"Your backpack got worse on purpose" Most brands are owned by a handful of companies, and that's why everything is terrible now.

[omar@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@vermaden the 17" is too much but I like their 15.6 model.
Though, not sure about the laptop compartment; opening the backpack like this tends to throw off the balance most of the time.

I have a classic Samsonite matching my ThinkPad color but it's a terrible mess inside, not a good laptop bag nor a sportbag and even less a travel bag.

@sarahdalgulls

[decanseo@mastodon.ie]

@sarahdalgulls this is straight from the Sam Vimes boots theory of socio-economics
https://terrypratchett.com/explore-discworld/sam-vimes-boots-theory-of-socio-economic-unfairness/

[luk_@mas.to]

@sarahdalgulls I had so many everyday backpack that last for a year and a half because the zipper will always fail that I chose one without any zipper. The bag is great so far.

I checked and the company is own by small and local shareholders.

[heymarkreeves@mstdn.social]

@sarahdalgulls https://tombihn.com

[zergling_man@sacred.harpy.faith]

@sarahdalgulls So you're opening a backpack-making business, right?

[superflippy@mastodon.xyz]

@sarahdalgulls Surprised the brand that makes my work backpack isn’t mentioned. Targus, what’s your excuse?

[vermaden@mastodon.bsd.cafe]

@omar @sarahdalgulls

Yes - they also have other models - even some waterproof ones.

[chloeg@mastodon.art]

@sarahdalgulls shame the article is written by an AI too.

[grumpyoldtechie@hostux.social]

@sarahdalgulls Seeing that were talking backpacks and brands I suggest looking at Lowepro. I've used them since the 1990s. My first one I gave away in 2010 to a struggling photographer friend. The second one was stolen in 2013. My current pne was bought in 2013 and shows a few scuffs and had a zipper transplant but otherwise it's perfect for daily use. 13 years is a long time and their quality may also have gone downhill but I doubt that it has.

[iddinev@mastodon.social]

@sarahdalgulls
Sounds like a localized (USA) problem - I am immensly happy with my Deuter backpacks and my Osprey 35L.

[gonzalo@neopaquita.es]

@sarahdalgulls you can get an original, durable, sustainable backpack made by a young designer here: https://daniel-chong.com/en-us/pages/mochilas

[ndw@toot.wales]

@sarahdalgulls It would be nice to have some legislation that required labeling to identify the ultimate corporate owner for all products. With care taken to prevent loopholes and teeth for violations. But the billionaires don't want that, so no.

[evoscale@c.im]

@sarahdalgulls Fossilizing from birth, is a form of #PlannedObsolescence.

Then again, my jokes aren't always blooming with effervescence.

[efscher@fedi.nyc.what.if.ua]

@sarahdalgulls Bellroy is still pretty good.  Not cheap, though.

[3janeta@beige.party]

@sarahdalgulls I thought this was my imagination but apparently not. That sucks.

[oddhack@mstdn.social]

@sarahdalgulls wondering if folks know of importers like Zenni (Chinese eyeglasses more or less direct), but that operate in the EU? Prices in Lisboa opticians, of which there seems to be one every block or two, are not quite as bad as the Former US, but still steep.

[rob_t_firefly@masto.hackers.town]

@Chloeg @sarahdalgulls It's by a Palantir employee. https://www.keyana.io I suppose working there does qualify someone as an expert on how and why things are getting fucking worse all the time.

[lywyn@mstdn.social]

@sarahdalgulls Planned Obsolescence is the subscription model for manufacturers goods.

[axeln@norden.social]

@sarahdalgulls @cstross Now it is called enshittification, in it earlier iteration they made a movie called „Wall Street“ about it. Endgame capitalism.

As for this iteration: it is exactly the same in the luxury brand segment – look up LVHM (Louis Vuitton)

[fazalmajid@social.vivaldi.net]

@sarahdalgulls It's called Quality Fade, and is pretty much standard operating procedure when Private Equity acquires a storied brand known for quality. Muffy Aldrich has a diagram that illustrates this:

https://saltwaternewengland.com/2023/03/the-lifecycle-of-clothing-companies.html

That said, it is also much easier for consumers to research and the time window for PE to milk a brand for all its equity while they run it into the ground is growing ever shorter.