Needed one of these for my son's school year. I learned the hard way that you should always buy two. These are almost impossible to find locally so it forces you to go online. The problem with them is the fact that they are indeed plastic. You WON'T get a full school year out of one. It's not that these bags are made poorly but just how long can you expect one to last after several months of a 12 year old's abuse? Eventually the tiniest tear morphs into a huge one almost over night. The polymer plastic just doesn't hold the stitching over time. Also, once they start to go there's no repairing/patching them, they are trash. A notebook or two, some gym clothes, ect, ok. You put a few full size books, 4-5 marble composition books and a package of paper and you better hold your breath. Again not bad but don't expect a full year out of them.