#SEstreetlife photos- Backpack upgrade thanks to a homeless group

So...  The backpack I bought in Palmdale in May of 2019 was getting pretty worn out.  OK, that's the understatement of the year.  It was pretty much obliterated, but still getting me by day to day.  I definitely got my $7 worth out of this pack.  I bought it used in Palmdale at a Goodwill, over three years ago.  By the time Covid hit in early 2020, zippers were beginning to pop, but it was still usable.  This was it today, as I finally retired it.  I seriously wanted to burn it in a little ceremony, but lighting fires on the streets tends to be frowned upon.  

Both straps were hand knotted to keep them working, all zippers were broken, but it was still functioning day to day.  The buckle straps on the outside kept it going.  

It wasn't like I didn't try to get a new one.  But I'm cheap AF, and I usually try to find a good quality backpack at either a swap meet, Goodwill, or Salvation Army.  There are no good swap meets in The Valley that I know of.  Every time I had some money to buy a new pack, I couldn't find a decent one in a thrift store.  So this old pack just kept getting sketchier and sketchier.  I had resigned myself to saving up $70-$80 and buying a good quality one at a camping store when I could.  

While being homeless is a situation where people always think cheap products are fine, in reality, backpacks, coats, and sleeping bags really get a workout.  Having basic items you can rely on means a lot.  I mean, when's the last time you went camping for 1,200 days straight?  Honestly, outdoor equipment companies really should give some product to homeless people for R&D and testing purposes.  We put that stuff through hell.  

 In any case, I started talking to a couple women from one of the homeless organizations, and they told me they had a backpack I could have today.  I told them I'm REAL picky on backpacks, and I blow through backpacks like a NASCAR driver blows through fenders.  I carry a lot of stuff daily, I needed an outside strap for my blanket (strapped to side, in trash bag), and I need lots of pockets to keep different things handy.  A few people have offered me packs, but none that would do what I needed.  So I always politetly declined.  These ladies today had a pack that fit the bill, so I'm stylin' again in the backpack department.  Thanks a ton ladies.   I'm stoked on the new pack, and hope it's up to the challenge.   While my old pack seems like a champ for its durability, it's not my personal record holder.  In 2007, I bought a backpack for $4 at Orange Coast College swap meet, and used that crazy little pack until the summer of 2018.  This old pack above ranks #2 in my backpack durability archives.  

The new pack looks and feels good, so I hope it lasts until I can get a roof over my head, and work on making an actual living again.  Onward!