Other back to school specials.
Special Buys Satisfaction Guarantee - We will refund or replace any non-grocery specials within 60 days. Please provide your original receipt (or other proof of purchase), ideally with packaging, when you return the item to us.
the Blue CW actually does look quite nice
It's Navy Mélange.
Mélange got mixed into the melting pot of English back in the 1600s. It derives from the Middle French verb mesler, which means "to mix."
I think it would look good on you.
That's interesting. Reminds me of ménage à trois.
@nfr: You do have a point,'Navy Melange' definitely sounds like something that happened at a US base in the Philippines after WAY TOO MUCH drinking and required a 2 week course of anti-biotics and a topical ointment to clear up.
Ozbargain - a valuable learning resource.
Will wearing this backpack facilitate my interstellar travels?
In this time, the most precious substance in the Universe is the spice melange. The spice extends life. The spice expands consciousness. The spice is vital to space travel.
Actually not. The old ones were good, very good, I prefer it to my Samsonite laptop case.
I bought another one last year, and the quality is now junk. Aldi seems to be cutting corners these days.
Thanks for saving me $15!
Fortunately the Navy Mélange version is a freshly-designed product manufactured by the company that used to be making our submarines. They don’t cut any corners at all — in fact they found a few extra corners to go around
Agree. Strongly recommend to keep the receipt or have it scanned. Bought mine last year and strap tore at the seams after 2 months of use carry normal university load (laptop, water bottle, and a couple of notebooks). Tried to return it but was refused due to lack of receipt.
Buy a new one & return the old one with the new receipt in about 50 days.
Premium backpack for $15? Is that the brand?
She needs premium dude….PREMIUM
DUDDEEEEE
She'll run just fine on e10. Only use Premuim on Euro models.
I somehow doubt a 1968 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am convertible would like E10.
She's one of 8 then. Needs all of TLC.
I've been using ALDI backpacks for last few years. They're quite reasonable, but wear out quickly, typically for me around the handle stitching, as I carry a fairly heavy amount of gear.
I find I get about 12 months from each one. But at the low price, they're much more economical than a more expensive model that lasts 3 years.
These would have a 1 year warranty so keep your receipt. Actually they fade so take a pic or scan.
Yeah, the last Aldi backpack I got the zippers broke off eventually as did the stitching around the bag zipping. For $15 it's hard to complain though
It wasn’t that hard, was it?
Our kids have been using ALDI backpacks as schoolbags for a few years. This newer style available for the last couple of years is a lot less durable - the straps break more easily for example. And the compartments aren't laid out as well as they use to be in previous years.
How does ALDI's return policy/warranty work? It says in the post refund within 60 days but I'd expect a backpack to last at least a year. Can we still claim refund if purchase has been more than 60 days ago?
That's just their satisfaction guarantee period. It will also have a 12 month warranty under Aus Consumer Law.
This or one of the Dell $13-$18 backpacks?
I got the Dell one from this deal
Generally super happy with it. The whole thing seems very high quality and the zippers are really sturdy. The zippers are under the strap which is a little weird, but it has the benefit of really holding your laptop against your back which makes it feel a lot lighter and prevent back pain I've found. Only real issues I've seen are it's only two pockets and the smaller one would really benefit from some divisions so it's not cavernous, and the water bottle holders are incredibly narrow. Looks smaller than the aldi one too.
Can't speak for Aldi but I'd defs buy the Dell again.
Laptop backpacks by far.
Had a $9 ASUS ROG and it's still going strong two years later.
I used to get these school backpacks or Puma or other sports brands and they wear out quickly. Laptop backpacks for the win aye.
Which ASUS backpack? They have a gorillion of them it seems.
BP1502
I can vouch for the Dell laptop backpacks. I traveled around the world with one and it held up extremely well.
I also issue them with new laptops to dozens of clients at work; I've never had any complaints from them either.
Dell ones are going to be waaaaaay better quality.
Dell, have had an Essential for almost 2 years and its held up really well. Used pretty much for work every day, and taken it on holidays, usually carrying laptop and power/cables (and a bunch of other crap), and its still going strong. No issues so far with zips, seams or handles/straps.Great value for the $16.10 delivered I paid for it on 31/01/2021 - https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/601380. Looks sharp too, low profile. Highly recommend.
looks like no cheap backpacks from Dell at the moment…?
Just had a look on the Dell website and no, not at the moment. Give it a month or so as they regularly have specials on backpacks and bags. Just keep checking Ozbargain, as someone will post it.
I owned both. Dell for sure. Aldi's strap tears fairly easily at the handle where it connects to the main pack.
Another thing for landfill in six months….
Bought a $60 Kathmandu backpack 12 years ago and it's still perfectly fine and working
It's no longer $60 I suppose? Or they don't make the same quality.
I'm an idiot. I used to work there in the retail store and we got a big discount on most stuff. It was the "Method" pack which looks like retail is around $200 now which sounds about right.
Still, that many years and going strong is really good.
the low end kathmandu definitely not made to same standard anymore..
I bought a decades-old leather briefcase off eBay for 50 dollarbucks. It's leagues ahead of any modern nylon plasticy crap backpack in terms of quality. Stylish too. Laptop fits exactly.
And saves another shitty backback going to landfill.
Sadly Kathmandu seem to be cutting corners too. Bought a pair of merino dress socks which was really good quality but a discontinued line and nothing else comes close 🙁
I remember 12 years ago. Actually, I don’t, really. But bitcoin was about $1. Your backpack would cost $1.5 million today, accounting for bitcoin inflation, so it’s lucky you got the big discount. I think the lesson we get from stories like this is that old backpacks are still perfectly fine and working
These backpacks don't have enough support and padding. It should be ok for primary school with light weights and with school pickup and drops. For any longer walks to school and back, you should consider a more supportive backpack for the child to avoid neck, shoulder and back-related pains and injuries. We have used these backpacks, but as mentioned by others, these wear out quickly plus my child only used them for carrying from the car to class and back.
avoid neck, shoulder and back-related pains and injuries
Nah mate back in my day I had a real light padded / practically no support Adidas sports bag which I used to carry a physics, biology, maths b and c textbooks and I turned out fine…
wait a minute….
I have an older design. I couldn’t recall how much it cost. It looks ok, not terrible, nice padding’s and compartments. But it wasn’t balance when you put in your laptop and the bag itself is heavy.
"Premium"
Nothing says premium like having the word premium in the name.
pretty much a dead giveaway that it's anything but haha
marketing doesnt want you to know this 1 simple trick
You said it well. I was going to comment something similar but it would have come across as harsh or rude.
They probably claim the word "Premium" is the brand name and does not reflect the quality of the product in anyway lol.
Bought one on clearance for $10 last year. One of the best backpacks I've ever owned.
Yeah, but I really, really don’t like queueing. And it has YKK zippers
The Linus backpack is $250, in USD.
Then $50 shipping, $25 tax. All up it's about AU$470, if you want one that bad. :D
I just read that as litty titty
Brah, save your money and get yourself a 5.11 bag, it will outlive you.
I don't know what a 5.11 bag is but why do I want a bag to outlive me? Haha almost depressing.
I'm picturing the bag strangling the owner with paramedics having to cut it off in a desperate attempt to save him!
As a matter of fact paramedics use 5.11 bags cause they are so durable so their bags might even join in.
For me a good backpack needs to have a lot of zippered compartments. Cheap ones usually have very few extra compartments.
Aldi compared favorably to the minimalist Amazon Basics one which costs twice as much: https://www.amazon.com.au/AmazonBasics-ZH1508073F-Classic-Ba…
Has anyone bought one this time around and can review the bag?
This actually looks decent for $14.99.