and not 6kg/13lb of schoolbooks, correct? Something tells me the answer is "yes" which kind of makes me wonder why you're mentioning it Do you also drive around in a…

I'm confused how is that relevant what's being carried in it? in fact the flexible synthethic backpack molds much better to variable-sized objects you'd put in it rather than giant square leather bucket.

Weight pulls on seams and fabric, and since they're likely to cut costs on something they give away for free, carrying a high weight would probably shortening its lifespan

Re: $450 for a School Bag?

#103

Post by nephanth »

new299 wrote: post #52
guessmyname wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Curious coincidence, I bought a randoseru (ランドセル) [1][2][3] early this morning and complained to my wife all the way to the store. She doesn’t want our children to look different at school. They are already different enough for being hāfu [4] and she doesn’t want to traumatize them even more. The bags are stiff and, in my eyes, quite ugly, and children are supposed to carry several books every day, good exercise but…

They also break... ours lasted 2 years and then one of the rivets popped out. Generally I believe you are allowed to use a different bag, it's just... uncommon.

Curiosity: do they have warranty (for how long?)? Does the manufacturer take them back and perform repairs?

Re: $450 for a School Bag?

#104

Post by JohnBooty »

wraptile wrote: post #87
JohnBooty wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got a free backpack with my new Thinkpad laptop recently. It's light, well designed, mass produced, easy to personalize - would take this over the 450$ school bags any time of the year. Just to be clear: you're using your freebie bag to carry a laptop and not 6kg/13lb of schoolbooks, correct? Something tells me the answer is "yes" which kind of makes me wonder why you're mentioning it Do you also drive around in a…

I'm confused how is that relevant what's being carried in it? in fact the flexible synthethic backpack molds much better to variable-sized objects you'd put in it rather than giant square leather bucket.

You... don't understand how carrying heavier, bulkier loads will cause more stress on a bag?

Re: $450 for a School Bag?

#105

Post by JohnBooty »

jasomill wrote: post #100
JohnBooty wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know what you mean about BIFL culture. IMHO r/buyitforlife is full of people who clearly seem to be jumping through hoops in order to justify some pretty expensive and overkill purchases they've already got their heart set on. But that is not the angle I'm thinking from. I did not see Jansports lasting people ten years when I was in school. If anything... there's probably some generation gap stuff going on here. $5…

My solution to heavy-ass books was to re-bind individual chapters in 50¢ report covers after paying a copy shop about $2/book to cut out and three-hole punch the pages, and only carry the chapters I was actively using, which easily fit in a vertical messenger bag designed for small laptops.

That's, uh, not exactly universally applicable is it?

Or have they finally quashed the used book market entirely? Most fellow college/uni students valued getting a few bucks back for their books at the end of a semester.

Also this obviously can't work for primary school students who can't destroy their books at will.

But, good solution

Re: $450 for a School Bag?

#106

Post by JohnBooty »

maxglute wrote: post #93
JohnBooty wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's "normal use"? Here was my "normal use" as a student in the 1980s and 1990s. - 4 or 5 large books at once, bag often fairly bulging - Zipped and unzipped probably > 20x daily - Dropped onto school, home, and schoolbus floors dozens of times daily with various levels of care - Some walking, some weather exposure (less for me than many others) - One strap always carrying 100% of the load because the style was to…

Maybe I'm talking out of my ass but this seems to be designed for regimented JP primary school life. Rigid central compartment for books. No need to accomodate for lunch boxes or water since you get that at school. Or you clothes/shoes for sports and after school activities.

I think many kids carry a packed lunch (bento) but carry it separately in a box wrapped in a cloth or separate bag. I've not visited nor lived in Japan, I'm sure somebody can correct/expand.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bento

Re: $450 for a School Bag?

#107

Post by new299 »

nephanth wrote: post #103
new299 wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They also break... ours lasted 2 years and then one of the rivets popped out. Generally I believe you are allowed to use a different bag, it's just... uncommon.

Curiosity: do they have warranty (for how long?)? Does the manufacturer take them back and perform repairs?

I think it depends, this one didn't as IIRC we got last seasons model as it was cheaper.

Re: $450 for a School Bag?

#108

Post by xtiansimon »

In college a friend had a leather school bag, which, I recall, he described as used by primary school students in Holland. Same sort of concept. It’s meant to last for your primary schooling. Made from leather, in the shape of a briefcase with shoulder straps.

I think the idea is if you take care of it as a child, then at some point you transition from stiff shoulder bag to broken-in briefcase—or something like that. Symbolic of a transition to adulthood.

BTW-That video was really lovely. I liked the simple montage of the workers at the end.

Re: $450 for a School Bag?

#109

Post by rascul »

metadat wrote: post #2

The article tries to articulate the value add through attention to detail in manufacturing "so the bags survive 6 years of rough and tumble ", but I'm not really getting it. What am I missing? I had a $60-in-1995 northface backpack that lasted through hauling 5+ periods of textbooks every day, walking and biking to middle school and highschool. It worked fine, in fact my dad still uses it (30 years later) to hold and…

> Lots of kids got by with a single basic $25 Jansport.

Those zippers never lasted long for me.

Re: $450 for a School Bag?

#110

Post by devilbunny »

aYsY4dDQ2NrcNzA wrote: post #88
JohnBooty wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was in school in the 80s-90s I pretty much nevvvverrrr saw kids reusing bags for multiple years. I think cheap bags were just crappier back then But even the Jansports seemed to get replaced. I think kids were just rougher on their bags back then. I remember my bags absolutely bulging with 4-5 big hardbound textbooks. Don't see that much any more.

Jansports had a lifetime warranty, I think?

They did, but you had to do without for a few weeks while they replaced it.
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