I love backpacks. And I love Ellie, as I mentioned in the previous blog post. So it would be a natural move for me to have Ellie's backpack replica, which comes in Ellie Edition of The Last of Us Part II. Fortunately for me, I don't have to buy the whole box, some people on the internet are selling the backpack loosely. It wasn't cheap, I dare say. Some sell it on eBay around $200+, almost half of the special edition price. Other than being a limited item and collectible product, does the price worth it? That is the question I am going to answer in this article.
Ellie's backpack has a lot of compartments. In the artbook, Naughty Dog said that Ellie's new backpack was extensively researched and designed to ensure it was compatible with her new lifestyle. Ellie is going to travel a lot, she collects artifacts and brings all of her weapons along in her journey, the bag acts as storage, a riffle mount, a quiver for her arrows, and sheath for melee weapons. Judging by their statements, this bag will be a perfect accessory when the zombie apocalypse happens.
I felt skeptical at first, since usually game merchandise usually made of cheap materials, overpriced, and not something you can wear in daily life. When I finally got mine last Monday, I was surprised by how well made the material is. The bottom part of this bag is made from faux suede material. The main material is Nylon, almost as thick as JanSport's. To test whether it's waterproof or not, I dropped some water on it, and the material doesn't absorb it quickly. This might keep your stuff dry when there’s drizzle outside.
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| When the zombie apocalypse happens, I'm prepared! |
How about the stitches and padding for the shoulder straps? The stitches take some time to test, though I would say you might want to pack lightly to make sure this bag will last longer. Besides, you're not going to carry heavy stones or concrete in it, aren't you? You might bring one laptop with you and also one heavy-ass-book to school or something, and it will do just fine, don't do it too often though. I'm not sure the stitches of this bag is as indestructible as JanSport yet.
The bag also comes with two enamel pins, exactly like Ellie has. I love the pins, they are high quality for sure. It is not as easily come off, just like most enamel pin does, because it has two rubber holding it from the other side for each pin. I advise you, DO NOT pull them out, it does come off easily ONCE you pull them out. If you already tried the thing that I advise you not to do, and you decided it was the worst decision you ever made in your life, you might want to glue it. Maybe use a stick glue or something.
At the back, this bag has 2 compartments, for small wallets or small phones, they will fit just fine. On the top, this bag has one small compartment, enough to store your pen, stationaries. The material used for these compartments is very thick. Thicker than blood, I'd say. LOL, Just kidding. You don't have to worry you might tear it or something. This bag could carry a lot of stuff, it is a little bit bigger than my regular JanSport backpack. The padding of the shoulder straps and the back part of this bag, making it comfortable to carry around all day.
Last but not least, my conclusion about this bag:
Since you will not find this bag in a regular retail store, I'd say it's worth your money, especially if you carry a lot of things with you and you need to grab them fast (like your wallet).
