i know that in many cases it's important to buy the best tool you can afford, but $300 for a backpack is nuts. what is it that makes those bags worth the money? the capacity and waterproofness? or because they pay a living wage to their employees?

i like messenger bags (any one-strap, over-shoulder bags, because i like the strap setup, not because i want to look like a [fat] bike messenger) for day-to-day life but i don't like carrying a bag when i'm riding around. rather have stuff on the bike, unless it makes the bike fall over. i have a nike messenger bag that someone bought for me on deep, deep clearance, so it was like 17 dollars. it is waterproof enough that one time i left a frozen meal in it at work, and the meal defrosted, so everything in the bag looked and smelled like thai food, but the bag didn't leak. that's the great thing about waterproof bags--if water gets in, IT CAN'T GET OUT. kind of like my rain jacket.

anyway i guess comparing a functional $17 bag to a superficially similar $300 bag is where the curiosity comes from. what is the difference?