Top positive review
1 people found this helpful
Terrific, stylish, durable bag (lasted 7 years of heavy wear)
By Amazon Customer on Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2024
I purchased my first Herschel classic backpack on this Amazon account all the way back in early 2018, and it has seen a _lot_ of use during that time. Used it through my last years at university, lugging around a laptop together with heavy and bulky textbooks, pencil cases, a battery bank, and even a collapsible umbrella in its large main pocket, with still more room to spare. I've used it to pack for multiple international trips, with tons of open space for spare clothes, multiple devices, and a large metal water bottle. I've packed it on trips to the tropics, to desert climates, and frosty wintry areas. All the while, this backpack has survived a ton of wear and weight, handling it all like a champ. It has been so durable and spacious inside, in fact, that I also used it as a reusable grocery bag multiple times a week for ~4 years when I used to live alone. Even though the drawstring has long since degraded and torn apart from several years of heavy use, the magnetic straps are still intact and the backpack is still holding strong. The canvas-like water-resistant exterior of this bag has held together wonderfully and still looks good as new. The magnetic faux-leather straps have been extremely durable over the years, though the finish does peel a little after 4-ish years of heavy use. The drawstring rope could be made much more durable so it doesn't unravel and rip, but like I wrote probably, it's not the end of the world. The bag continues to function extremely well even without it. When I first purchased this bag, I was initially disappointed by the conspicuous lack of pockets and dividers inside (aside from the laptop divider and very small side pocket), but I quickly came to love and even depend on its spaciousness whenever packing for school, day trips, flights, and even grocery runs. I found that if I ever needed additional organization inside, I was better served by packing those things in individual clamshell cases, or even Ziploc bags, to give them structure within the vast TARDIS-like space inside this backpack. And now, in winter 2024, I've finally decided to replace my Herschel with a new one of the exact same model. Not because the bag itself failed, mind you, but because I spilled something sticky inside that I feel will be ridiculously hard to clean. 😂 10/10 bag, will serve you very well during a zombie apocalypse or crash-landing on a remote desert island.
Top critical review
1 people found this helpful
Not perfect, but stylish and relatively inexpensive
By T. Strick on Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2016
In deciding to go back to school, my beloved Jack Spade canvas briefcase from my industry job just wasn't going to cut it anymore. I needed something that could hold my laptop and charger, as well as books and binders, but I didn't want to go all the way backwards into high school JanSport land. I was glad I found this backpack, which looks stylish (surprisingly hard to achieve in a backpack) and does most of the things I need it to do. You sacrifice quite a bit of functionality, though. The built-in padded laptop sleeve does fit my 15" Macbook Pro, but the last few inches stick out the top and are protected only by the thin outer shell — which is to say, not at all. I have to be careful not to hit that part of the backpack on anything for fear of audibly striking the laptop. Aside from the laptop sleeve and main compartment, there is only a tiny pocket on the front (probably about 6" square, no zipper) and a very narrow pouch on the inside. The inside pouch is clearly meant to house a couple of pens, and the outer pocket... also holds pens, because I wouldn't risk putting anything more valuable there for fear that it'd fall out. I wish there were a medium sized pocket that could hold a cell phone, small notebook, some Altoids, etc. — as it is, all that stuff is just jumbled together at the bottom of the main compartment. The top flips open to reveal a drawstring closure, which becomes annoying over time. To close it, you have to pull the string, slide the plastic fastener to tighten, then flap the top part over and try to match the two magnetic fasteners so they click shut. (The buckles are thankfully just for show.) This doesn't seem like such an ordeal, but I've started to wish for the simplicity of a zip top backpack. With zip top backpacks, you can also swing it around to your front side in order to quickly pull something out. Not so with this one; you have to take the whole thing off to rummage around inside. Other than that, it's nice and roomy, doesn't weigh much on its own, and the straps fit comfortably. The red and white stripe interior is a little goofy for my tastes, but it provides the advantage of allowing you to see inside clearly, unlike most bags that have black interiors. It's hard to overstate how useful this is, especially because (as I mentioned before) all of my smaller stuff has to go in the big compartment. Overall, it's about as professional-looking a backpack you can get without paying hundreds of dollars for a Filson one or something made of heavy leather, but is pretty bare bones as far as functionality goes. Be warned: if you haven't seen everyone and their mom carrying around this backpack, you will once you start wearing it yourself. It's very popular (for a reason, I suppose).
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