I bought a black JanSport backpack from my university bookstore in, I think, 1998. It was the first version that had a laptop slot in it because laptop computers were still a rarity then. I got it because my job at an dotcom startup bought me a bright orange iBook. Still one of my favorite laptops.

That JanSport lasted me 20 years. It outlasted that dotcom started, the entire dotcom bubble, the Great Recession, and three jobs. It took on dozens of flights and road trips. On long hikes in the Smokey mountains, and sleepovers at several girlfriends' apartments. It was an absolute tank.

What finally gave out was the rubberized coating on the bottom started to get gummy. But, wow, did I get my money's worth with it.

Recent discussion on topic: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47777209

LL Bean for me. Original at first, then the deluxe later as I got more homework. And I used an accordion folder, one slot for each class, for holding handouts etc. in addition to the notebooks and binders.

I was an Eastpak kid. To me, the quality was the same with the added bonus that you were less likely to get robbed for it.

I second this - mine has lasted me 15+ years at this point. Which is not something you can say about a lot of the things on the market today.