( picture from the kanken site.)
The material of the bag comes is waterproof and lightweight. It is slightly rough (slightly smoother than canvas). Despite the material being lightweight, the bag is super durable. after a year, there is still no sign of wear and tear. The only down side is the fact that it gets dirty really easily. Perhaps it is because I chose a bight colour yellow. (trust me the colour is a lot brighter that the picture).
I have had my water bottle leak in my bag once and to my horror, I only found out after half an hour as the bag was totally waterproof. I guess it was great since I found out how water resistant it is, even though I had all my notes, ipad and Iphone sitting in the bag full of water. *cries* Thank god apple products are slightly water resistant.
There were also concerns regarding the thin bag stripe. I was kinda skeptical about the idea too. In a few occasions, I was thinking if there would be a chance if it would break if I carried too heavy things in my bag. Well.. surprisingly, It hasn't happened yet. I is sturdy despite the weight of my ipad and laptop. I would really not advise putting something so large like a laptop in.( I tried with my 14 inch laptop. It made my back rest so hard and the bag so rigidly rectangle, I gave up and used my laptop sleeve instead.) If you are concerned about it cutting into to your shoulder, that is something that I got used to, It was a little uncomfortable for the first 2 weeks.However, after the 2 weeks I started to discover the wonders of having a thin stripe bag. not only does it not restrict your movement when you try reaching your hands to the opposite direction. (right hand stretching to your 9 O'clock direction) The usual bag pack which I had always caused so much discomfort when I tried stretching over. Perhaps its caused by my fats. *sigh*.
If you are considering it for school I would also recommend it as it fits A4, light weight, and durable. In terms of practicality, it is worth the price given the quality and durability. What I would warn is for you to choose a darker colour so it doesn't get dirty or starting looking so dirty so quickly.
I hope this helps if you are considering your buy.
