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Comment by __mharrison__ | Hacker News Reader

Make sure your bag has YKK zippers (if it has zippers).

I used to sell outdoor equipment. If a brand cheaps out on zippers, I wouldn't trust it.

I really like my Patagonia Black hole mini MLC. Awesome access. Fits under an airplane seat. Generous laptop padding. Excellent zippers. Water bottle pocket. Lovely warranty (Patagonia store nearby often gives new product when I try to get product repaired).

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I have a columbia backpack i bought like 20 years ago that doesnt have a ykk zipper but it's still in perfect condition, i've abused it a lot and the only thing broken is a rubber thingy it has for the headphones cable to go through.

I've got quite expensive ski jacket with 4 YKK zippers.

3 of 4 zippers are broken after few years of usage.

I have multiple ski jackets and ski a couple times a week. No broken YKK zippers.

Do you know a better zipper?

This is a little late for your nice jacket, but a lot of zipper damage comes from dirt getting into the teeth and then the zip grinds everything up. Outdoors shops sell a zipper lubricant to keep the dirt from sticking.

I've been using the same Patagonia Black Hole backpack for nearly a decade, every day include bike commutes (and crashes). The longevity is frustrating at this point because I'd really like a larger one but can't bring myself to switch until this one fails (which may be never).

I don't see how it could be a surprise to anyone paying attention that a JanSport backpack doesn't deliver on quality. Perhaps there's more to the story but I got to the second AI slop one-liner and gave up.

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