Office refugee: Can you spot a fake North Face backpack?

I bought a North Face (TNF) Hotshot backpack at a outdoor market in Bangkok back in 2008 (new without any price tags/labels). Yes, like many others I wanted the label without the price. I had no illusions that for about the equivalent of £14 I was buying anything other than a reasonable copy. Since then it's had a fair amount of use and I'm currently using it daily. In that time it's not suffered any rip, tear or breakage of any kind. Recently I started to ponder buying a genuine new version of my backpack. This interest got me checking out many articles and videos on the web on how to spot a fake TNF backpack. It seems that these days you need to check for the hologram label, integrated whistle on the buckle and YKK zips. Apparently the hologram logo began to appear on TNF backpacks from about 2009, shortly after I bought mine.

At the same time I bought my backpack, a friend purchased a pair of 'fake' Converse All Star canvass trainers. They certainly looked good. However, by the time we were on the plane home, one of the metal eylets had come away and so had one of the rubber 'badges' which was glued to the back of the shoes. That says it all really.

My fake backpack comes with YKK zips, TNF logos on toggles and even Woojin Flex buckles. The makers labels inside look genuine too. It's only now that I've discovered from the labels this is a women's version of the backpack - oh well. I wonder if that means it's a slightly smaller version than the mens? The place of purchase, lack of price tags and the price are the things which shouted "fake" in my case. The backpack weighs about 930g, which I always thought was heavy due to the inferior fabrics. However, new equivilant TNF backpacks come in just under 1500g which seems to be down to extra padding and fleece lined pockets.

If I did buy another one, I would go to a reputable high street store or online retailer offering some discount. I've concluded that more often than not, the phrase "You get what you pay for" is most often true. There was a time when I viewed certain things as over-priced but now I believe that you're paying for the brand but also decent quality. Everybody loves a bargain but the truth is it's a false economy.

Rather surprisingly, my fake TNF backpack has outlived my Timberland day backpack - the zip of which suffered a catastrophic failure and could not be repaired.

The fact that some people even send their backpacks to North Face to get them authenticated tells you just how good the fakes are!