Whoa There Big Momma!
Written: Aug 23 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Holds a LOT, lifetime guarantee
Cons: Rather bulky
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| Leeens's Full Review: Classic Big Student |
Argh, my least favorite time of year, back to school shopping! Sure it was fun when it entailed buying markers, crayons, and glue. And when the color of the notebook mattered more than whether or not there would be enough pages to last me the entire year I didn't mind at all.
Last year I purchased this Goliath of a backpack when it was time to go back to... school. I needed a replacement for my old Nike backpack. The zippers kept breaking and it wasn't big enough. Those weren't built to last- but that's another opinion.
Size Does Matter
I'm really glad that I decided to go for this pack. I needed the space for all of my binders and textbooks. Since my locker wasn't in a great location I needed to lug more stuff around than some of my other friends.
It has two main pouches. The front one is smaller and is perfect for holding folded up gym clothes or a few notebooks. The back compartment is HUGE and I fill it with binders and other supplies. Both of the large compartments meant for books only zipper down to the side halfway. Normally I look for backpacks that zipper all the way down so that it is easy to stuff larger items in, but since the compartments are so large on this pack, they open easily and by not zippering down to the bottom, it keeps the pack sturdy and open when you dump a big textbook in there. The very front section is useful for organizing smaller items. You unzip the section over the top from left to right and inside are tiny pencil or pen compartments and a larger one to house a calculator. There's plenty of space to keep other items in there as well. If that's not enough, located on the very front of the pack is a cargo pocket large enough to hold several spare items.
The straps are easy to adjust and are pretty comfortable although some of the "high tech" backpacks I've seen around with fancy shmancy padded and ergonomically correct shape look a lot more comfortable the straps on this pack have done the trick, even when I've got a heavy load in there. And if that is not enough towards the top in the front is yet ANOTHER pocket where I keep extra pens, makeup, tissues, or food.
A trick to making a backpack less heavy is to put the heavier stuff closer to your back and leaving the lighter stuff at the end. That's why I put all my heavy textbooks in the large compartment nearest to my back.
Looks
It does hold a lot of stuff, but when the pack is filled I just look like a dork, so even though it holds a lot I never fill it up to the capacity because if/when I do, someone walking by me ends up walking into the monster and takes me along with them since the backpack can be filled so much that it nearly weighs as much as me. Sometimes it's a annoying because it is really bulky and I can't just kind of sway and have it swing around so I can put back my pen or something.
Quality Counts
Each of the 5 zippers runs as smoothly as the first time I tested the pack out. There is a flap of fabric that runs over the zippers and acts as a rain guard. The backpack itself is not waterproof, but if you're caught in the rain for a brief period of time your stuff stays pretty dry. Should you find any problems with this backpack or any backpack made by Jansport you can get a replacement because they have a lifetime guarantee, but make sure to keep the tag that has the guarantee on it!
Overall
Most teenage girls carry around small backpacks and then carry a textbook or two in their hands. Personally I would rather go for comfort and not have to deal with running out to my locker last minute to grab something I forgot because though I managed to bring it to school that day I forgot to take it before class started. The color choice is taylored more towards guys (dark blue, black, and a really dark green are the only colors I've seen). This backpack isn't very stylish, but it allows me to keep all my stuff with me so that I'm prepared. And besides, with some creativity it could easily be jazzed up.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Leeens
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Member: Ilene
Reviews written: 76
Trusted by: 29 members
About Me:
Recent graduate of Northwestern University.
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