Bought these after the kids repeatedly snuck small toys into school last year. Keeps everything dry and clean, unlike mesh backpacks. Easy to clean out, say, a gooey crushed banana or melted chocolate. These hold up pretty well to younger-elementary abuse, but the plastic does not like the cold weather so much. The first cracks started to appear after about 2 months (in March, SE Pennsylvania).

Bought new ones for the new school year. Makes it easy to quickly scan for contraband, but also to make sure all the required stuff is there ("Where is your lunchbox?!?") Previous one is still going strong, repurposed as a travel bag (the other was destroyed by the dog). Cold seems to be the biggest problem. Clear packing tape stops small cracks just fine. I fully expect these to die in the middle of winter, but I'll buy 2 more.

Bottom line: I highly recommend these--unless you live in Minnesota, or such.