What bags taught me about value

I love a good bag.

I have a black duffel bag that has travelled the world with me. It is a simple, rectangular shaped bag with wide mouth opening and two square side pockets. It has reinforced bottom and four little peg-legs. It can fit a lot in its humble volume of approximately 30 litres. I've had it for more than twenty years, inherited it from my mother, and took it with me on trips across four continents. It still looks brand new.

And yet, despite having a perfect duffel bag, I keep looking for new ones. The more I look, the more annoyed I become. Newer bags somehow have worse design, worse quality, and worse durability. Those that are similar too mine, and according to reviews match or surpass its quality, on the other hand, have ridiculous prices. $150+ for a simple duffel bag?! But then I pause and think. My bag has served me for over two decades. If new bag serves half of that time it will still be less than $20 per year.

Once I bought a little bit too much food whilst traveling. In a flash of brilliance, I bought the cheapest duffel bag that could fit all of that tasty food. The strap-ring broke as I stepped off the bus, sending me flying from all the weight I was balancing. At least it happened at the end of my journey... That "cheap" bag was $30 second-hand and did not last a single trip.

I'll stick with my bag for now. But I'll keep looking—with a revised point of view.