It also ignores the fact that your backpack needs change.

At various points in my life I've needed:

- A huge backpack, then a small one

- Water bottle holders weren't important, then they were

- Straps I could tighten to hold a yoga mat weren't important, then they were

- A laptop slot wasn't important, then it was critical

Plus my preference in color has changed, as well as my aesthetic preferences.

Paying $200 for a backpack would be insane when I'll have different needs in a few years anyways. I buy cheap-ish backpacks, I've never had a zipper or seam fail on me before I needed to buy a new one for a different reason anyways. Or it was just stolen/lost.

My general life philosophy is to buy the cheapest thing that meets my needs generally, replace as necessary (since I often need to replace/upgrade for functional reasons anyways), and buy a very few expensive high-quality items that I know are actually worth it. Like a mid-tier espresso machine, a good leather jacket, quality boots, a decent home speaker, and... I'm honestly struggling to think of anything else.