DAKINE Recon Pack - 1900cu in - 2009 BCS

I'm finishing college soon and I love this backpack. It doesn't have a laptop sleeve built-in but I just bought a sleeve and it works even better. I can put my 15in laptop w/sleeve, a text book, a few note books and papers in it, still with some space left. Its taller than other packs too, so that means if you have a lot of books, the corners won't push on the top zipper and cause it to open (this happened with my other dakine pack alot, eventually my biology text book tore out the zippers, and I got the recon). The cooler at the bottom is perfect, I can keep a couple drinks in it and save it for later in the day.

The only thing was that a few months in, the inside material and the bottom was being rubbed off by the corners of my text books, found out the black inner-lining is thin (I got the herring bone color, which is thinner material). I just put some tough iron-on fabric on the bottom inside corners and its fine.

But Ive had this pack for two years now and its being going strong. I actually wanted to buy another one seeing as Dakine isn't making this model anymore.

When considering a backpack I always recommend that people consider the following features for school use:

Is it made from a durable abrasion resistant material? The general use of a college student varies greatly, for this reason you will want a versatile and durable bag for daily use.

Is there a laptop sleeve? If not does it have any sort of protective padding? While you may not be carrying a laptop with you text books are expensive as well. You will want to ensure that your gear will not be damaged with regular packing.

What is the warranty coverage on this backpack? Many companies offer a lifetime warranty on backpacks. Due to the varied use of a college student any flaws in manufacturing or defects, even if they are rare, may show up (generally within the first year). While your backpack may not be effected you want to be covered in case it is.

Is it water resistant? This is a key factor, as you dont want important documents, flash drives, or laptops, to get damaged in the rain or by a spilled coffee.

In regards to this specific backpack it is made from a durable material, it has a good size (30 liters of space), but it is not marked as water resistant. However most Dakine products are somewhat resistant to water either way.