JanSport Classic Merit Backpack

I purchased this to bring with me on a ferry while commuting back and forth to an island every day, and from the ferry to and from my construction site.

Some positive aspects are the straps are comfortable, with plenty of adjustment for a man my size of 200lbs, and feel strong at the top seam. The back of the bag is comfortable against my back also. It has a small side zippered pocket for things as keys or boat tickets. It was the largest backpack, and it does have quite a bit of space. There is one side net pocket that a Gatorade bottle fits in. The laptop slot inside is a nice touch, but the securing strap for it should be adjustable to keep smaller laptops tightly securedif you have a 13 inch, it will flop around a bit.

Some negative issues I found are the bottom of the back does not have an extra layer of nylon, or a thicker layer to begin with, so any surface other than a desk will prematurely ware the bottom away. As many people have complained of, the zippers are terrible at catching on the weather flap, or nylon fabric that extends over the zipperreally inconvenient when I'm trying to get into and out of my bag quickly. Compared to my LLBean rucksack, the fabric does not have a weather-resistant membrane inside, so I anticipate the fabric getting soaked in a downpour, allowing the contents to be exposed to moisture. I also would like to have had the nylon thicker than it is.

Overall, it is a good bag for books and folders, and for use in an academic and nonviolent environment. It is not designed for a hostile atmosphere, where subjected to unconventional conditions. For the price, I'm not so sure I would have purchased it had I found it in a store where I could examine it further.

A word about Jansport.

I bought this to replace a pack I had since 98. That pack has been with me all over the world and was solid until recently when one of the plastic locks on shoulder straps broke. While I bought this one to go with me on a recent trip I sent my old pack back to Jansport to get it fixed. Per their life-time warranty, I got my old travel buddy back with not one new plastic lock but two! With this service, I have decided to stick with Jansport forever.

This pack was as close to the one I originally had as I could find. I like the laptop sleeve, the side net pocket, and the small pocket zipped pocket on the side of the top pouch.

This thing is going to be a trooper too!

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I purchased this backpack for my daughter only after many failed attempts finding anything similar at several retail stores.

This seems to be one of the very few that actually fits a 17 inch laptop. When you add her books and such there's still plenty of room for other "stuff". Great selection of colors too. Even with shipping charges it was still less expensive than others we've seen. She loves all the pockets for games and her phone and lets face it, college students accumulate lots of "stuff". The quality was impressive to me also.

She's very pleased and therefore so am I! Thanks!

RJ

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I've had my old Jansport backpack for about 5 years and until the zipper broke a few months ago it always held everything and had all the necessary pockets. So now that I need a new backpack that will hold my new 17inch Dell Studio laptop (which is larger than your avg. 17inch esp. if it's a Mac) I decided to try the Merit.

My laptop fit into the compartment easily, and as expected, there was still an ample amount of room left for my other supplies. Also, the quantity and variety of pockets in this backpack is really great. However, every time I went to zip or unzip one, the zipper takes some extra fidgeting to go all the way. Take away a smooth entry and I basically give up. Another low point for the Merit is the quality of the fabric. Unlike my old one, this one is polyester and it is so loud when it moves around. I have a feeling with the zipper issue and poor fabric, this backpack won't hold up as long as a product I would expect from Jansport.

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Love this backpack! I am a college student so I have tons of stuff and this thing carries it all without stressing the zippers. I can easily fit my 17 inch laptop, all my books and notebooks, my gym bag and sneakers in here and still have room.