Evans Double Pocket Large Backpack

Great bag for my 3rd grader
The quality is amazing

LOVE this bag!! Everything has a spot including lunchbox, ipads, waterbottles, books, etc! Daughter loves it!

What I've always loved about State bags is that they have lots of useful compartments. However, my last bag broke along the zipper, and State wouldn't replace it, suggesting that I go to a local repair place, where I was told that it wasn't worth fixing. I hadn't used the bag that often, so was very disappointed that it broke. It was a nice blue with red accents.
I waited months and months before deciding to replace it, hoping that State would come out with better colors in the canvas option, like they used to have. Black. Grey. If you want blue, it's either nylon or mesh. Mesh?? Who wants a mesh bag?
No new colors appeared, unfortunately, so I bought a black canvas one.
Tons of color choices for kids bags, but adults get black, grey, or blue mesh. Boring, boring, boring. Would be a five-star bag if they had better colors.
Used to love this company. Oh well.

This bag has served me for over 5 years now and is still holding up through daily wear, travel, and so on. I did use this every day for many hours, filled to the brim with nearly 40lbs of textbooks and so on, so it has seen some damage--there's a rip at the bottom of the middle pocket lining, an ink stain from a damaged pen, the top hook is perhaps on its last legs, etc. But that's simply because it's a great bag that I relied on again and again, be it for class, a trip, or just a few work supplies. It's a good bag to transition into adulthood with, as it's sleek and nondescript enough to bring to work, but also helpful on a commute and provides much-needed shoulder support.

The only thing keeping this bag from a full five stars is the size of the water bottle pockets on the side. I'm not sure if the product description has always included the note about fitting a 17oz S'well water bottle or if that was updated in the several years since I originally purchased this bag, so it may have been an oversight on my part. However, for anyone looking to use a reusable water bottle of any other size or brand, it's nearly impossible to find something thin enough to fit in these pockets. I've tried stretching them, but there's really no give. I used to have a S'well, and it was fine for that, but I've had no luck with water bottles of any other popular brand. I'd love to see an elastic option so users of smaller bottles (like the S'well) would still have a nice fit, but those looking for bigger hydration could benefit, too. Or, because elastic wears out over time, simply an adjustable canvas pocket with a drawstring or something. Or perhaps this is a chance for a State Bags x S'well collab; a water bottle and backpack donated with every purchase and the option of water bottle add-ons.

I got this bag in Coated Canvas – Black. The material is sturdy and pretty sleek. It also doesn't cause the backs of my shirts and jackets to pill like my old backpack did. The all-black look, from the zippers to the stitching, is really nice, as is the bag's waterproof nature.

The main pocket is quite spacious and has been able to hold everything I've needed it to. The back pocket (with the laptop sleeve) doesn't have quite as much room as I'd hoped, especially when the main pocket is relatively full, but I've been able to fit a laptop, folder, and binder in there with minimal zipping issues.

All in all, I enjoy this backpack a lot. I don't know if I'd buy this exact model again, but I'd definitely shop from STATE again.